River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-04
Kerosene Disasters.


vention of d lamp in which it could be
burned without the production of smoke
resulted in immeasurable benefits to all
civilized people. At the time the oil
was discovered and this lamp invented
whale oil had become so scarce that 1t
could not supply one-hundreth part of
the demand for material for illuminate
ing purposes. Tallow in the meantime
had advanced greatly in price, owing to
the increased demand for it for manu-
featuring soap. Lard oil was used to
considerable extent, but its cost was In
the way of its general employment.
The oil extracted from various kinds of
fish was experimental with, but it was
generally found to give quite an I'M
satisfactory light and very unsatis-
factory odor. Wax candles were used
IN a few mansions, but we're far too
costly to be found in ordinary houses.
Candles made of paraffine afforded q
beautiful white light not injurious to the
eyes, but, like wax candles, they were
very expensive.
About twenty-seyon years ago all
these materials for artificial illumina-
ton we've generally superseded by vari-
Gus kinds of burning fluids, which were
com posed ordinarily of about equal
parts of turpentine and alcohol. The
addition of the alcohol to the turpen-
tine was necessary TO furnish hydrogen
to consume the large amount OF carbon
which the former substance contained.
Burning fluids were improvements on
candles, and most of the oils that had
been in use, as they were cleanly and
comparatively cheap, while they pro-
duce a very good light. There was,
however, some danger attending their
use. The occurrence of the civil war
put sudden stop to the consumption
of borning fluid. The supply of tur
pentine furnished by the vast pine
forests of the south was entirely cut
off, while the tax imposed on alcohol
rendered it altogether too expensive to
be employed for illuminating purposes,
even if 1t could be mixed with any new
substance.
Just previous to the breaking out OF
the war kerosene oil manufactured
from bituminous coal or shales was in
troduced together with an ingeniously
constructed lamp that rendered lis use
possible without the production OF
smoke. The cost of the oil was for
some time about 81 per gallon. Soon
after the war commenced petroleum
was obtained in enormous quantities
from wells in Pennsylvania and other
places, which, being purified and freed
from a certain amount of naptha, took
the PLACE of the article that had been
manufactured from bituminous coal.
In the meantime many Improvements
we're made in the lamps for burning
the oil till the perfection OF consump-
ton without smoke or offensive odors
was almost reached. The supply of the
oil became so large, the method OF
purifying it so excellent, and the facili-
ties for Transporting SO much improved
that the price fell to twelve cents per
gallon. From this time we had not
only the best out the cheapest material
for illumination the world ever knew.
But there are Objectionable qualities
in the best of things. and kerosene oil
furnishes no exception to the general
rule. 1t is volatile, very infiammable,
and capable of forming explosive COM
hounds with the air under certain cir
cumstances. Hence it is dangerous
substance unless it is stored and handled
with proper care. The long list of sac
cidents" that are reported every season
as resulting from the employment of
kerosene show the extreme carelessness
with which it Is used. With all the
warnings that have been given IN the
papers, with all the accounts OF burn
ings that have been published, many
familits continue to use it for starting
fires in the morning, and for reviving
them during the day. 1t is so cheap
that many persons use 1t instead OF
kindling- wood, often spilllng consider
able quantities of it on the stove, or
floor, and the wonder is that a larger
number of accidents do not occur.
But the accidents" resulting from
the employment of kerosene oil do not
all occur from using it to. kindle fires.
We read every year of numerous ex-
blossoms of kerosene lamps. The lamps
In which these explosions occur are
sometimes in the hands of persons who
are carrying them about the house, and
other times are standing on tables or
other supports. Ii one attempts to pro- !
duee an explosion by uniting the yapor I
rising from kerosene oil with air, with |
a view of furnishing Information to ex-
plain the phenomenon, he Is quite |
likely to fail. the conditions necessary |
to produce an explosion, however, are |
very often furnished By causes not d. |
rected by design. The like of this l. |
true Of explosive comp pounds formed OF
other substances. An experimenter |
may fail in his purpose. but he may De |
Injured by the explosion of the same /
substance at an unexpected time. As
before stated, explosive compounds /
result from the union of the volatile /
portions of kerosene with the air: I
When the oil in a lamp has burned |
quite low and the temperature OF the |
lamp and its contents 3 high, a speck /
conveyed TO the mixture ABOVE the OIL 4
or the sudden escape of some OF the I
gas in the direction of the fame above 4
Is cutie certain to produce an explosion. I
III a heated lamp containing q CONSIDER 4
able amount of gas above the on =
shaken, as BY carrying il IN the hand
or by Earring the support on Wnien y
stands, an explosion il likely 70 follow.