Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1874-02-11
;t1r1ys RsApY FOR THE F1NAL Br /,

GETTING KsADY P0R THE FINAL BLAZE
An able contributor TO an Eastern insur
apce jonrnnl, discussing the question of
somewhat alarming Increase in the fire.
nqency Of fires throughout the country.
n late years, advances an original and
r,;her novcl theory to account therefor,
He believes that the infiammable gases
constantly being evolved by Imperfect
combustion or other chemical processes
deposit atomatic elements of conhacra.
tion in every pore Of wood exposed, and
even find iodgment in less combustibe
material, ready to aid fire at auy mo-
nent. In other words, everything is be-
ing saturated by inhammable deposits
from the atmosphere. He says:
ITO illustrate on small scale Blow
out lighted candle; then bring the
smoking wick within an inch or two and
under another blaze, and you will see
how the fire will kindle aud run down
the smoke and relight your candle.
There mus. be something in this smoke
10 communicate the blaz-, and whit is
it? II sheet of white paper is held in
the smoke it will b. come greasy; there
fore we conclude that evaporation as
well as combustion of the fallow takes
place, and thus some OF the carbonic
elements are in the smoke, which in
duces the blaze. And hence, combustion
does not consume all we deem burned.
The burning OF coal acts in similar
manner Witness the operation of gases
which are not consumed in furnace for
making pig iron. They are collected at
the top of the stack and conveyed back
under boilers and there igni,ed, pro-
ducng steam and power sufficient to run
all the machinery. In the Chicago fire.
it was said, the various buildings
seemed to take fire from the heated
air. This is only carrying out the
candle illustration on a large scale. Heat
developed large amount Of infamma-
bic gases with which there was not oxy-
gen enoulh TO unite. in the immediate
locality of the fire. to produce combus-
ton; aud therefore tie mir being SO fully
saturated with tbat combustlble evapora.
tion-carried by winds would soon form
a coating over buildings at n distance
justNs IF ciive ms il oil had been poured
on them, and hence fire would envelope
the whole ut once.
Now, hold, that every fire, whether
wool or coai--vrry light. whether IRON
gas or coal--is Just as lunch n distillery
for satura,ing the atmosphere. and con.
sequently all our buildings. with the ele.
ments Of rapid combustion ms the
evaporation aud escape OF those gases
in any other manner. These deposits
from the atmosphere are taking place
continually, and are on the increase as
population increas,s.
Tae sources from which combustib'e
vapor is obtained are innumerablc
Evaporation of ola, both in transit and
xhnlations from the earth
combustion and lights-ana even your
very Kitchens, are Laboratories where the
process of cooking helps to carry on the
scheme"
The moral which he deduces from this
somewhat startling exhibit Of possible
ties is that there is now going on natu
raj increase of the hazard OF insurance
which must be taken into account in as
snmiug the risk and adjusting the rates
of fire insure nee. If this process goes
on few centuries more, at the rate
which that ingenious theorist believes il
has of late years, onr world will be wei
prepared for that final blaze which Poe
so eloquently imayl Sed.--[S. F. Uhroni
Gle,