The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-11-16
Mysterious Gas Explosions.

LdWyer VINO always wished to reacl
MS Office punctually at nine o'clock wa,
starting one morning when his wife
called him back and asked him to do an
errand for her. He grumbled a little,
Tor 1t would make him late; but he went,
ana so he did not reach his office until 4
quarter past nine. When he arrived he
found flre engines and crowd of people
around the door, and that the hall and
stairways were all blown to pieces. The
people told him that there had been a
gas explosion in the cellar at Just about
nihe 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?
Ihe 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.
lhe best proportion is when on, part of
gas IS mingled with about five parts of
ar; hence there need not be grea. deal
OF gas at large in a cellar to make the
air explosive enough to do damage. And
a 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 burner
turned In one OF the rooms. The gas
steadll y, though very slowly, perhaps,
pours into the cellar or room, and before
long the people begin to say, What a.
strong smell of gas; there must be a
leak somewhere" They ought never to
use light in searching for the leak.
But, often, one is used. If the trouble
IS IN an upstairs room, and it is
evening, servant girl, very likely, goes
In with lighted lamp to find the burner
winch 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 a burning candle. Then the mixed
gas and air will blow the building to
pieces, and may very likely kill the peo-a
pie. In the cities men walk the streets
selling toy balloons. These balloons are
made OF very thin, light india-rubber,
and. are about the size of large soap
bubble. They are filled with common
','gas, " such as is burned in houses. One
day gentleman bought one and was
carrying it aloug the street, holding it
by 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
a cigar came near and the
balloon touched the lighted end
of the cigar. The fire in the ci gar burned
or melted hole in the balloon, the gas
within and atmospheric air outside
mingled together, forming an explosive
compound, and took fire, and imme-
dIateiy there was an explosion in the
smoker face, singeing his 7wTiiii;;skers and
burning his nose.
1t is not strange that servant girls do
not knowit may be dangerous to carry |
lamp into a 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 a workman.
whom they send down cellar to find a
leak, and see that he does not carry a
hight An Albany man once sent to the |
gas company to have leak in his cellar
stopped, and the workman who came |
struck amatch. 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 7
gas-fitters themselves. tifis3g -.ltl5 sasal
: Ii you notice person lighting the
gas after the faucet has been turned a
little, you will sometimes notice that it
lights with little puff When what is
called an Argand burner is used this
puffis quite loud; for the chimney holds
little quantity of the gas mingled with
air, and the puff You hear is the explo-,
sion of tnis mixture. A grown person
could show you a pretty good illustra-
ion of these explosions BY holding a
mug or tumbler over gas-burner and
citing little gas pour into it, which
would Immediately mix with the air al
'eady in it, and then lighting this mix
ure. But the mug or tumbler should
oe pretty strong one, else the explo-
'ion might shatter it, Christian Union.