The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-03-07
Explosion OF Coal Oil Lamps.
VALUABLE HISTs.

The accidents resulting from the explosion of
coal oil lamps have been ~ numerous and terrible
that the people will very soon 20 back 10 the use
Of Lard oil and candies, unless some method can
be devised whereby the use Of Kerosene can be
rendered safe. \ late number of the Boston
Journal o Chemistrycoutained af mos; instructive
article on this subject, the following synopsis Of
which We find in an exchange. All who use ker-
osenc lamp, either at home or Abroad and that
includes al people, should carefully read 1T The
writer save
Coal oil Is not explosive. \ lighted taper may
be thrown into il, or n fame applied in any way,
and 10 will burn but not explode. Accidents
with this substance occur from two causes; LIST,
imperfect manufacture Of the article; 21, adulte-
nations. An imperfectly manufactured oil is thar
which results when the distillatiOu has been car
ricd ON 1t too low a temperature, and n portion
Of the naptha remains in IL. Adulter1tiOns are
made by unprinciplcd dealers, who add 20 OF 80
yer cent. Of naptha after It leaves the manuiac-
tureT's hands. The light ~napthas, known in
commerce Us benziDe. gasoline, etc. are ali VIOLA
tile, ~infammabie and dangerous. But strangely
enough they are not in themselves explosive,
neither are they capable OF furnishing any gases
when plHced in lamps which are explosive.
Accidents arising from the admixture of these
substances with coal Oil, are due entirely To the
facility with which yapOr II produced from them
at low temperatures. But this vapor is not ex-
plOsiye 10 render il - it must be miIed Irih arr.
This ~ the important point. y lamp may be I'LL
Ell with bad oil, or vapor even, and in no possible
way can IL explode, unless atmospheric air has
somehow got mixed with vaIor. y lamp, there
fore, full, or nearly full, OF the liquid, is safe; ;
and also one full of pure, warm yapor is safe.
Explosions generally occur when the lamp Is first
lighted without being filed, and also late in the
evening when the fluid is nearly exhausted. Let
Us examine the reason of this. In using imperfect
OF aduiterated oil, the space above the oil Is filled
with yapOr, and 50 long NJ il is warm and rising
freely, no air can reach it, and ii is safe. At
night the light il extinguished, the lamp cools,
the vapor is condensed, the space il once occupied
being instantly filed with air. Now the mixture
Is more or lees explosive, and when upon the next
evening the lamp Is lighted without replenishing
the oil, as is often done, an explosion in very like
ly to take place. Late in the evening, when the oil
IL nearly consumed, and the space above is filled
with yapor, the lamp cannot explode If allowed
to remain at rest. But take it into a cool room,
the yapor is condensed, air rushes in and an ex-
plOsion is apt to follow What are the practical
rules to he derived from this explanation?
Firstly, obtain good coal oil. But how are the
common people To know good from bad oil? \
simple and safe experiment will test the matter.
Fill n pint bowl two thirds full of boiling water;
plunge in n common thei mometer the teinpera-
ture Indicated will be about 300 degrees. Now
gradually add cold water until the thermometer
indicates 10 degrees; then pour into the bowl a
teaspoonful of the suspected oil and apply a light
cd match. Ii it takes fire the article should be
re1ected nj once as dangerous, II not, IL may De
uscd1 with a confident feeling of safety
Never light a lamp until previously PILED, not
partly, but flled fuA. Never allow Il lamp to
burn until the oil is exhausted, or, if you do, be
careful how you move IL when thus nearly empty.
Never blow into the chimney tn extinguish the
light as there Is great danger of forcing air and
flame ut the same time into the body of the lamp,
but turn down the wick slowly until it goes out
of itself.
In conclusion, We would caution the reader
against another form of fraud. There are men
in all the large towns and cities engaged in ccm-
pounding and vending burning fluid, under va
rious names, alleged to be safer, cheaper, or bet
ter than Kerosene. Chemical examination Of
these fluids prove them to lie either dangerous
mixtures of oil and naptha or kerosene with a
little cOloring matter added. From the nature OF
the case, all such compounds must be fraudulent,
NJ there are no liquid or solid bodies known TO
science which furnish perfect artificial light so
cheaply "a kerosene, the product of crude petro-
leum.