The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-01
JATI, MONDAY. FEBRUARY l, lS7
Fires from Defective Flues.

One of the most frequent and danger
Gus causes Of contlagration in dwelling
housSs during the winter season, is the
close contact of timbers to concealed
furnace flues. Every year we have the
subject brought prominently to the pub
lie uOtice by the destruction of much
valuable property, and not infrequently
the loss of lite, aud yet builders do not
seem to observe the necessary precau-
tions, and householdefs are, apparently,
as Indifferent as ever to danger which
is all the more TO be dreaded because
unseen. Fires attributed to "defectiye
flues" are more often attributable to the
detective setting Of tlues, resulting from
ignorance or care1essness on the part OF
builders and contractors. A careful in
vestigation would generally show that
there was no defect in the fiue proper,
but that they were placed in close proX-
unity to well seasoned wood work. AS
the rule, the furnaces put in city houses
are too small. They answer very well
in moderate weather, but in very cold
weather they have to be driven beyond
their proper capacity, the fues connect
ing with the registers become overhead
ed, timbers previously charred take fire,
the danger is not discovered until too
late, and before the point of ignition can
be reached by a stream OF water the hre
may have gained so much headway as
to be beyond control. We know OF one
large building, destroyed not long ago
by re, in which the hot air was conveyed
TO the registers from the furnace in pine
boxes lined with tin. In this case the
plea of a "deiective flue" was well
founded.
In all buildings particular care should
be taken to have an open space between
the tlues or pipes, by which not air is
conducted, and the woodw ork, and were
this precaution always observed fires
originating with the fues would be oi
rare occurrence. The experience of fire
insurance agents, and others whose bu
siness it is to investigate the causes O
| fires, goes to show that in many lnstan
ces they arise from the fact that tht
| beams which support the flooring ar.
made to rest either directly i'll the bricl
| work of the flue or close against it. TIT
use Of trimmer 'beam by which thi
could be avoided, entails q little extra
expense, and many OF those who bullt
houses by contract, or on speculation
unless specially watched, Will not us'
it. After the house is completed,/ ant
all the work on it closed in, it is hardl,
possible tor the insurance inspector t.
| tell Whether this condition OF safety ha
been complied with or not, and henc
many houses are judged to be sale tina
are really dangerous.
II is manifest that woodwork In sue
close contact with hot air hues will, in
short time, become as dry as timber, ant
liable at any moment TO ignite, and tn
great danger to those who occupy dwell
| ings bailt in this way consists in theI
ignorance of what is always impendin
over them. Fires sometimes occur from
breaks in hot air pipes, produced eithe
by rust or other cause, and lrequen
and careful inspection of their conditio
should be made. Steam pipes, also, hay
been occasionally the cause of fire b
being in too close contact with til
:, wood work of buildings, although II
.. stances Of this kind are of rare occul
renee. Some years ago fire in BrOat
way building was traced directly to tn
action of steam pipe, producing sue
a state of dryness in the partition t
which it was attached as to cause 1t
ignite. In very many cases hres d
their work so thoroughly as to destro
all evidence of the condition of the 1ue
and heating apparatus, and may b
attributed to the defects there which di
, not exist, but it is beyond doubt that
large proportion of those that occur, es
peciaIly in dwelling houses, arise fror
tuC CulpdDle HcSIlScHSC VI ohS puhuSi /
not adopting the proper methods OF prt
ventiOn.
There are no such difficulties connecte
with this matter as are involved in til
} proper method Of ventilation; the cond
.. l.tions OF safety are well known to built
, ers, and when fires occur from their nel
lect of the proper precautions, ther
ought to be some means OF bringin
home the responsibility in such wa
as would compel their observance {
; more careful methods of construction
The ordinary furnaces, steam heater
and stoves used in our dwellings, are NJ
necessarily dangerous, if sutficier
space is allowed between the pipes an
the woodwork to permit the free eirculf
ton OF air, and fires which occur frol
! the neglect of this simple precautio
can only be the result of a gross neglet
of duty on the part of those whoroul
!prevent them 1t the would.-The lro
:: Age.