The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1877-01-05

little, and a forked tongue of flame
leaped out and the box burned We I
had indeed spontaneous combustion by I
shutting off ventilation. The woolen
and the velvet had engendered theheat,
the silk had acted as a telegraph wire
for it, and the cotton. old and soft as
down, had struck the spark.
A lot of paper rags hung in tight |
closet, or piled up in store where there
is no ventilation, will sooner or later |
start fire. There are dealers who |
know this, and would as soon think of |
throwing lighted match into cotton
batting as OF closing the storage-room
against ventilation. The lower sash of
at least one window should be taken
out during the summer, and it would be
better to leave an opposite one raised a
few inches, SO as to- secure strong
draught. A few months since some
oiled rags in the basement of Detroit
picture store took fire on hot Sunday
morning and called out the fire depart
windows was open for ventilation. 1t
was through this window that the smoke
poured and gave the alarm.
At the Detroit House of Correction,
in December, 1870, one of the prisoners
| employed III the chair-fnishing room,
| piled up bundle of oiled rays III COR
ner as the bell rang for the close of
working hours, and at o'clock, only
two hours after, the shop was fired by
spontaneous combustion and several
thousand dollars worth of damage done.
The room was close, contained many
chairs just finished, aud as soon as the
rags were piled and packed together
the foundation WAS laid TOR destructive
conAagration.
About two years ago, one winter
evening, the watchman at the Michigan
Central Railroad car shops, located
short distance below the company's pas
senger depot III the city of Detroit,
passed through the pattern and wood
shed and found everything safe ard qui-
ct. Fifteen minutes later he was alarm
ed BY the smell of smoke, and while
mounting the stairs leading to the sec
ond story OF the shop, the flames burst
out iii one end and the entire shop was
destroyed within all hour. a pattern
maker had used some oil and a rag
just before six O'Clock to oil pattern
Just finished, and e had probably
thrown the rag among the shavings.
There was no stove in that end of the
shop, smoking was prohibited, and no
one had doubt that the contiagration
was brought about through the medium
OF that oiled rag.
Bat spontaneous combustion does not
depend upon the presence of oiled rags
. and sllavings Three or four years ago
SC ~ @l.
front windows, sash, glass and blinds
, of a Detroit dry goo6s store were blown
out into the street with u noise like the
rumble of thunder, and the store was
: ablaze in an instant. The porter left
All s.our before the explosion, and d
t policeman tried tic doors not ten min
i. utes previously. The gas had al beer
2 turred off, the steam pipes were nearly
9 cold, and there was no light around tlit
e store. There was no smell of gas. nC
G oil nor fluids inside, it was a wonder
To most minds how the fire caught
: The house had an immense stock OF DIR,
:. goods, and when closed for the nigh
| the store was like dry kiln. The lIea
i thrown out by the goods was like gas
l. and finally became powerful enough t.
d force Its way out. A gas-iamp wa
burning IN front, aud when the hot al
u struck this the fire Travelled back int
the store like flash of lightning. Th
very same thing occurred soon after a
e another store on another street, and th
l. circumstances pointed SO strongly t
spontaneous combustion as the ageI
rs that each fire was recorded under tha
le head in the record book of the fire d.
81 partment.
My old friend made another eNper
III ment. Procuring bottle of liqui
IS sswarranted to remove grease, printer
ink, etc." from any sort OF fabric, |
)" exhausted the contents by pourin
VS. them over cotton rags and pieces
&c worsted dress goods aud bits of woole
n These pieces were placed in bog,
ry ladies would hang their dresses in
closet, and in less than five hours q
IT, box was on fire. The liquid cortaint
he turpeutile, and perhaps benzine, whi'
Id was almost as dangerous as gunpowde
Bits of cloth saturated with liquid
i'll doubt often find their way into pap
he rag sacks, and in time they are alme
mt certain to become the agents of a dis
sn trous confagration.
*. It is claimed and denied with equ
rm Yehemence that steam pipes are and a
ry, not the agents of conhagrations. 4
lie old friend and / have made more th
er- a score of Of experiments, with varyi
he success. Where steam pipes ran alo
IN. we'll ventilated room we have plac
my bits of cotton and paper on them a
ed. left them there for weeks, to lift til,
G a up unscorched by the contact. Aga
ind where the pipes ran along brick ws
an unbroken BY windows for long distal
and where The room was close, we ne
'us- scorched piue blocks as back as tar
oon two days. We have never succeed
old in producing actual fire, but have he
ten ed tie blocks to such a degree t
inc, they could not be held in the hand.
ter factory where there is much dust a
of poor ventilation, bit Of iron can
lose made so hot by leaving it on stea
urs pipe while that it will start