Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-09
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION A. 4
CAUSE OF FIRE IN HOUSES.

Inc Underwriters of Chicago had g
meeting recently, and one of their mum
Der, Mr.. Case, read a paper relating to
very interesting subject, namely. that
Of spontaneous combustion. Mr.. Case
treats his subject from different stand
point than that chosen by Captain Mar
ryatt in his celebrated yarn about Jacob
Faithful's mother, avoiding the disputed
ground of spontaneous combustion in
the human economy, and presenting the
result of his researches in another direc-
lion. In this time of unaccountable fires
some Of Mr.. Cases statements and de-
auctions are not without interest The
Bu!letiH has been epitomizing Mr.. Case
paper, and We extract from the B'tL.ti, ::
In waste heaps Of various kinds Mr..
Case holds that under certain conditions
fire may be looked for with certainty.
He gives an instance where a wooden
manufacturer took waste from the engine
room, oiled it with lard and put it in an
empty nail key. pressing it closely. In
less than twelve hours Mr.. Case AYERS
that it burst into flames. The wool and
oil were, in this instance. the inflamma-
bic materials. Probably the pressure
had something to do in Fastening the
combustion. But this is not the only
fact of this nature that is reported. Nr.
Case tells OF an experiment made by the
President of the Manufacturers Insur-
ance Company, of Boston, which is still
more pointed. He took WOODEN waste
from a storage warehouse on Pearl street.
Boston, and piled it up in the area back
OF his office. 1t was oily and damp at
the time. In less than twenty-four hours
it burst into flames. 1t should be stated
in this connection that the weather at
the time was hot. Probably the atmos-
phere did in this case what the pressure
did in the former. But the matter is |
brought nearer home than the manufac- !
tory where fires from unknown causes |
often break ont. Flannel underwear is !
often permitted TO lie in closets for weeks /
at time. 1t is always oily. That con- |
,lition is still further aggravated by the |
which it has absorbed. |
Fires are not frequent from this source |
probably because linen and cotton gar
ments are usually mixed up in the heap. !
The condition would be much the same |
d in the cases Of the wooden waste above
set forth. but for that circumstance.
We condense few of the facts collect
81 BY Mr.. Case, pointing in this direction
"A child's wooden stockings, new and
lamp, vere placed in . stove when tho
ire had gone out, and the hand could
have been placed in it without discom-
tort. In the morning the shape, the
color. the stripes. blue and red and white,
could be seen, but no stockings
1ut the ashes" The inference from this
Incident is that if these stockings had
,een placed in any other warm place,
ueh a. q close closet. the same thing
would have taken place. The
act il also brought forward of children
rho had made ball out Of q lump Of
vool wound around With cord. The
phere was then covered With leather.
n time it became very soft and on open
ng it nothing but ashes were discovered !
inside. Nor is wool the only substance
rhich in connection with oil is likely to
'roduce combustion. Mr.. Case SAYS that
workman in Boston, Who had been
leaning a door with inseed oil. was al
owed to leave his overalls in the cellar
( the house. Smoke began to issue
rom the cellar that night, when the
veralls were found to be on FIRE. 1t is
ct stated, however, whether there were
matches in the pockets or whether they
'ere hung up or merely thrown ON the
DOR. If the latter were the fact, tho
ats might be made to do duty in this
,cident. But two other facts are given
'hich are not liable to these objections,
IL: fire in the bell tower Of the Cath
lie Cathedral Of Chicago, clearly trace
BILE to the spontaneous combustion of
he rags used in cleaning the bell ma
hinery the ignition of oily rags recent
! at Galesburg. placed in a barrel which c
AL been partly filled with water and ]
ad become frozen. I
WHErHER the following. which We U
opy from the San Francisco Chronicle {
October be true or no. it is . COM
ut to be assured that as an able bodied il
n the Bulletin has at length found its !,
atch in the Chronicle: u
The Bulletin and Cal. being unable to a
AXE . respectable show Of legitimate a
lvertising in their business columns, h
em to be resorting to the " gratuitous h
stem to prevent the public from tax
& note of the falling off in their pat
mage. Each of these two journals ~
contained, among other less
nspicUous bogus advertisements, that q
the Bank of Nevada. We are author Il
Cd to state that that advertisement Was h
Il sent to either of those papers. They
ere not requested to publish it; and II