The New York herald., 1876-03-03
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF BTU
MINOUs COAL ON sHIPBOARD.

great loss Of pronertv and about one thousand lives
following each other IN such rapid successon T Set
tany calls for some very general expression o Puo0
opinion upon subject affecting SO largely ooth prop
erty and e IL Is quite time that this matter shouiu
have the most careful and skifu examination anu Ihe
proper remedy applied, whatever that may be- me
ordinary pers of the certainly great enough
without superaddng this awful iabiy-nay, almost
PROBABILITY, II would seem-to be consumed Oy hre ii
certain OF these English and American soft Goals can
only DC used or carried shipboard at the RISK OF
oHOkng Al any moment this fire demon the TACT should
be known and all such Goals be utterly excluded THIS
can readily be ascertaned by careful inquiry. The
analysis OF these Goals shows at a glance the large
percentage OF volatile matter which gives 10 them
their dangerous characteristics. The underwriters
would seem to be the proper persons 10 conduct this
inquiry as they have the remedy in their own hands,
by refusing TO insure any carrying any cargo
consisting wholly or in part, Of these gassy sell
That most OF the true bituminous Goals English and
Americanl are subject TO spontaneous combustion when
IN bulk ana under favorable circumstances, has long
been known, and even when lying IN large neaps
posed 10 the atmosphere there waste and
deterioration that takes place. attributed slow
buston The waste oil iuel, however exposed To air,
depends on its gniting temperature Experiments by
Greenamann, at Farnowitz, Germany. have proved
concuslvely that an exposure of bituinous coal IN
heaps the of the weather for a period varying
from two weeks TO year results large percentage
OF loss This loss is IN the nature OF slow ncon-
plete combustion II Is greater and rapid in large
heaps than IN small and also favored by the creator
or less state OF subdivision OF the coal large fragments
losing proporIionably less than smaller ones The
varies irom five 10 twenty-five per cent. VarrenrApp
also gives the following test:"A quantity OF puvcr
lzed coal lOitumnousl was placed in tight vessel,
through which current OF could be drawn. The
vessel and air were brought TO temperature OF $50 deg
Fahrenheit, and the air, after passing through the
apparatus caused TO bubble through chemi-
cal preparations which had the properly OF retaining
and rendering visible carbonic acid. Under these cir
cusances the carbon of the coal was ultimately re-
moved by the chemical solution OF the air as carbonc
acid, showing concusvely that true combustion had
taken place This combustion is complete that in
three months nothing but ashes remain."
the higher the temperature the rapid OF
course ls the combustion.
M.
must necessarily be very great from their close prox
unity to the boilers and urnaces and in sailing ships,
containing large quantities OF these Goals i'll bulk,
taken on board mostly wet, the generation of heat TO
the point OF ignition seems to he only question OF
time What this time win be Will vary according to
circumstances Ii will be noticed in the foregoing list
disasters that tho steamship Lumsden, alter coang
ut Norfolk, sailed, and, after being out day, put
back, with one OF her bunkers on fire. The quantity
IN bulk seems to make difference us 1t will be
the "Bonnc lntenton had but three or four tons on
board.
The sulphur aud volatile matter In bitumnous and
hydroeenous Goals are the active agents in spontaneous
combustion and the finer the particles the better is the
condition for producing that result There absolutely
no security shipboard from this great peril where
these ery gaseous Goals are carried or used as II Is
certain they will Ego of. exactly how soon being the
only unknown factor The elements for the work OF
spontaneous destruction all exist when the blaze Will
begin depends only the peculiar circumstances OF
each case Great vigilance often detects the ncipent
conlagration 'he lire is quietly put out and the pas
sengers saved from the shock OF the imminent
danger they have passed through. Cotton gunpowder
with the Goals referred to- for these generally Will not
burn explode unless hre Is put TO them whilst the
former are in their nature spontaneously destructive
Among the recent disasters from the referred to-
IL Will be noticed was the steamship Japan, valued at
600 000 and 500 600 of her passengers
burnt up, drowned preferable late, after
jumping from the burning ship into the sea- This
state OF things may be expected to go on until an
hghtened public opinion causes the substitution, on
passenger ships at least OF Goals which constitute
safe and clean steam fuel whilst the heavy
losses transport ships WILL it is hoped the
underwriters put up " losses induce
them 10 decline writing such risks altogether