The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-07-03
Saturday Evening, June ~. 1881
Ths Patent FIre AnnIhiIator

wv N'eSt'NO C"HuaB' 'dtlOH ~ Cdu rIdH'
cisco might have been checked by il be.
fore IN had occasioned much loss. A pat
ent fn that Invention was taken out iu
this country about year since. but m
steps have been taken to introduce il
here. The palentee. it has been sugees.
ted, prefers to wait Till the reputation Of
his discovery is so fully established in
Europe as TO create great eagerbess for
obtaining it here. and thus enable him to
dispose of ii at exorbitant prices; bu; a
friend Of tho inventor in a letter to the
Washington Union, denies this charge.
and says that the delay has been caused
by the violent opposition lie has met with
in England fiom insurance companies
and others, rendering series of costly
experiments necessary TO secure its intro.
ductiou. As public opinion is uow. how.
ever strongly declaring iiseI If in favor of
the new Invention. the opportunity will
soon be aft 'rded Of its being tested in this
country. ..4s.. .....a.. r".
A letter fr"m G. Q. Cotton. Of New
York, which appeared in Boston print.
describes the invention ;hus:-
"The machines are of various sizes;
depending upon the use 10 which they
are required I" be applied. Those nrdl-
narily used fur the protection of dwell
inss aud stores are about the size Of a
coal. scuttle, aud weigh about twenty
pounds each.-They are made. Of strong
sheet iron, some what in the form of
pail with strong cover. and with vari
Gus compartments inside. Within those
several divisions are placed number Of
chemical preparations, which. when
brought into contact by a simple mechan
ical contrivance, produce n immense vol
ume "f gaseous vapnr or steam, which
rushcs out from an aperture in the cover
and fills the room This vapor. coming
in contact with flame. instantly exiin
guishes il, although il can be brcathed
with perfect impunity. a room that is
filed with fame aud smoke. S" as to be
inaccessible uhder ordinary circnmstan.
ces. can readily be entered with one nf
these machines in operation. The Ami
hilalurs ins antly envelopes itself and the
person holding ii in an atmosphere which
can be brealhed, and at the same time
keeps al bay aud exiiuguishes all fame in
The apartment. have not examined the
chemical preparations, or the results of
their combination. so as To- state the pre-
cise chemical effect upon the fame in ex.
tinguishiug it. But that sucb is the efect
no one can dnub, who has paid any alten.
ton IN the accounts given in the English
journals. a"..'
The London Times gives an account of
public explanation "fthe drawing made
by Phillips. 1t says: ...- ..
"The gas WAS evolved at iempera.
ture of sbnnt l60 degrees Fahrenheit.
aud came in contact with fame having a
temperature Of about 800 degrees. aud
under which temperature it could not
exist. The gas absorbed part ofthis heat,
and not only in proporti"n to its original
volume. bat expanded as much as hun.
dred times more, each part Hlll retaining
highly absorbent powers. Now. water
thrown into body ofhAme only acted on
, the part in cnniact with it, aud although
ii light be used at say 80 degrees Fa
hrenheit-much lower than the gas-ye,
it was found that very small part as
sumed the form ofvapor in cunning in con
tact with fame, and spread through it;
the greater quantity fell down by its SUI
perior weight and was wasted Mr..
Philips then showed all experiment tn
prove this. He lighted coal gas in the
hold of model of ship, and poured jug
after Jug Of wafer omit without any effect,
but Immediately the vapnr was brought
in contact with it the fame was extin.
guished."
The London Slipping Gazette gives
D.. an accoun, of three different experiments
. made with this machine: s.s H
5 THE first exhibition was in a wood
framed house. filled with planking and
shavings saturated with turpenl;ne and
tar; when fercely igniled. the flames
! pouring out at the wndows aud through
!. the rouf, the application Of two hand ma
chimes quenched the fire completely, in
:. three minutes. The second trial was nn a
, tank twenty feetlong aud nine feet wide
! constructed of wood and filled with gas
. tar. This, the most lnfiammsble material
known, was set fire to, and allowed to at
) tain the greatest possible intensity, driv
ing the spectators to distance. A stream
of vapor, directed from one machine
=, chased away the fame; aud this expert
ment. like the first. was completely sue
! cessful. The third, however. was a more
important affair, and the more particular
: ly interesting to us. as II Is to the ship
5 ping interest that we would earnesllycom
! mend the invention. The hold of YES
$ sel of about $50 tons. moored off the
t wharf, was filled with sugar hughends
t turpentine barrels, rosin barrels, &c, al
. being filled with shavihgs, M which tur'
. pehtine and rosin wero plentifully sprin'
" kIed; the whole was set light to from be-
g, low. aud tine hatches opened to give the
FIRE farer play. When the combustion
}. was complete. and the Aimes assembled
high above the decks, two men, each bear
: ing a,No. 8 machine, by simply directing
r the nozzle Of the apparatus to the .ap
]. eture. succeeded in dspelling every
trace of burning in far less time that il