The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-10-28
Mysterious Gas Explosions.

A lawyer who always wished to reach
his office punctually at nine O'Clock was
starting one morning when his wife
called him back and asked him to do an
GRAND for her. He grumbled little
for it would make him late; but he Went
and 80 he did not reach his office until a
quarter past nine When he arrived he
found fire engines and crowd of peonle
around the door, and that the hall and
stairwavs were all blown to pieces. The
people told him that there had been a
gas explosion in the cellar at Just about
nine o'clock; if the lawyer had been 90
ing upstairs at the moment he would
probably have been killed. How could
this be? How can gas which is burned
freely in city houses, shops and halls
create such an explosion?
The secret is that, although gas is not
ordinarily explosive, yet when it is mixed
with atmospheric air the compound if
lighted will explode with great violence.
The best proportion is when one part of
gas is mingled with about five parts of
air; hence there need not be a great deal
of gas at large in cellar to make the
air explosive enough to do damage. And
great many disasters are caused in
cities and large towns in this way A
pipe downstairs springs a little leak,
or some one carelessly leaves a burner
turned in one of the rooms. The Gas
steadily, though very slowly, perhaps,
pours into the cellar or room, and before
long the people begin to say, "What
strong smell of gas; there must be
leak Somewhere. " They ought never to
use a light in searching for the leak.
But, often, one is used. If the trouble
is in an upstairs room, and it is
evening, a servant girl, very likely, goes
in with a lighted lamp to fiDi the burner
which is open, and closes it. Or if it
be in the cellar, and gas filter or
plumber is sent for, he very often carries
down burning candle. Then the mixed
gas and air will blow the building to
pieces, and may very likely kill the peo-
pie. In the cities mer walk the streets
selling toy balloons. These balloons are
made of very thin, light india-rubber,
bubble. They are filed with common
gas" such as is burned in houses. One
day gentleman bought one and was
carrying it aloug the street, holding it
by a string about three feet long, which
lay over his shoulder, and allowed the
balloon to float in the air behind him,
bobbing up and down as he walked. In
the crowd a gentleman smoking
cigar came near and the
balloon touched the lighted end
of the cigar. The fire in the cigar burned
or melted a hole in the balloon, the gas
within and atmospheric air outside
mingled together, forming an explosive
compound, and took fire, and imme-
diately there was an explosion in the
smokers face, singeing his whiskers and
burning his nose.
1t is not strange that servant girls do
not know it may be dangerous to carry
lamp into room where there has been
little gas escaping, but one would sup
pose workmen employed in repairing
gas pipes would understand all about it.
Many, however, do not; the people in
the house ought to watch workman
whom they send down cellar to find a
leak, and see that he does not carry
light. An Albany man once sent to the
gas company to have leak in his cellar
stopped, and the workman who came
struck match. The explosion blew up
the floors overhead so that the mans
wife and daughter were blown through
the ceiling of the room in which they
were sitting up into the next story, and
then fell into the cellar. The same sort
of calamity has happened in a great
many cases from like carelessness of
ora < tittnrS thnmcnlvaS
If you notice a person lighting the
gas after the faucet has been turned
little, you will sometimes notice that it
lights with little puff When what is
called an Argand burner is used this
putfis quite loud for the chimney holds
little quantity of the gas mingled with
air, and the puff you hear is the explo-
sion of this mixture. A grown person
could show you a pretty good'illustra-
ton of these explosions by holding a
mug or tumbler over a gas-burner and
letting little gas pour into it, which
would Immediately mix with the air al
ready in it, and then lighting this mix
ture. But the mug or tumbler should
be pretty strong one, else the explo-
sion mIpbt Sh after II rbs;cf;o,, Tr,5o,,