River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-01-05
DOctoring Cheap Kerosene.

Doctoring Cheap Kerosene.
Cheap articles, composed in part of
material that will infame at a very low
temperature, and which will form ex-
plosive compounds when united with
the air, are still sold in many, country
places. To prevent danger in using
these oils, persons are advised not to
purchase nostrums generally sold by
peddlers, but sometimes by grocers,
that are warranted to render the con-
tents of lamp harmless. The Scie7,-
tifc american has the following to say in
regard to the safety powders, as well as
the means of testing oils to ascertain
their safety when burned in ordinary
lamps
Very frequently, of late, we have re-
ceived from correspondents, east and
west, samples of stuff sold them by
peddlers, with the assurance that when
little of these preparations are mixed
with the poorest burning oil, the latter
is rendered perfectly safe. OF course,
one of the chief inducements to use
the compositions is the assurance that
with them much cheaper oil of
equal illuminating power can be used
safely. This fraud is a very dangerous
one, and perhaps the best way to stop
it is by the diffusion of little practical
information respecting these oils. In
the first place, there is nothing that can
be added to or mixed with poor kero-
sene oil, that viii in the least affect its
dangerous qualities, or make it any
safer to use in lamps. The danger
with such oils arises solely from the
presence in them of light, easily vo-
talized and very infiammable hydro
carbons, such as naphtha, the vapor of
which, when mixed with air, explodes
on contact with flame.
Kerosene and naphtha, or benzine,
are derived by process of distillation
from the same neutrality-suspicious..
The lighter oils-gasoline, naphtha,
benzinc, etc.-are first volatilized and
condensed. AS the products distill
over, they are tested from time to time
with a hydrometer, and when it is
found that the stream of distilled oil
marks about 5S degrees (Baume's n.y.
drometer), what follows is turned into
another tank, until it is found that the
gravity of the oil coming ever has risen
to about 40 degrees, then the stream is
DETECTED into another tank. The oil
distilled between So degrees and SO de-
grees, is called kerosene or buring oil.
In this process about 10 per cent. of
the light oils are produced, and as
there is comparatively little demand
for them, they are very cheap. Naph-
tina costs from two to five cents q gallon,
while kerosene costs from twenty to
twenty-five cents. AS great competi-
ton exists among the refiners, there is
strong inducement TO turn the fieav-
Ter portions of the naphtha. into the
kerosene tank, SO as to get for the price
as for kerosene, or to cheaper the latter.
They change the direction of the
stream from the still when it reaches
65 degrees to 63 degrees B., instead of
waiting until it reaches So degrees; and
thus the volatile inflammable naphtha,
or benzine,, is allowed to run into the
kerosene, rendering the whole of the
latter dangerous. 1t has been shown
that the one per cent. of naphtha will
lower the flashing point of kerosene
ten degrees, while with 20 per
cent. of naphtha, the same oil will
flash at eight degrees (Fah.) above the
freezing point of water. 1t is, there
fore, the cupidity of the refiner that
possible into the kerosene, regardless
of the consequences.
The specific gravity is not safe
guide respecting the character of such
oils, as a poor, dangerous oil may be
heavier than safe OIL Astral oil illus
trates this While it does not flash be-
low 125 degrees Fab, its gravity is 40
degrees B. Foor kerosene flashes at
Sc degrees Fab, but has gravity of
AZ degrees b. Kerosene, when prop
erly refined, is nearly colorless by trans
mitted light and slightly fuorescent by
reflected light. Its density should be
about 43 degrees A. At ordinary tenn
peratures it should extinguiish match
as readily as water, without becoming
infsmed or flashing, and, when heated,
it should not evolve an inflammable
vapor below 10 degrees Fab, and
should not take fire below 125 or 140
degrees Fab.
AS the temperature in II burning
lamp rarely exceeds 100 degrees Fab,
such an oil would be safe. 1t would
produce no vapors to mix with the air
in the lamp and make an explosive
mixture, and if the lamp were over
turned or broken, the oil would not
take fire. The standard which has
generally been adopted by law as
safe one, fixes the flashing at 100 de-
grees Fab, or higher. Prof. Chandler.
president of the New York City board
OF health, says. "Out of 736 samples
of kerosene oil tested by me, unly %
were really safe, all the rest evolving
infammable vapor below 100 degrees
Fab" In his paper on the tempera-
ture of oil in lamps, DR.. Chandler has
shown that in some cases the tempera-
ture of their contents often rises above
100 degrees Fab.