The Portland daily press., 1868-12-29

..lLLUMnSATIEe OMs.-We notice that the
city papers state that the fire at the store Of
1aIessrs. Weeks, On Fore street, on the 24th
inss', occurred from kerosene oil. The clerk
had drawn "a can Of oil and set it aside, and
was drawing can of burning fluid" when the
fire took place. We understand It was the
"huid" that ignited and was the cause of the
conhagration.
If we understand the matter rightly, no oil
or fluid for Illuminating purposes can be sold
in this State unless it will stand fire test of
12O degrees Fahrenheit. Now there is an article
sold at many stores in this city called. "Non-
Explosive Fluid" which is one of the
most dangerous compounds in existence. and
will not stand the requirements of the law
passed by the Maine Legislature in 1867 and
amended the last session.
Every law-abiding dealer ought to discoun-
tenance the sale of every burning oil or fluid
that is not up to the standard. Besides this,
they render themselves liz BILE to prosecution.
The public, sooner or later, will realize the fact
that the best is the cheapest, and also that
"these new tangled" compositions of naptha
and other .infammabie materials are to be
ranked with gunpowder and nitro-glycerine.
The following Is an abstract of the law above
referred to. and which Is now in force:
Section relates to the appointment of in
spectors in every city and town OF 1000 inhabi-
tants or over, whose duties it shall be TO in
spect all such burning oils and fluids, and
canse each vessel or cask to be marked with
date of inspection, degree of fire test and In
sppctor's name.
Section relates TO the marking Of casks of
inspected oil as unsafe, and de6d the punish.
ment of dishonest inspectors by $500 hne or
six months imprisonment In the county, Jail.
Section relates to imperative requirement
OF the law that the manufacturer of such oils
and fluids shall cause every cask or vessel to
be inspected. and the fire test marked thereon
make or sell any unInspeeted oil or fluid, or
any marked unsafe, he shall be punish. by
fbe of $500 or six months in the county Jail.
Section 4 relates 10 the same points as in sec.
ton three, except 1t applies the law'to sellers
a. section three does to manufacturers, who
are also sellers.
Section s declares all prosecutions under the
second, third and fourth sections shall be by
Indictment.
Section relates to the power Of Selectmen
OF towns and the Mayor and Aldermen and
police of cities to examine all oils and cause
them to be inspected, and when the law is vio-
lated to enforce the prosecution of Offenders.
Section declares the date of the law taking
effect on and after June !, 1867.
1t would be we'll for underwriters aud our
city authorities to cause an examination to be
made of oils on sale here, and sift out the dan
gerous compounds aud brand them as they de-
serve. that the public security may be realized
and chat separated from the wheat"
Another correspondent has somewhat
different theory in regard to the origin OF the
fire:
Nh. EDrroR.-The late fire In Mr.. Week.
store reveals some singular facts, bntl as to
cause aud effects In order to fully under
stand, it will be necessary to briefly describe
the location of the OILS, fires and occupants at
the tine. There were two stoves on the lower
floor, one n'the counting room in the south
corner; the other near the north part of the
store, some forty feet distant. The oil was
kept near the partition which enclosed the
counting room. As the barrel of oil was near.
ly out Mr. Weeks had just procured another
tull one and placed it by the. side of the first.
At the moment when the fire. commenced NJ.
Weeks was standing uear the door in the
north part Of the loom, hs brother was post
ing BOOKS In the Office, one clerk was in the
Cellar, ,he other Was 10 the act of drawing u
gallon of kerosene oil from the barrel when
he suddenly found his feet enveloped In a blu
ish flame aud heard the explosion which for
| tunateiy forced him towards the outer do .,r,
somewhat singed. The Others bearing the
noise and seeing the flames Lad Just time to
get out If the way. After the fire was put
| cut the fua barrei of kerosene OIL was found
uniryured. while nearly everything around it
wa, destroyed. Into this full barre you might
drop lighted match and it would not take
dre, Especially the Portland oils). It is the
empty Tor nearly SOY barrels that are danger
| GUS. Take an empty barrel and put 1t in the
sun for o few days, or in warm place with
the bung out then drop lighted match into
it and an explosion will surely take place.
Several such cases have been reported, one at
tended with loss of life. The reason is obyi-
GUS. The wood Is saturated with oil, exposed
for . longer or shorter time to moderate heat !;
gas is formed slowly; (this gas is of heavy
and inert nature) after time it comes in con-
tact with the fame of stove or gas light and
explodes. In the late case, the stove in the
counting room was within six feet Of the bar
rel, and undoubtedly the partition had shrank
and thus let the heat on to the barrel, and the
draft of air through the cracks to the stove car
ried the gas with it, and the explosion followed
with the consequences. s. W. e,