The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-05-06
SAFES.


wants; whether his fear is vf 6ro or
thieves, or may bc, both. 1io should
also understand that there is not, and
indeed, cannot be, q safe made either
! fire or thiefprooG except in a relative
sense. Given frc sufficiently fierce
or thief sufficiently skilful, it is but
question of timo for the very best
safe to submit. The degrce of rosst,
ance that n safe will offer to either
bears worry. closo relation to. the
price paid to tho manufacturer: NO
man can furnish a good safe for a low
pricc, and cheap safe is worse than
mono ut all. A little consideration
will mako this evident. A safe is an
iron or steel structure, and its
strength ia dependent on the quantity
OF material used in it's construction.
it's skiIlfal disposition, the caro- with
which it is put together, and tho quail
lty OF it's fastenings. Its fire-proof
qualities depend upon the above
points, and also on. the honesty of tho
maker in compounding the sfilling."
This is, or, rather, ought to be, q
mixture Of alum or other deliouescent
salt with an absorbent materinl, such
as sawdust. Too often nero rubbish
is substituted. The best filling of all
is fine mahogany sawdust, with plcn-
tifui mixture of pounded alum.
Alum, rs is we'll known, holds a very
great quantity Of water, about one
half its weight, as it were, locked up
in it's crystals. A comparative mod.
crate heat will cause the liberation of
this water. Now, tho proportion of
alum 10 tho sawdust should be such
that the water in the alum would. on
the application OF heat, suffice to com.
pietely saturate tho ,sawdust. Tho
The principle is that sa 'es intended 10
resist fire are made liz two parts. an
outer and an inner safe, with space
between the two cases. This space is
then filled with tho compound of
alum and sawdust. Should tho outer
shell OF the safe be heated to any ex-
tent, the alum will part with it's water
OF crystalli isation, wet the sawdust.
I'LL tho safe with steam, and 80 pre-
serve Its contents from fire. Not onIy
so, but the thicker the outer plates Of
the sato are tho longer will it take for
the heat to penetrate them there
tore the longer will it be before the
alum is called upon. Hence, it fol-
lows that safe with a thick outer
sheil, an ample space between the two
shells tor composition, and no stint of
alum will longest stand the assault Of
fire.
Further, a strong exterior is abso-
iutcly necessary to withstand the
ouckl!nS effect of tho heat, to keep
the sate steam-tight as far az may be,
and to preserve it in case Of its own
fall, or lne fall Of debris upo,i it. The
invention of the application of alum
to the purpose above noted is one of
those beautifully simply adaptations
OF natural laws which at once strike
the mind from their extreme fitlress
TOR the purpose intended. AS Lord
Campbell said, when summing up n
case about this composition, ut seems
most marvellous preservative against
fire; Tor tho water remains perma-
nently held in artificial vessels or in
natural vessels, and the very calamity
brings the cure" The way IN. which
this most serviceable invention was
made svery curious and instructive.
showing, as it docs, "what. great
events from little causes spring. md
how men of powerful intellect turn
to account what Others see, but never
notice. Mr.. Miner, the inventor OF
the new famous ;comeosition, had.
like other safe makers, long sought a
means of 80 constructing safes with
double shells and cham bers as to rem.
dor them fire resisting. all sorts of
non-conduating substances had been
tried without success, when Mr.. Mil.
ner, took out a p*tent for using tubes
or cases filed with water, and placed
in sawdhst between the inner and ou-
ter shellss. This was q great step.
bat still it was, not by any means MI
that could be desired. Much Difficult.
ty lay in so proportioning' the vessels
rs to insure tneir bursting just at tho
right time.. Well. in the. midst of his
perplexity on this point, Mr.. ,Milner.
was troubled with . gumboif, which
greatly annoyed him. For the cure
OF this no was recommended TO- try
desiccated alum. He. determined to
try this remedy, and sent for some
alum, which. he put on Q shovel and
held over the FIRE. Every schooIboy:
has III his time watched alum 30 treat,
ed, !iqgefy, swell up, give !oR. .vapor,
and finally dry. 30 had Mr.. Miner.
oflen done; but on this occasion his
mind was occupied with his .con,par.
alive non.success in his attempts 10
store up water in the spaces Of. his
safss. A happy thought struck him.
"Eareka ! have tound the; very
thing.f Alum will always hold the
water till just the Fight, nomentia
1t was ono ef4those things few and
far hetweenz where the msre con6epl-
ton is completion. Mr., Miners, for.
tune Was made for ,years he was to
march at' 'thg head Of the safe tfndo:
aud hedid it" kfBeado1s 50 tbiS corr.
position undoubtsdly' is, It must sbe
borne in mind that : .its endarsncs
against fire depends, ,aimply !: upon the
qpahhty Of water i holds IN srssefyo
and upon the fsrcsnsss' ef: Ire nTS j Ia
which tAsa eaFs 'is AxpdsSH yfi AN
.easss nof aysMabasa talanlSpt a'eSh srss
fors, ,safsss with ansanpIsa Qssntisy
Of dlling should ks proyiaslA an, .fuss
ther, they Shotfd be rs piatasd ss in n
ont sof the t.hofs III nS hsy 5Sl4
4Whichsuasy Sdoufe s46biafSssE IA zf5S efs
Plass . salss! q ! abstld. e anHisksIs Isiek