New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-11
NEw-YoRK DAILY TRIBUNE, FRIDAY. NOVEMBER H. 1891

gas which may be set afre far more easily than
the liquid itself. In ordinary kitchen manage
ment a little oil is poured from the can each
day. space filed with confined air steadily
enlargcs, in which an explosive Vapor forms
from the liquid beneath. The same thing
occurs in the upper part Of the lamp as the
! quantity of kerosene is gradually reduced by
! the burning ut the wick and il is this vapor
above which eXplodes when the attempt Is made
| to pour in little more oil without extinguish-
ing the blaze. Again, similar vapOr may be
formed almost instantly il the oil is poured IN
! Il scattering way upon burning Goals lying III
CRATE or stove already somewhat warmed. The
hOus keeper should explain to Bridget that the
peril lies in the invisible atmosphere so easily
formed over the OIL not in the oil itself and
that no care taken of the visible oil will avert it.
A danger of the same general kind arises
when ordinary gas escapes from leak or
burner left open, and m;nglcs with the air con-
fined in a room. The pure gas as it comes from
the pipe is not explosive; but when it has
mingled itself with the air the compound
formed is highly explosive, and match
lighted to test for the leak, or a lamp brought
into the room by one coming to turn the eX-
posed burner, will, in all probability, ignite it.
The Court of Appeals, year or two ago, de-
clared that this latent danger Of an explosive
atmosphere formed by gas leak is now so well
established that householdcrs are expected, as
matter of law, 10 understand it and that to
go or send ones servants with light into an
apartment where gas is escaping is legal negli-
gence. The unlucky sutton declared that he
had done so several times without harm. The
a -
reckless act. There is at least equal ground for
saying this of cndeayors to kndle Il fire by the
aid Of kerosene.
Quite analogous is the explanation of the
mysterious explosions which have been chron-
clcd during late years as occurring in various
factories. It is now known that when the air
in a confined room becomes dcnsely filed with
any fine dust of an organic nature, there Is dan
ger of explosion Il "a fame is introduced |
When the candy store in Buclay-st blew up, |
three or four years ago, ordinary observers |
could think of no possible explanation but to !
say the engineer must have been drunk or
asleep. Scientists declare that when any com
bustiblc substance. such as sugar, grain, wood, |
is ground to powder or 1lOur fine enough to |
float in the air, the rapidiy with which it may !
burn is greatly increased. Their somewhat |
obscure expression is that the rate of rombus-
" ton is iAyer>oy proportioned to the cube OF the
' size Of the particlrs.r rhi, signifies a rapidity
IF burning which is mcouccyabe. 1t is 50
rapid that the gases formed cannot escape fast
enough by ordinary vents in a room, bat they
may drive out Che windows, or even tear strong
walls TO pieces in their exit In this manner
Inc famous "Wa>hbWn Mills" in Minneapolis,
were destroyed in 1878. one of the processes
consisted in separating coarse -four from fine,
and driving the very fine through
hume into 4 chamber where it was held
n suspension in the air until it settled
aud could be gathered. When an acct
ioutIl IRE occurred, aud the flames reached
his room of -four dust, there was most disas-
ron, explosion So with Ehret'S brewery some
weeks ago. The grinding of grain filed the air
With an impaIpabic dust, and when light wa,
brought in, the dust ignitod ard
he building was shattered by the rapid COM
,g>tion. Yet grain is not explosive in the
ndulry sense. There is need 10 teach domes-
ic servants ana factory hands what pcrils lie in
hesc so easily formed explosive atmospheres. !