Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-17
COAL OIL INSPECTION.
How the Fire Test APPiies-The Flash
fng POInt-The burning Patnt-Oil
that VIII Put Out a Fire Like water
The Gauzy Gasoline.
ST. Louis Democrat.

fug POIut-The Burning Patnt-Otl
hat viii Put Out a Fire Like water
The Gauzy Gasoline.
st. Louis Democrat.
As oil is gradually heated, at a certain
poiDt indicated by the mercury, it will
evolve a yapor. Applying a lighted match
carefully to the surface, and not severely
~nlunping It into the volume Of the oil, a
feeble fish follows, burning of this Pc
numbra of vapOr, without setting fire to the
body of the oil. The temperature at which
tbis phenomenon occurs is called the "fash-
inc, or ssvaporizing' point. Raising the
ba3t q few degrees higher and We have the
same result, the fash growing stronger, un-
til. at 10 degrees, the body Ofthe oil takes
fire and burns-taking 10 degree oil for
the experiment. If the inspector does lot
burn of this vapOr with its first appear
/ ance. letting it accumulate, it gathers guam
titv sufficient to infame the body Of the
/ oil. at a few degrees higher than its first ap-
/ pearance. and considerably below tie Gus
| t1mary inspection. But when an inspec-
/ tor passes the oil as 10 degrees test, it is
because at that degree it ignites In UOllune.
The vaporiZing point Of 10 degrees
| known As standard coal oil, and universal
/ IL sold az home and abrOad-ranges from
| S. to 100 degrees; an oil inspected as a $50
| degrees viii vapOrize at about 125 to 40
degrees; an oil inspected at 175 degrees
will vaDoyize at $50 70 100 degrees. Now,
the custom of all inspectors in the United
States, and we believe in Europe, is to
brand the oil according to the ~"igniting"
point, and not the "azshing" point; the
| distinction being technical, as there is flame
and danger in both points if too low. All
laws on the subject have been so construed,
| and the requirements Of the entire trade
/ have settled upon that standard Of testing,
and ourinspector follows this method Of
inspection, approved and followed at all
the trade centers.
An oil which will UdpOrize under 10
degrees is unsafe, Even putting the fash
| ing point at 10 degrees would not make
the oil safe against the contingency Of tip
/ ping over a lamp and splitting out the oil.
/ If the oil splashes in contact with the
flame it would take fire nine times out Of
ten. But take an oil Of 1T5 degrees, which
will flash at say 80 degrees to 100 degrees,
aud it would put out the flame like water
in such a contingency, while there can be
no danger from explosion, as the heat in
the lamp is never sufficient to evolve in any
vapO-.
The larger proportion Of explosions at
lributed to coal oil belong to gasoline.
The rascally reporters won't draw the dis
tincti0n, And so with the fires, coal oil
has to stand the general censure, while this
white-face, u-nOleaginOus, "gaslike," "nOn-
explosive, slips in and retails at a higher
price than a genuine $50 degree test kero-
Sene. The trade has become immense in
it, and all the warnings as TO its infam-
inability and general dangerousness do
about as much good as the daily telegram
Of some servant girl killed by hurryiug up
the fire with coal oil. It's sale cannot be
| stopped by any law. The attempt was made
| tO'incorpOrate prohibition of the"light oils"
in the present law, but the Judiciary Com
m,ittee decided that they had al indefeas-
| ible right to buy them as well as guupOw-
der, and take their chances Of being blown
up. They could only require their char
aCter to be branded on the package.
An oil Of $50 degrees test costs now at
wholesale but one cent per gallon more
than 10 degrees oil, while 175 degrees
test has got hammered down to five or
eight cents above the common standard. It
would seem that this slight difference,
when oil is cheap, should not be regarded
BY the consumer.
GEORGE PARTRIDGE * Co.