The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-11-10
WHAT BURNED WYG GIN HOUSE.

''o' W oc uue Wno1iy 10 lnccndiaryism,
admitting that there IS 10 every community
persons wicked enough to revenge on some
enemy by burning his property. Yet We
know many cases where gin house has
been destroyed by fire, and yet the owner
is satisfied nc has no enemy.
The writer has large experience in negro
criminal trials, and has ever noticed that
when negro commits & crime against prop
crty, 1t Is to fill his own pocket at the ex.
pensc of ofanother, while we'll authenticated
cases are rare of his destroying property for
revenge.
L have studied this question for several
years, with a view of discovering if there
was not some cause other than criminal at
work, and if so, what it was and to suggest
a remedy.
Having been employed to prosecute and
defend number of parties charged with
this crime, my attention has been called to
these facts. 1st, that these mysterious bur.
nings are usually at night. I'd, the night is
cool and frosty, Sd, the gin house con-
tained seed cotton that had been placed in
there damp, and usually dumped in piles
from large cotton basdets.
L am not a chemist and am not welded
to the conclusion I am trying to draw-only
hope to call attention to two theories, with
the hope tha. tthc subject may be investigated
both by the cotton planters and tic scien-
lists. My first theory it this Wet seed
cotton when piled up undeigoes slight fcr>
mentation, which develops latent heat
1t you doubt this just insert your arm into
heap of damp cotton that has been piled
up for several days, and you will take itout
without being told. Put an egg in this
pile, and in short time. it will be ready
cooked for the table. We know that com.
bustion is term used to denote the amount
of heat necessary to destroy substances
that ignition is where there is sufficient
heat to produce fire or incaudcsccncc We
know fui thcr that It takes different degrees
of heat to ignite different substances that
phosphorus snites q. as low temperature
as l4S degrees. Suppose a phosphor match
should have been dropped in the cotton, and
the heat in the cotton is sufficient to cook
an egg, will it not light or ignite the match?
1t will, just as certainly as powder will cx-
plodc when it has heat enough. Any drug
glst will tell you that he has to put phosphor.
rus in water to keep it from igntins.
My second theory suggests substitute
for the match. Among substances that
ignite at a low temperature we find classed
"oleaginous gas or gas from oils. l do
not know the degree of heat necessary to
form or ignite it, but it is classed with the
lower degrees, and suppose it varies ac-
cording to the volatile character of the oil
Will any ono ask where does the Oil come
from! Olly examine the floor Of your gin
house where you and hands have trod on
cottonsecd year after year until the floor is
full ofel. And on this oily floor you tumble
in basket after basket of damp cotton, which
soon gets heated enough to make the oil gas
and ignite it.
But it will be asked ifthc second theory is
correct, why the fire does not occur of.ener,
and what has frosty night to do with it !?
Let me answer both at once. Suppose Il
small pyramid Of dam seed cotton, say five
or six feet at the base, be placed in house
with an oily floor, the latc2t heat soon dcvel.
opes and expels the moisture from the CEN
tire towards the top and sides This mos.
ture is really n vapor, and when i. reach
es the outer surface Of the cotton it
comes in contact with Il frosty temper.
aturc, when it is ut once turned into water,
fills the outer Gbrcs of the cotton and forms
almost a compact mass of cotton and water
almost impregnable to the latent heat on the
inside or the cold air on the outside. While
this state Of things lasts, there can be nc
ignition, either from match or oil gas, lor
the reason that it is all tight (not to be tech
nlcal, aud in most cases it remains in that
condition until the fermentation ceases
and the latent heat is exhausted Suppose,
however, the outside crust Of the cotton
"volcano" is broken by some "bold rat,
who wants warm bed, the settling Of the
cotton causing tissure, or by any other
means then ignition is instantaneous, and
you arc awakened to find your property des
troyed and mind harassed by the fear of al
enemy capable Of doing you such an injury
The remedy is First, keep damp cottor
out Of your gin house ;''second, spread the