The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-04-03
BURNING MADE EASY.
UnsusPected Cases OF Else and Goabu.
afaas.
Manchester 49, .'s

onsuhpected Case. OF Else and Combu ms
| naas.
! Manchester Englsndl Cotton.
There was an interesting discussion on
this subject st q recent meeting OF the
French Academic des Sciences. NJ.
Cosson described an accident which had
occurred in mis- laboratory a few DAYS
before. While the narrator was wurkiny
in the laboratory portion OF the board
ing.of the floor spontaneously took fire
Ire boards were In the vicinity of sn
air-hole, fed with warm air from a stove
four metres awsy, on the floor below. A
similar accident took place two Yeas
ago, and in consequence N. Cosson had
the boards adjoining the air hole replaced
by slab of marble. The boards which
now ignited sdjoined the marble. The
heat to which the boards were su jected
was, however. very moderate, being only
that Of warm air at 25' c. Nevertheless,
NJ. COsson said the wood had undOu Of
eddy been slowly cSrbOnized. Being
thus rendered extremely porous, rapid
absorption OF the oxygen of the stmOs-
phere had resulted, and suffi cient caloric
was thereupOn produced to originate
combustion. The danger thus disclosed,
said NJ, Cosson, is one to which the
attention or builders ought to be direct
ed. In the instance 10 question, M.
Cosson was able to extiDguish the fire
with little water, as he was present
and witnessed its beginning; but had it
occurred at night, during his absence. it
would undoubtedly have completed its
work OF destruction. NJ. Faye stated
that st Passy, few days before, a SINH
lar case of spontaneous FIRE, due to the
action of the warmth from the sir-hole Of
a stove upon the woodwork, had occurred
at the house of one of his friends.
NJ Dumas gave several analogous
illustrations, and attributed the occur
rences to the property of mstter in an
extremely divided condition, of energet-
icaliy absorbing air with the generation
OF heat. In powder, factories the pulver-
lied charcoal viii often take fire sDOnts.
neously. II is for this reason that 1t il
usually pulverizad with sulphur, which
robs it of the property in question
Wood deprived OF its moisture by the
action of warmth, continued for a long
time, is transformed into a substance
analogous TO Ignite or turf Its PARTICLES
experience q species Of pulverizatiOn, or
minute division, which brings it iatO
essentially the same condition as that of
crushed charcoal In this state it con-
denses the air and takes fire. NJ. Dumas
said that he had known a case where
beam in a csrt-shed had taken FIRE in
tins way. Formerly, in the theaters,
the lamp boxes, filed with refuse, ire
quently ignited spontaneously in this |
manner. Tbs oily dust and debris con.
deDsed the oxygen of the air. In works
where Adrisnople red is applied to cot
ton, impregnsted with fatty mstter,
spontaneous combustion frequently oc>
ours.
NJ. Dnmas also cited singular occur !
renee 10 the studio of a painter, which
ne had witnessed. The artist had taken
some cotton wool to wipe picture. He
rubbed the oily surface of the painting
for some time with the porous material,
and then flung it from him the cotton
spontaneously ignited. during its passage
through the giT. Ii il vel to Temem.
Der, concluded II. Dumas, that eX-
tremely porous or minuteiy divided
matters, conducting sir, II capable Of
producing 3 very elevated
This discussion will sug.
&c, : TO mill-Owners. merchants and Others
many ways in which serious fires may be !
originated. The proportion OF fires
ccUrring, of which the cause remain |
is very considerable; and SIS |
the vast majority of builders are un- :
douoteiiy as ignorant o. physics SIS are !
the plumbers VINO f. up domestic boilers !
and the arrangements for suDplyi ing
warm bA his, scientific societies do good
service by occasionally giving time to
such discussions as that which occupied |
The attention of the French Academy OF
Sciences. Too much publicity can not |
be given to the extremely suggestive |
tacts elected.