The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-08-25

Death in the Lamp.
From the New York Post.

/ ~--O
mistake has occasioned it are severe
enough to satisfy the public. But
death in another and more terrib' q
form is freely sold at a thousand shops
in this city, carried into nearly all
families, and especially into those of
the poor, and hardly a word is said
against those who, with a negligence
80 gross as to SAVIOR almost of malice,
are making money distributing it as
one of the main comforts of life. 1t
is time to make known the alarming
fact that the substance commonly
known as Illuminating oil for domestic
use, is explosive as gunpowder, and
almost as dangerous to handle as the
dreaded nitro-glycerine. .aa !,
1t is but few days since a man
employed about some machinery up
on Pennsylvania railway took with
him for use can containing what he
supposed to be lubricating oil. He us
ed it about axles and shafts for more
than day with entire success, and
had nearly exhausted it, when he un-
dertook with the last drops to oil an
axle that was revolving rapidly. The
can suddenly exploded in his hands,
and he was blown to pieces. An ex-
animation showed that his oil was real
ly nitro-glycerine, called the most
violent explosive substance that sci
ence has devised. But if this man had
taken the lamp-oil sold every hour in
New York, it seems that his life would
have been still shorter.
A large proportion of the patients
now admitted to the city hospitals are
sufferers by the explosion of kerosene
lamps Half of the alarms of fire
have the same origin. The coroners
are busy with inquests upon the bodies
of those suddenly killed and mutilat-
ed by such accidents. Not to look fur
ther back than our own local reports
for q single week, we find that one
evening, at almost the same hour, the
houses. No 336 First avenue and No.
Sol Houston street, were set on fire
by the spontaneous explosion of Ker.
osenc Lamps. Mrs. Caroline Ham
blin and Mrs. George 7. Sammis,
have all died within few days
from the same cause the first
named after many hours of slow agony,
the last, more mercifully "burned to
a crisp" within few minutes of the
explosion. In one Of these cases, at
least, the oil used was "patent safety
OIL" which on the sworn testimony
given before the coroner's jury, is
manufactured at Hunters Point by a
stock company, and sold at No. 116
Maiden Lane, No. 139 West Nintenth
street, and many other places, for
household use, and that, it is said, in
spite of repeated explosions and warn
ings from the officers of the Board of
Health of its deadly character.
The chemist of the Board, Profes-
sor Charles F. Chandler, says, in the
Chemical News: suu.i.,H
''Day after day, we see accounts of
horrible deaths from accidents ; some
times the lamp explodes, sometimes it
is overturned sometimes fire is
kindled with little oil from the can ;
in numerous ways the fatality occurs ;
but the cause is always the same-bad
oil. 1t has been our duty to examine
the kerosene retailed in New York,
and although we have purchased and
| examined upward of one hundred
samples, we have not yet found a
single safe oil-oil which conforms
to the regular legal standard
1. That it shall not take fire or burn
alta temperature below 100 Fahrenheit.
ss2. That it shall not evolve an ex-
plosive vapor below 1902 Fahrenheit.
while about twelve per cent. of the
specimens are pure benzine, the most
! volatile and dangerous product of pc
| troleum."
What is the remedy for this !? A
common demand is for more stringent
legislation. Not long since the Board
of Health itself undertook to control
the matter by general inspection of
the oils offered for sale. They went
so far as to ascertain that there was
not more than one place in this city
where oil that could be burned with
out danger to life was offered in large
quantities. But when they attempted
to stop the sale of murderous oils to
families, the city authorizes interfered
with them, and in the conflict of pow
ers nothing was done. The Chemic-
al News thinks that 1.-The apathy mani
tested by our law makers is iDcom-
prehensible," and that a law is needed
sending those who sell benzine for
lamps .'to the State Prison for life."
Several Coroners' juries have recently
taken similar grounds, and doubtless
think their duty done when they have
demanded such legislation.
But Is there not simpler way than
this ? People do not need special
laws to protect them from burning
gunpowder for coal. The laws we
have are enough to punish those who
recklessly sell death for gain in any
form. Can any jury hesitate to con
vict of manslaughter the man who
makes and sells explosive oil for house
hold uses, and SO kills his customers ?
After all the public warnings that
have been given, and the scientific in-
formation on the subject that has been
made general, any dealer who distribu-
tes oil without knowing that it is safe
is criminally responsible for the fatal
consequences.
At present, it appears, there is no
safe oil. in the market. Professor
Chandler gives this simple test g" !