Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-30
WARNINas NON KEROsENE
Hovv - Check ard Avoid lamp RI.

The infamous extortions practiced by
pas companies have caused = return, ii
thousands OF families. to the use of kero.
sene oil for illuminating purposes. The
cost Of the oil Is but tithe Of that q
Gas. while the light afforded by the for.
mer-if IL Is consumed IN proper
lamps very much better and steadier
than that Of gas. The danger incurred
by careless handling Of the oil is the
principal objection to its use. But il
must Be borne in mind that the danger
il not ia the oil itself, but in the igno-
rant or reckless handling Of it. Not
even gunpowder is dangerous in Itself,
but any fool with Q match can turn its
danger loose very suddenly. So it Is
with kerosene. Treat il properly and
It viii be good servant, but Il you do
not. the chances are that you win hasten
your progress toward the angel choir.
The Christian Union recently published
some very sensibly-put practical infor.
nation on this subject, which should
be read and remembered by all house.
keepers. II said:
"a great many fatal accidents hap
pen from trying to pour oil into
lamp when il is lighted. Most per-
sons suppose that it is the kerosene
itself that explodes, and that il they are
very careful to keep the oil from being
touched by the fire or the light, there
viii be no explosion. But that is not
so. If can or a lamp Is left about half
full Of kerosene oil. the oil will dry up,
that is, ssevaporate" q little, and will
form, by mingling in the air in the
upper part Of the can, very explosive
gas. You cannot see this gas any more
than yon can see air. But If it is dis
turbed aud driven out and a blaze
reaches it, there will be terrible ex-
plosion, although the blaze did not
touch the oil. There are several other
liquids used In houses and workshops
which will produce an explosive vapor
in this way. Benzine is one, burning
fluid Is another, and naphtha, alcohol,
ether and chloroform may do the same
thing.
SIN q New York shop lately there was
can of benzine or gasoline on the floor.
A boy sixteen years old lighted a cigar
cite and threw the burning match on
the floor near the can. He did not
dream that there was any danger. be-
cause the liquid was locked up in the
can. But there was a great explosion,
and he was badly hurt. This seems
very mysterious. The probability is
that the can had been standing there a
good while, and a good deal Of vapor
had formed, some Of which had leaked
out around the stopper and was hang
ing in q sort Of invisible cloud over and
around the can, and the cloud, when the
match struck it, exploded.
"Suppose q girl tries to al q kerosene
lamp without first extinguishing the
blaze. OF course the lamp Is nearly
empty or she would not care to Gil it.
This empty space is filled with cloud
of explosive vapor arising from the oil
in the lamp. When she pushes the noz-
zle Of the can into the lamp ct the top
and begins to pour, the oil, running
into the lamp, Oils the empty space
and pushes the cloud Of explosive
tapor, and the vapor is obliged to pour
over the edges Of the lamp into the
room outside.
s'Of course il strikes against the blaz-
ing wick which the girl is holding down
by the side. The blaze Of the wick sets
the invisible cloud Of vapor on FIRE, and
there is an explosion which ignites the
oil and scatters il over her clothes and
over the furniture Of the room. This is
the way in which kerosene lamp
bursts. The same thing may happen
when . girl pours the oil over the fire in
the range or stove If there is cloud Of
explosive vapor In the upper part of the
can, or, IL the stove is hot enough to
evaporize quickly some OF the oil as it
falls. Remember, It is not the oil but
the invisible vapor which explodes.
Taking care Of the oil viii not protect
you. There Il no safety except in the
rule: Never pour oil on lighted FIRE
or into q lighted lamp
"When a lamps OH has burned low,
don't shake it to brighten its fame.
The gas generated within It's empty
globe may explode and cause terrible
suffering. Don't place kerosene lamps
on on near stoves where they viii be-
come heated, for explosions may occur
in consequence. In one family, lamp
carelessly placed on mantel shelf be-
hind q hot stove funnel exploded with