New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-11
PUTTING OUT FIRES.
Carb0nic Acid Gas to Superscde the Eil
Department.

CarbOnic Acid Gas to Superscde the Fir,
Departments.
From the New York Herald
The new invention, by which carboni,
acid gas, elected into burning building
Immediately extinguishes the fire, promise.
to surpass, if its ardent supporters are to b.
believed, all the attempts which have hither
to been made in that direction. NOtwith
standing the successful exhibitions in Octs
Der, 1869, at the Battery, accounts Of which
were published in all the papers, the efforts
at organizing a company i'll this city have
been unsuccessful.
AT that time when the subject was pro
posed to the city authorities Of New York
100000 and one-tenth of the stock of the
company were demanded by them. The en-
terprise then fell through for want of the
requisite amount of capital.
But in the city of Brooklyn there has been
a company organized who have obtained
from the city authorities the right to lay
their pipes in the wards fronting the river,
from GOwanus creek to the navy yard. The
company propose to build a reservoir Of suf-
fcient capacity for all emergencies. and put
down fOur-inch pipe. running in every direc-
ton through the streets, and having in front
of every door a valve to which a small rub
Der hose can be easily attached, by which
the stream of gas can be directed to any
room on fire.
To make such a reservoir, with its neces-
sary retOrts for making gas and laying 200
miles of pipe through the city, will not cost
more, it is said, than $25O,0O0.
There can be no doubt that the damages
by fire in the United States are at least
$50, O00, 900 yearly. Of this loss a large por
ton is due to the water which is flooded in
and upon the burning property. Goods
which have escaped the destructive effects
of fire are ruined by water, one element
proving almost as injurious as the other.
1t is indeed very strange that carbonic
acid gas. which was discovered by DR..
Joseph Black, chemist of Edinburgh; com
posed as it is of two parts of oxygen and
and one part of carbon, should extinguish
fire, when oxygen is necessary to produce
combustion. Repeated experiments have
shown that fire can not burn in an atmOs-
phere containing one fifth part of its volume
of this gas In common temperature it is
One-haf heavier than the air, but when
heated it Expands and becomes much lighter.
In 1851 coal mine in England that had been
on fire for thirty years, and had extended
over twenty-six acres, was completely ex
tinguished by ejecting only eight millions Of
cubic feet of carbOnic acid gas
1t is reported that in this city a company
is being formed composed of some of tho
most wealthy and influential citizens, who
will endeaver to get a charter from the Leg
islature this winter. and judging from the
names Of those interested in the enterprise
there will be no difficulty in obtaining it,
They will at once proceed with the laying
down of the pipes, building a reservoir in
some central location and it is confidently
anticipated that in one year the whole thing
will have been completed and ready for
operation.
If it shall prove successful it will indeed
be a wonderful revolution in the present
system of extinguishug fires. And there
does not appear to be any reason why it
should not be successful, for the portable
machine is now ready for immediate use on
every floor in the most of our large hotels,
and in New England nearly all the large
manufacturing establishments and cotton
mills have them.