Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-26
From the Boston Journal Of Chemistry
BURNIyG EIurD


by the President of one of the large In
surance Companies in New York, and we
take pleasure in sppending to it some
remarks in the way of reply =
''DEAR SR :-Will yo1 not give US in
the next number of the BosToN JOURNAL
OF CHEMISTRY, practical method ofdeal-
ing with the nsphths peddlers9 We want
to be instructed how TO blow up naphtha
vapor on call. As the matter now
stands, it works in this way: we refuse
permits to our customers for its use, and
tell them that their policies are voided if
they burn the lighter petroline disiillates
in Tampa We know their danger; our
loss-records have taught US that. But
our patrons grow indignant, and send the
gasoline man to convert Us. Gasoline
man shows tests The thing will burn,
but you can't explode Il. Try; / viii
give you a week. You know more
chemistry than l. do, but the practical
question, after all, is, viii this liquid or
its vapor explode9 / maintain that it
WON'T your chemistry TO the contrary
Notwithstanding. l submit the fluid for
trial. If you can't blow it up, it isn't
likely that it viii blow up of itself. You
are bound either to sh0tD that it is ex-
plosive, or to admit it, Now this sounds
reasonable, and is difficult to meet. The
Gasoline man, the Sunlight OH mau,
the Danforth OIL man, etc., etc., are
perfectly ready to admit that other pre-
parations have caused accidents, but
theirs are something new and harmless !;
they have been 'oxygenated, or 'chlori-
mated, or 'ozOuized, or otherwise rem
dered non-explosive. Now there is only
one way to satisfy these parties; the
soundest discourse on the chemistry of the
hydrocarbons won't do it---6ut you must
6LoaO up their gas. That Is conclusive,
and may save a murder or fire. IN
fortunately, while we have definite ideas
upon the affinity of hydrocarbon vapors
for oxygen. and of their behavior when
brought together in the presence of flame,
we do not know the proportion of
atmospheric air requisite to produce deto-
nation-nor, were we informed upon that
point, would we know how to present it
in the proper proportion. Can you not
instruct us herein, by description, and
cuts, if need be, of suitable appsratut9 "
Reply.-As preliminary TO making
reply to the above, it should be remarked
that a wrong impression is conveyed by
speakingo of burning liquids as explosive "
There is no fluid used for furnishing
light that will "eEpLode.n The uaphthas
sold by dealers and travellers through the
country, under variety of names, coils, +"
'fluids, 'gasolines, " ETC., ETC., will not
explode like gun-poEder, gun cotton,
nitro-glycerine, etc. 1t must be distinctly
understood that 10 ia only the vopOr
which rises from the surface of the
liquids, D1iJed NTH air, s0hich sad
denly erp5odes. A lamp or can holding
these dangerous volatile fluids cannot
explode If IL is full or nearly so, as
there must be space above the fluid
filed with the vapor mixed with air, in
order that any defamation may occur.
The men who vend naphtha under
assumed names, deceive purchasers by
setting the naphtha on fire, and by turn
ing it out and handling it in way which
seems very dangerous to uniformed by
ISLANDERS. They say to their victims,
''See, this oil won't explode; put flame
into the lamp, into the can, turn it out
upon the floor, burn it under all possib BILE
conditions, and it don't explode can
anything be safer than this ~ This kind
of experimenting is unfortunately deemed
satisfactory by many, and they readily
introduce the dreadful combustible into
their families. Now the fact that these
men are able TO ignite their fluids so
readily is positive proof of tAeir dan
gerOus character for any liquid, so
volatile as to take fire at ordinary temp
eratures, will supply VapOr in lamps and
cans which, when mixed with air, will
explode like gunpowder. But it is not
often that the conditions are favorable in
lamps and cans for explosions, and they
do not often occur. Three fOurths of ali
the accidents which are reported as lamp
explosions are not explosions. they are
horrible burnings from the simple ignition
of the fluid by the splitting of the same
upon the clothing, or by the breaking or
upSetiing Of lamps. These naphths fluids
are not so dangerous from the liability of
the vapOr TO explode, as from the
iDfammability of the liquids themselves.
Now remember this. The loss of life,
and the loss to insurance companies from
the burning of buildings, is due much
oftener TO the ignition of the fluid than to
explosions; occasionally genuine lamp
explosion occurs, but not often, for it is
difficult to have in lamp or can Just the
right mixture of air and vapor. Equal
parts of air and vapOr will not explode;
three parts of air and one of vspor give g
vigorous puff when ignited in a vessel
five parts of air to one of vspor give
tolerably smart report; but to attain the
highest amount of force, about eight or
nine parts of air with one of vspor are
required. Now, as an experiment. il
requires considerable skill and experience
to get up q perfect explosion with naph-
tina vapOr, or with gasoline. We once
experimental with fluid taken from a
can, the vapor of which had exploded in
a lamp, killing woman, and it required
several hours before we could manipulate
so as to obtain powerful detonstions with
the air-mixed vspor. Few business
men, we think, will have the patience to
conduct such experiments to successful
issue. The best vessel TO employ for the
experiment is made of tin, holding about
aquart- Itshould be in the shape of two
short cones, soldered together at the
bases, with orifices an inch in diameter
at each end, closed by corks. A small
"touch hole" may be made in the mid
die. Into this vessel put about ten drops
of the "ssfe OIL" replace the cork,
warm slightly and apply match at the
touch-hole. If the mixture of air and
vspOr is right, a smart defamation will
follow, blowing out both corks, and
probably throwing the vessel from the
hand. But 1t is not often that success is
met with by one or two experiments; by
careful observation and exercise of skill,
considerable dexterity and success will,
however, soon be acquired.
1t is not necessary for officers of insur-
snce companies, dealers, ETC., to be put
to this experimental trouble. They
should know that any liquid which will
burn readily at ordinary temperatures
is unsafe. Nothing eur be added to
gasoline or naphthd t0hieh t0StI render
az safe or the Vapor i1erplosiUe. The
travelling quacks do not add anything to
their liquids but cheap insoluble substsu-
ces, and this they do to keep up the de-
ception. The dangerous volatile liquids
cannot be "csr5onized, ozonized, F" OF
"oxygenized," and to claim TO do this
is low, vulgar quackery. When any one