The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-06-27
SPoNTANEOUs ooABUsTToN.

k1&-O&N A@NAOO0 49,
While the subject Of the above head
ing wasbeing Fefepred to in an inciden-
tai way by a representative of THE GA
zETTE one day last week, 1t was rather
surprising to hear young physician OF
ability and Intelligence declare openly
and with energy that there was not
and could be no such thing as "sponta-
neaus combustion" The assertion was
a broad one, and backed up with the
latest improved scientific technical ex-
pressions from the vocabulary Of physl-
ology. For the enlightenment oil The
Young gentleman Of nldteriG medSca, we
make the following quotation from
Chambers Encyclopedias, which we
trust viii be alike interesting TO ma
jority Of our readers: -a
Spontaneous combustion Is phenomenon that
occasionally manifests itself in mineral and or
eanic substances. The facts connected with the
spontaneous ignition Of MINERAL substances are
well known to chemists. and some Of them have
been already described in the article PTRoP Hous
"a W. Ordinary charcoal does not undergo
combustion in air under . temperature Of ZOE
deg but in some states il is liable spontaneously
/ 10 acouire a temperature which may lead to IN
expected combustion. Thus, lAmp-black. impreg-
mated with oils which contain large proportion
Of hydrogen, gradually becomes warm, and in
flames spontaneously. According to NJ Auoert'
/ Chevalier and other French Observers, recently
made charcoal I'm q state Of dne division, is liable
to be spontaneously ignited without the agency
4 Of oil: but we are not aware that this Phenome-
81 &c. nFFrRfFv
! have BEEN many instances Of the spontaneous
ignition Of Goals containing iron pyrites. tq.V)
| when moistened with water. The Pyrites which
most readily give rise to spontaneous combustion
are those in which the protosulphide is associated
I with the bisuIphide Of iron; and these occur in
! the Yorkshire Goals from Hull and in some kinds
| Of south Wales coal. sulphur has no tendency
TO spontaneous combustion, but DR.. Taylor refers
to an instance that came to his own knowledge, in
which there was reason TO believe that the vapour
1 Of bisulplnde OF carbon in an india-rubber fac
| tory was ignited by solar heat traversing glass
PHOSPHORUS, when in . dry state, has great
tendency to ignite spontaneously. and il has been
| observed to melt and take FIRE when touehedD IN
| a room in which the temperature was under "a
deg. The ordinary lucifer-mateh composition Is
luminous in the dark, in warm summer nights,
which shows that oxidation, and therefore pro-
cess of heating, is going on Hence, large guam
titles Of these matches kept in contact may pro
duce a heat sufficient for their ignition. "I have
seen them ignite, says Or. Taylor, "as resnlt
OF exposure TO the suns rays for the purpose Of
drying T-PRIScrLEs AND PRACTICE OF MEDICAL
JURIsPRUDESox, 1855, p. eos.
From these cases occurring in the mineral king
| dom. we pass to the consideration Of spontane
=. ous combustion in ORGANIC substances. PASSING
aar.IN F-Oua
mixture OF strong nitric or sulphurie acid witl
wool, straw, certain essential oils, and which
II they occur, are immediate and obvious, we have
to consider the cases in which, without eontac
with any energetical chemical compounds, certain
substances-sueh as hay, cotton and woody hbr
generally, including tow, fax, hemp, jute, rags
leaves, spent tan, coooa-Rut fibre, straw in ma
I nure-heans, etc-when stacked in large quanti
ties I'm dA1lp state, undergo process Of heatin
! | from simple oxidation -(eremaeausis) or fermen
81 tation, aud, after a time, may pass into state
: spontaneous combustion. Taylor, OF. CIT
> I COG There is undoubted evidence that hay an
cotton in damp state will occasionally take mr.
? without any external source of ignition. Cotto
J impr,gnated with oil, when collected in lArg
quantity, Is especially liable to ignite spontane
/ ous!y; and the accumulation Of cOtton-wast'
used in wipfng lamps and oiled surfaces Of ma
! chfnery. has more than once given rise to aeci
} dents, and led TO unfounded charges of ineendi
arism. DIR. Taylor relates case in which mr.
took place in a shop 'by reason Of a quantity {
, oiltaving been spilled on dry sawdust " Accord
ing TO Chevallier vegetables boiled in oil furnis
J residue which is liable to spontaneous ignition
and the same chemist observes that all kinds
wooIlen articles imbued with oil, and collected
{ a heap, and hemp. tow, and fax. when similarl
; treated, may ignite spontaneously.
...
The subject Of the article is Of extreme import
ance not only because it may cause great destru'
ton Of life and property, but because 1t may lea
r 20 unjust charges Of incendiarism For turtle
details regarding it, the reader Is referred TO Ora
. hAm's Report on the Cause Of the Fire in tn
ANAzoN," in the QUARTERLT JoURSAL OF rH
: CHEMICAL SocIETY, vol. v p. "a; to the artic
, ''Combustion" in Watts DICTIONARY or CLIENTS
. TRY, vol. / and to the elaborate chapter ON thi