The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-12-15
Spontaneous Combustion
Some Experiments With Fire.


Some Experiments With Fire.
l knew him for months and months,
and yet did not know his name.
called him "Spon," and he answered to
it as readily as he would have answered
to any other. He was small OF stature,
bent with age, and his scanty locks were
as white as snow.
Most men took him to be beggar, or
some old Nan wanting to die. When l
came to know him | found that he had o
little old shop on quiet street, and that
he mad not u relation Oh earth. l can
not name the shop. II was not a tailor
shop, or a shoe shop, or a junk shop, and
yet it was all three, and he kept herbs
and medicines besides. No one liked
him, and yet all respected him. He was
reserved, and yet he was free to answer
questions. He gave his history to all
honest iDquirers, and yet they really
learned nothing about him.
Such was my strange old man. One
night fire broke out in building de-
signed tor drug store. The store was
furnished with walnut shelving and
counters and pine ceiling. Everything
had been oiled and some of it vanished,
and the store would have been occupied
in another week. The fire was under
good headway when discovered, and
the whole interior was burned out.
"What caused it?" l asked Il fireman
after the flames had been eXtinguished.
"Some one set fire to it," he an
swered.
IF you say that you liev' cried a
strange voice, and we looked up and
found my strange old man. That was
our introduction. 1 laughed at him, but
he maintained such serious look that
my curiosity was aroused and l ill.,
Quired:
"Why do you saEthatp"
"Lome with me-" he answered, and be
would not let go my arm until we stood
at the door of mis- little old shop. We
went in and sat down, and presently he
commenced:
sit was neither accident nor incendi-
arism. There was no stove there to drop
a spark, and doGrs and windows were
locked against incendiaries. 1t was
simply a case of spontaneous combus-
ton. The light, dry woods were soaked
with oil, the floor covered with rugs and
shaviugs, and not even pane Of glass
out 10 Ventllate the ROOM"
| was not believer in spontaneous
combustion, and l made light Of his re-
marks.
Come here tomorrow and 1 will con-
vince YOU" he answered, and after
some further discussion / Went away i.
He had spoken of spontaneous combus =
tion; named him "Spon." He was old !;
| called him "Oid Spon."
Old Spon was a CHARACTER for a sketch.
and hoping to find him full OF anecdote
and adventure, and smiling at the alb
surdity of his Theory, called at his shop
The next day as requested. He was
ready for me, and he took up the sub
ject at once.
IL am going to reproduce that drug
store," ne said, pointing around the
room. Here is box, shavings, oil and
rags. Let me prove to you that 1t does
not need fire to make fire."
He had some fine walnut and pine
shavings, aud some bits Of dry board.
| lie poured boiled linseed oil and little
varnish on these, some more on the rags,
and then mai Led all up III a starch-box.
| 'This Is the drug store," he SAID as he
placed it on the counter, and you shall
| have an explanation of the fire. 1t is
now noon; come here at O'clock this
evening.
| went away and almost forgot him
until evening. When reached his shop
he was in good spirits and his face wore
bland smlie. "
Put your hand on the box" he said.
| l obeyed, and to my great surprise
| found 1t WaIm-almoSt not.
"You viii not nave to wait an hour,''
he continued, as we sat down; "con-
| bustlOn has already commenced"
So it mad. There was a smell of burn
ing cotton and of heated wood, and
wuhin fifteen minutes alter my arrival
smoke poured from the box and was
soon followed by flame. L could take
HIS word that he had not meddled with
The box, ana eacn little Jet oil flame leap
| ing from the box was d theory in itself
to support mis- main theory. h
"You may receive it as fact that.
when oil and shavings and rags come
toge ther, a fire Will result" ne said.
"Had l not allowed the box TO stand
here in the draft the flames would nave
consumed it two hours ago."
Within the next week we repeated the
same experiment., with the same result,
and we produced spontaneous comDus-
tion With oiled shavings alone and then
with rags. Since that Time 1 have wit
messed three fires in buildings which
Originated from oiled rags. Two OF
these were III paint stores, where the
Rags had been thrown in heap on the
floor, End the third was IN grocery
store, where oil mad accidentally been
spilled on "a heap of paper rags. The
shop or factory or store which does no /
provide an iron chest for its greasy rags
will SOONER or later suffer from fire.
|, One day, oLlVng after our first ex.
peruAenLs, met Old Spon on the street
and We. walked together. We passed
by an old house whtcn had Just been
converted into sGore-room for the re-
ception OF paper rags, and a large lot
Was just then beng taken IN. Tie old
man looked into the building, then care
.hIlly noted the wlndows; and as we
wa ked on lie said:
"fhey are building bonfire lherep'
AsftoM ~ 1 asked. - lfff ~
A,Exery pane OF glass is in place, the
dsors shut tighQy, apd there is no es-
cape for the neat engendered by the
rags" he replied. III they do not Sc
cure ventilation the building will burn
within week!'
He Was right. Or the third night after
that--aelose, sultry nighttime old house
was discovered to be'On fire. The fire.
mea gathsred so promptly that the build.
ing was not greatly damaged, and they
called it an lncendiafy fire. Old Spon
was ON hand, and we Investigated. We
found the Identical s2ck containing
several pieces OF old silk. a quantity OF
paper and many pieces OF old cotton.
The fl me had run up the side of the
house and shown itself before half the
sack WAS Consumed, and we could
it, az paSiIV nA una mnV trace Tho