American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-10-20
Communicated.
The Fire AnnihiIator.
ditors ofhe AMERICAN Telegraph.

TO Tie Editors ofHe 4merican Teltgrdph
GENTLEMEN: | read your article of Saturday
with this caption, with much pleasure; for /
nation of, or excuse for, many of the reproaches
with which the press, at the present day, may,
fear too justly, be charged
My particular object however, at present, is
to offer to you my ideas as to what / conceive
to be the true estimate or office of these So
called " Annihilators"
The proprietors and agents have aeVer claimed
for it the power of extinguishing fires in any
state, under any circumstances; yet such
are the ideas too generally, fear, entertained
by the public, and sanctioned, l must say, by
injudicious editorials The proprietors have
never, in anything that | have seen, claimed
more for it than that, as an extinguisher Of fire,
it in efficacy far surpasses everything before
known. The preposterous extravaganza of the
suppostion that it can, according to the name
generally given it, annihilate fires, now that the
primo Jurore is passing by, will lead, fear, to
denial of its possessing any value whatever.
The rationale of its operation is stated thus:
When the +" charges are exposed to the heat Of
confagration by that heat chemical changes
are induced in the "charge," and gases are
evolved of nature to destroy combustion, they
being presented in a state in which they are
neither combustible nor supporters of combus-
ton. Now if such gases, in sufficient quantity,
could by any means be poured upon any fire,
however large or fierce, there could be no doubt
as to the result. The only question is, whether
this " "Annihilator," under any circumstances,
can do this; and if so the extent of its range.
That it will extinguish fires, and those, too,
of an intense heat, and that from combustlble
materials, has been proved by well-attested ex-
periments. From these premises we have leaped
to a false conclusion by an imperfect induction
That it will extinguish fires in an incipient, re-
strained state, whereby the currents of air al
ways generated by heat, and the gases, cannot
be dissipated by intermixtrre and subdivision
with the atmosphere, adnlts of no doubt; but
that it will extinguish house In full blaze, or
fre like that one Lately at the Smithsonian
| Institution, has never been claimed for it to my
knowledge by these interested in it. / have no
doubt that, IN the first stages of fire, it will
prove itself to be all that is expected
But believe that in vessels we will see in it
an almost perfect safeguard. No where can
fire be SO terrible as on ship-board death every
wherG, within and without; the two antagonis-
tic elements, fire and water, equally fatal.
Here this invention will have its greatest tri-
umph the fire is concentrated, ''cabin'd, crib'd,
confned;" the gases cannot be scattered by
any atmospheric currents, by their own density
they sink downwards, extinguishing as they
fall that which appals the stoutest heart, and
| pales the cheek of the bravest. And in similar
situations on land, where the fire has not yet
flung itself to the open air, nor rides in triumph
on the winds, it, believe, if properly applied,
will be of inestimable value; but that it will
wind up the insurance companies, or shut our
engneh houses, do not believe.
TUBAL CAIN