Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-15
THE ORIGIN OF FIRES.
TWENTY-sEveN CAUSES OF coNFLk-
CITATIONS NOW RECOGNIZED
Ince endiarIsm at the Top of the List
Defective Flues and bad Construction
The Sins Spontaneous Combustion
Has Had to Answer for.

In speaking Of tn origin OF fires. DR.
Nichols stats that present Investigations
show that the number of fires attributed 10
II, cn..IarIsm is much less than is generally
suppO cd Spontaneous combustion Is an
uther cause which has heretofore been
brought forward on a great many occa-
sons when the real trouble has been in
defective or careless construction. While
dwelling houses in the nited States are
burning at the rate of one every hour, and
mills, hotels, >tor"S and larns are van.
IshIng in pIopOruou, II Is worth
the consideration Of every householder
To know VIII .thcr his own prem
i~es are inviting destruction from fir. or
whether they are r-a-onahly secure from
the ruin brought 10y that element In the
tire tables Of l~>4. Inoendiarism l. placed at
the top Of list OF some twenty seven
causes
Next in this fatal list comes detective
tlu,s but 1t is questionable whether they
have b' II given thu rank they deserve
Dr Nj hOls mentions as a notable example
of the complete cartlcs>nrss IN this direction
that the haudsOmr Ttssld, nee Of nri-hhOr
got on fire tire times within one month,
and that on each occasion the narrowly es-
cal Ell destruction was directly traCeahle 10
,!efr tive obstruction In the first instance,
fire was due to wood placed in conney ton
with a st.am boiler. and in the other two
ras,s wa caused 10y ,oi>ts or beams b. ought
in contact with chimneys whsI the kDuse
WAS built In TIA se c.rses sufficient heat
r,,ar rh,,i the timbcrs a. eau g ,nitIon
EIRE TRAPS CAREFULLY CuNrEALEn
There are many buildings III all parts of
the country to-day where a little hotter fire
than usual IN furnace or crate will do just
the same hing Every Householder should
assure himself that no such danger menac ces
his own home warehouse. Con nued
, ontar [ of wood with hot briCkwOr or
heated current, Of air will eventually cause
,omhuSt.on- There is but one remedy. and
that Is ~ remove the conditions IL build
ing is already erected, and these fire traps
carefully concealed, IL is a difficult matter
to get at the source Of danger and see that
il Is removed, but the difficulty is much less
than that of starting anew when fire has
= armed o Z the household goods or destroyed
the plant" OF we'll established indu 'ry.
But while spontaneous combustion, being
impersJ Jnal and tn refure without the abil-
Ity for defense has had a great many sins
laid to its door Uy uilders whose volubility
exceeded their carefulness, this peculiar pro
ess Of slow oXIdHtIon has still a heavy
account against It III the list Of fire losses
In one instance. recalled by the same
writer, dwelling house caught fire by the
spontaneous ignition of Sawdust placed be-
tween kitchen toors as a sound deadener.
The sswdust alone WAS safe enough, but
when it Lecame saturated with oil from the
polishing of the iOor above new conditions
preva led The sawdust heated rapidly
from the absorption Of Oxygen by the oil
The temperature speedily arose 70 such g
point that ignito on occurred, and flame
burst through into the room
KEEP THIS EXPERIENCE IN MIND.
For many years the conditions favorable
to spontaneous combustion were 50 imper-
fectly known that no precautions were
taken to avoid them Now, however, they
have been So well illustrated, together with
the large possibilities of Effectiveness in
fiues and Chimneys, by a very complete list
Of catastrophes, that an intelligent builder
by which we mean not only the man who
builds a house, but the man who has it
built as well-must keep this experience in
mind and see that none Of these fatal con
ditions is repeated in his own stru ture
With twenty seven recognized causes OF
fire, and any number besides, not classified,
there are not a few otherwise careful per
IONS who despair of the value Of precau-
tions, and trust the whole matter TO tate ami
a heavy insurance The wisdom of pro-
viding funds necessary for rebuilding is
certainly commendable: but aside from any
economic reasons why valuables should not
be permitted to he thus quietly consumed,
those who have gone through the ordeal of a
fire, at either home or place of business,
know that there are many things for the
loss of which insurance is but poor COM
u,nsation. Scientific American