The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-16
THE GASOLINE EXPLOSION.
Continuation Of tho nvsstigsnon-Important
Testimony Of Professor Chandler.

The investigation In the case OF Frederick Never,
the young man killed on Friday last by the cxpio-
sion OF gasoline tank In the machine shop Of
Thomas Kerr. on the southeast corner OF Fifty .nnh
street and First avenue was reopened yesterday
before Coroner Schirmer. Only two Witnesses
Charles =. Van Benschoten. OF New Rochelle. and
Professor Chandler, chemist To the Board OF Health
wero examined, and below viii be found q synopsis
OF their testimony
TESTIMONY OF CHARLES O. VAN BgxscHorES.
Mr.. Charles O. Van Benschoten, President OF the
New Rochelle Gaslight Company was sworn and
deposed-That about the LIST Of February 1869, Mr.
John A. De Voc, OF New Rochelle called and
stated he was connected with an enterprise IN this
city by which he could take our gas and manuac.
ture IL for half the expense, using half the amount
Of COAL make 1t equal In Illuminating power with
out reducing tho consumption; he represented the
company known as the
GAS SAVING METER COMPANY
at No. 10 Broadway; through his instrumentaty
was induced TO visit the company, and saw the re-
representatives. OF the company. who told that they
could do % Mr.. DE Voc represented. and agreed to
allow them to demonstrate to me that they could do
as represented and would pay them Tor the appa-
ratus and also for the privilege OF using their car
bdretted gas; they agreed to erect the apparatus
at their own expense; they put up their apparatus,
consisting OF TANK or boiler under which were
TWO carburctterS aud mixer 10 mix the atmOs-
pherlc ar with the gas and then pass II through
THE FIRST ATTEMPT
was made on the 3oth Of April 1865, when they put
III one barrel OF hydrocarDon In the tank; that did
putting in another barrel on the 18th day or july
1859; they tried to light up the town by the gas but
FOUND IT VERY POOR;
otner alterations were made but an utter failure
was the results the witness then told them he
had fulfilled his portion Of the contract and
tney allowed 1t TO rest. and the
heard nothing TIL the Sth OF November last; Mr..
De Voc stated to the witness that the company would
like TO have the tank ana other apparatus taken out
as They wanted to use them In their factory on the
10th ut. the witness ordered his men TO take them
out; they emptied the tank Of about fifteen gallons
OF the gasoline and placed 1t outside and on the
18th OF November Mr. DE Voc sent for the tank, and
the Nineteenth precinct station house, when the
witness thinks Is the same tank used; no one came
to me to purchase q tank Mr.. De Voc being the
only person who spoke to me about It,
TESTIMONY or PROFESSOR CHANDLER.
Charles +. Chandler, chemist by profession and
Board OF Health or this city, deposed that he is
familiar with petroleum and Its products; have cx-
perimentcd with them ever since their introduce
ton into commerce: have visited IA number OF
petroleum rehneries, studied the process OF the
manufacture and publication, and under the drec-
ton OF the Board OF Health investigated the oils
sold In the metropolitan dstrlcts-Detween six and
seven hundreds the results OF these experiments
showed that all but twenty-one OF the specimens
were dangerous liable to produce accidents, and
were below the standard OF safety fixed by the FIRE
laws and health ordinance OF the metropolitan dis
tricts;
THE STANDARD IS
that Oil sold shall be OF such quality that the oil
evolved she'll not produce an explosion when at q
temperature below 100 Fahrenheit, and that the oil
Itself shall not take fire at temperature below 10
Fahrenheit IN refining the oil IL Is subjected to
disillati0n the gasoline being the most volatile and
lightcst constituent passes or first; its weight Is
from seventy-hve degrees to eighty-ive degrees
Beaume, and II takes fire and evolves explosive
vapor at all temperatures; when the air is satu-
rated with the vapOr OF gasoline 1t burns like OrdI-
nary gas, but the quality OF the gasoline employed
be much less than Is necessary TO saturate the air
AN EXPLOSIVE MIXTURE Is PRODUCED;
such o mixture / suppose to nave existed In the
tank, which, by exploding, caused the death or MIR.
Meyer; the dangerous character OF most OF the
Kerosene oil sold III the city Is due TO the fact that
the naphhall or bcnzlne IS worth only from five to
fifteen cents gallon, while the burning OIL sells for
about thirty cents gallon;
THE DANGER OF AN EXPLOSION
would be much greater In q tank containing very
small quantity OF gasoline, such quantity a
| would be left In emptying tank or this kind
tbnu. N -.tllA tank had contained several sallnu
ture OF gasoline and air would explode by the cor
tact OF red hot iron; think II perfectly posslbl
that the explosion OF this tank would have been prt
| duced by mixture OF gasoline and air ignited by
red hot IRON.
| In consequence OF the absence of Mr.. Devoe an,
| Mr.. Averl regarded as being important witnesses
the investigation was further adjourned till Monda,
next