Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-05-31
Fires from Segar Smoking
BY SOL. SMITH-ST. LOUIS.

l have made up my mind that
two-thirds of the fires attributed
to ''incendiaries" are caused, if the
truth could be ascertained, by
'stumps of segars laid down by
smokers on some ledge, box, shelf
or window frame, mantle-piece or
desk. | am aware that segar
smokers scout the idea that wood,
or even shavings, can be set Oil fire
by partly smoked segar. Wa
gers have been offered that you
may throw the stump of a segar
among papers, into box of sha-
wings, into saw-dust, or into loose
cotton, without any danger of set
ting fire to either Of these articles.
| know better; and hence the strict
rules in all the theatres [ have
managed, that ono smoking" shall
be allowed in them. Fire can be
communicated by stumps Of segars
either laid down upon any wood
en- article, or thrown among pa
pers, shavings or cotton. | don't
say that it always is, but [ argue
that if fire can be so communica-
ted, we need go no farther to find
in it the cause of many fires attrib-
uted to incendiaries, rats, or spon-
taneous combustion.
/ will mention three instances
that have come under my obser-
walton, which satisfy HE that my
theory is true:
l. In lS47, entering the ST..
Louis Theatre in the afternoon,
one day in the summer time, when
mo fires were kept in the house, [
saw a considerable volume of
smoke coming out of an opening on
zone side of the proscenium, where
one of the stage carpenters had a
sleeping room. [ took a bucket
of water and assembled the cork
screw stairs in great haste, and
Opening the door of the little room,
| found the carpenter stretched up
on mattress asleep, the floor on
fire, smouldering, but breaking out
into a blaze as soon as the air came
in from the open door. The one
bucket of water sufficed to extin-
Iguish the flames; and, awakening
the carpenter, set about endeavor-
ing to find out the cause of the fire.
I"Oh!" said the carpenter, cit must
have been the segar | was smo-
king" And it was, for there lay
the stump on the charred floor,
where he acknowledged he had
laid it just before resigning him.
self to sleep.
2. l was walking through the
square between St. Francis and
St. Michael street, in Mobile, du-
ring the winter of 1910, one eve
ming about dark. A man prece-
ded me who was smoking segar.
The square was full of bales Of
cotton, probably two or three hun
dred thousand of them, piled up
almost mountain high, and many
of the bales had breaks in them,
made by cotton-hooks in handling.
As we got near the middle of the
square the gentleman threw the
stump of his segar away, and | no
ticed it lodged in,one of the OPEN
ings in a bale of cotton. Iresolv-
ed to watch it, and see if it could
or would set the cotton on fire. l
waited ten minutes, and there was
yet no sign of ignition. In twelve
minutes | saw very little smoke,
and one minute more blaze broke
out. By pulling out handful or
two of cotton | put out the fire and
a million dollars worth of cotton
was saved from burning; for if
the fire had got two minutes head
way, not all the engines in the city
could have saved that lot of cotton.
3. Mr.. John Calvert, in 1S46,
occupied a small house on Third
street, near the Theatre in this
city, now the Custom-house. I
was walking by one afternoon, and
saw him sitting at q second-story
window smoking a segar. Hecall-
ed to me and asked me to stop
moment, as he wished to speak to
me. He came down, and talked
about five minutes, when looking
up at the window he had left saw
a bright blaze issuing from the win
dow sill. We went up and easily
extinguished the fire, which had
communicated by his stump of a
segar laid thereon, when he came
down to speak to me.