The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-03-29
from the New York Tribune. 7tb.

L
Highly dangerous and explosiv
,. oils, advertised under the attractiv,
titles of .Liquid Gas, - aurora Oil,
safety Gas, Anchor Oil, "Burn
\ 4 ing Safety Fluid,n and other. names
are more dangerous than the poores
:, kerosene, being merely naphtha OF
r gasoline deodorized of their pungen.
fIcy. The news columns of the daily
ri papers show only few of the great
{ number of accidents, conflagrations
e and deaths caused by this means. In
! | response to series of articles on the
|, texpl0sion of kerosene Gil, which ap-
, peared, in the Tribune about three
, weeks ago, the Legislature passed a
!. law requiring all illuminatOrs made
from petroleum to stand a fire-test of
at least lilo degrees-in other words.
to be heated to 10 degrees Fahren-
heit before q lighted match or tapee
applied to their surfaces will ignitr
them. Inspectors, under the direc-
tion of the Health Bureau, were ap-
poitnted to examine articles sold undo =
the name of kerosene, and their ex-
animation revealed that ninety-five
out of every hundred of the samples
collected We're not of the proper
standard. Prosecutions followed, PEN
alties were enforced, and for time
this prolific source of cOnflagration
and disaster was held under control.
But time has abated the public ex-
element, and new and a more dam
gerous article is rapidly coming into
use in the city. Until some appalling
disaster-sure to result if this traffic
is not stopped-shall awaken the
tauthorities to another spasmodic effort
! to secure the safety Of people and pro-
| perty, the sales of dangerous oils will
continue unrebuked. The explosive
force of the so-called safety-Oils is
tenfold greater than that of the kero-
sene which occasions so much disas-
ter. Kerosene oil becomes dangerous
to burn just in proportion as it con-
tains naphtha or gasoline, which gives
to kerosene its explosiveness, and the
only dangerous elements which enter
| into the composition of petroleum,
crude or refined. The danger of hand
ling naphtha is equal to that of nitro
glycerine, but its cheapness induces
many to use it constantly in their
houses. Its value in New York, in
large quantities, is about five cents
per gallon. Naphtha Is also eagerly
desired by persons who have burned
it without accident, because it gives
a very brilliant light, which is pleas
ant to sew and read by, and, although
intense, is not trying to the eyes.
This is due to its strong inflamma-
bility and its peculiar chemical COM
position. The illuminating proper
ties are the concomitants of its ex-
plosiveness.
The people who buy this material
chiefly belong to the middle and
lower classes, with whom few cents
saved in gallon of burning-fiuid is
matter of some concern, to the extent
even of taking risks, if by so doing
they can save the outlay of a larger
amount. But an experiment lately
tried by officials of the Health Board
demonstrates that it is more expen-
sive to burn this material than pure
and safe kerosene. While quart of
pure kerosene was consumed in
another lamp of the same burningca-
pacity placed by its side, demonstrate
ing the safe Kerosene is the cheaper
article, at three times the price of
these burning fluids.
The vendor of the article generally
eulogizes it to high degree, laughs
away all expressions of fear which
the purchaser may use, points out the
bright light which the naphtha gives,
and induces the purchaser to buy. In
the event of no accident happening,
the person using it, after short time
naturally becomes careless in hand
ling it, and the result is an explosion,
loss of life, and line or two in the
newspapers, mentioning another
case of death from the careless use of
kerosene" The fires which occur
in tenement houses nearly always re-
suit from the use of these dangerous
fluids, and the modes of egress being
few and poor, in u few minutes after
the fire breaks out, the occupants be-
come blinded by smoke, and bewil-
dered by confusion, communication to
the street is cut of, and loss of life is
almost suIe to occur. 1t is safe to
say that in seventy-five out of every
hundred cases recorded, the fire was
oceasioned by naphtha or its vapors
coming into contact with flame. In
fact it is the dangerous element in
petroleum, and bears the same rela-
ton to kerosene, pure and unadul-
terated, that fusil oil does to whisky.
There are two ways in which it is
coming into popular use for illumin-
ating purposes. A common way is
to burn it in glass lamps which differ
from the ordinary kerosene lamps
only in the shape and length of the
tubes, which in most cases extend, to
the number of five or six, upward and
outward from the lamp. Within the
tubes small wicks are placed and the
end of the tubes surmOunted with q
cap, Just beneath which there are
holes perforated to admit of the es-
cape of the naphtha gas. This diff
ference of construction does no. in
sure safety, but perhaps makes the
chances of explosion q trifie less by
running the lighted end further from
the naphtha in the lamp than could
be done with the ordinary kerosene
lamp. But the danger is imminent,
as the naphtha is in continual process
of evaporation and as the vapOr can
with difficulty be contained in any
vessel, there is q continual tendency
for the gas in the lamp to escape
whenever an opening appears, and
should it find any other vent except
the wick, or should the lamp
be broken, a terrible explosion would
take place. A second manner in
which naphtha is used for burning
is where it is used as a gas
generator, and this is the latest and
most popular way. A chandelier like
that in general use for the burning of
street gas is hung from the ceiling,
and has on the ends of its horizontal
piece the ordinary gas-burners. In
the centre of the piece, fixed in the
building, and Immediately over Il
centre Of the branches, there is
made for holding the naph-
tha. When ready for lighting, the
burners are heated with alcohol
placed In the cups surrounding the
lets, and, after minute or minute
and q half spent in heating the tribes,
the faucet is turned, the naphtha
rushes toward the outlets, where,
coming in contact with heat and
flame, it is converted into gas, which,
being Lit, gives blight and mellow
light. Should at any time leak be
sprung in the reservoir above (naph-
IS very destructive to iron joints and
,older), or should there be any escape
Of the gas by reason of the wearing
away of the screw which acts as the
stopper to the reservoir, the explo-
ZION which would occur if the reser-
voir full of naphtha should ignite,
would be sufficient to demolish entire
y the building in which it is situated.