The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-11-11

The seeleot OF spontaneoas oombustion has IA
ceived OF late years 90 much attention. sh.t ~.
real cause Of nearly every case Of the kini tb.t
occurs may be oorrsotly surmlsed. That th.,e
is ssch thing az spontansous eombusties there
is no room to doubt. but that tho condition.
under which this combustion occurs sre sush
that with the exercise of very little care, thev
may rarely exist. seems almost equally assured.
The question, in all it's BELONGINGS, il both in.
teresting and important, and one in regard IN
which the managers of insurance eompsni.s
should secure all possible information TO he oh.
tanned in the premises. ~. -
Certain empleyments require the use of mate.
rials which should, after use, be ALWAYS stowed
in place absolutely fire-proof, to avoid danger
from fire, and certain classes of goods should be
SO stored shat AIR may freely penetrate, to avoid
the same result.
Any number of instances may be quoted in
this connection, but more convincing proof is
found in the experiments recently made in De.
trolt, and described in the Free Press of that
city.
In March last, a well.known Detroit chemist
assisted by two curiously.inclined and science
loving gentlemen, resolved to make q number of
experiments to test the worth of this talk about
spontaneous combustion, and their experiments
aie well worth the attention of every reader
They first took piece of cotton cloth which had
once formed part of a sheet, and which had
been used until quite threadbare, and smeared Il
with boiled linseed oil. An old chest was placed
in the loft of store-room back of the drug store.
piece OF zinc under it, another piece over it.
and then the chest was filled with paper and
this particular piece of cloth placed in the cen.
ter. Although the room was not a tight one, and
the weather cold, in eight days there was snch
NELL of fire about the trunk and the chances
were SO good for q ConAagration within it, that
the contents were emptied out. An examination
showed that the fibre OF the oiled cloth had I'M
twisted and shriveled up and that the rag look.
ed as if it had been held too near the Ere. - q
In April, when the rays of the sun were strong.
er, pair of painters overalls, literally covered
with paint and oil, were rolled up handful of
pine shayings placed inside, and these were
crowded i'll next to the roof boards of the loft.
The experiment was not week old when, dur.
Ing one warm afternoon, amell of smoke alarm.
ed the workman in the next room. and he found
the overails burning, and so finder like that it
had to be crowded intoa pan Of water to prevent
total destruction. During the hot weather, last
month, handful Of old cotton rags, in which
two matches were placed, but which we're not
sneared with oil or other matter, were shut up
IN tin box, and hung up in the loft, rear win.
dow allowing the afternoon sun to shine directly
on the box for several hours. .-rt .rv
NowAAuo CuC CAooc VI VIC IOuELu Jay the Cuem.
ist took down the box to see how the experiment
was progressing. and found the contents to con.
slst OF puff OF black cinders which few all over
the room as the lid was lifted. Having vacant
corner in his brick wood.house at home, the
chemist took the trunk up there where
there was no danger of burning build.
Ing. lie filled the trunk with the contents of
paper rag.bag, and then smeared one with ben.
sine and threw it ia the last of all The trunk
was shut tight everything cleared away from
Its vicinity, and he commenced watching. Ga
the first day of the meuagere tho family went
to visit the sights, and came home to find few
ashes marking the place where the trunk stood,
while thel bricks above and around were badly
stained with smoke.
The results of such experiments as these show
strongly the necessity for caution when dealing
with certain substances. Rags, saturated with
Oil become liable to combustion, or rag used
with benzine for cleaning purposes, as Is often
the case, becomes equally dangerous. Around
any machinery the same danger constantly oc.
ours, while the simple close storage of materials
OF this kind is almost equally unsafe. The great
IRE OF last year. in Chicago, illustrates this fact,
and shows with equal force the necessity for
knowledge of the laws which regulate spontane.
Gus combustion, and their due observance by
property owners-a point upon which insurers
should specially insist-American Builder.