Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-03-13
The Gasoline Explosion.

The death of tive or three PERSONS the INJURY
of several others, and the DESTRUCTION OF ne tow
hall ct Harrison, Ohio, by the explosion Of gay
manufacturing machine, VII cal renewed sstenr
ton TO the dangers of sneh apparatus. There
have been several Instances Of the destructon Of
fine buding.-residen noes or hotels-by explosions
from gas-wor on the premises, but hitherto the
loss OF life has borne but small proportion to
that of property. 1t 10 said, in explanation of the
present occurrence that it was Chi fly due to the
imprudence OF inexperienced persons who entered
the cellar, is supposed, for the purpose OF ex-
aiming the machinery, which was ont of order.
One of them probably carried light to aid IN his
explorations; and an instantaneous expiosioa
seems to have taken place when the party entered.
Their imprudence cannot, of course, be justified !;
it is the heigh, of folly to take light to search
for gas leak; hut behind all this there was yet
greater carelessness in placing the gas machine IN
the cellar.
II any person coHversant with the risk Of fire 20
which ordinary bindings are exposed, were to be
asked what part of a house would be the most dan
gerous place for a gas making machine, he would
name the cellar first; because there an explosion
would do the most damage, there hre orig mat
ing would be most destructive, and there q fnr-
mace is usually placed which may serve to ignre
escaping gas. Yet, strange to say, many OF the
earlier machines for making gas from gasoline
were placed. After few buildings had
been burnt in consequence Of such blum
ders, the insurance cou panies began to in
sist that the business of gas making should
be carried on in a separate building, at dis
lance of thirty or fifty feet. But there are &C
tually two operations in preparing lllumlnat-
ing gas from gasoline one is to convert the liquid
into vspor, the other, to mix common air with
the vapor, and perhaps to give the gas thus formed
the needful pressure. 1t seems to have been con-
cluded that the latter half of the operation--mIx
ing with alr-could be safely done in the house, if
the machine for doing this were properly con
structed. Ii can scarcely be supposed that the
reservoir of gasoline was kept in the cellar of the
town hall at Harrison. II il was, the people who
so arranged it ought to be indicted for man
slaughter.
But even the process OF mixing air With gaso-
line vspor, by means of mschinely, is much too
dangerous to be carried on in the cellar of house.
Only when the apparatus is quite tight and work
ing perfectly-a condition not likely TO be of very
long continuance-can a few hours of safety be
hoped for. A mere arrangement of the valves
NAV precptate destruction, as IL did u few years
ago in the suburban dwelling house of an officer
Of one of our fte insurance companies. In that
case, the air used in mixing-wss drawn bv the AIR
pump Of the machinery from within the cellar
where the mixing took place. Various pre- au
tons have been devised to guard against this class
of Accide nts for just soon the proportion OF
sir to vspor i. six to one, the mixture becomes
more explosive than gunpowder. A pint OF gaso
line i'll penetrate 200 cubic feet Of arr and make
the whole of il explosive. The success of the
gas making machine is only in is capacity to mix
a smaller proportion Of air With the vapor. But
the danger that such process may not be con
Quoted with the required nicely and freedom from
leakage, Is so obvious, that common sense would
seem to dictate its removal to q considerable ds-
lance from any dwelling house or building OF VAL
ue-Veto York Tribune.