Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-09-26
WATER STARTS a FIRE.
The Origin Of Blaze That Was Thought
20 10 Incondiarv

10 10 Incendlssry.
Captain Bracket again became reminis-
cent this morning, says the New York
Graphic. Sitting in his confidential inquiry
Office, al Wall street, where he and Cap
tain Chalker direct investigations for a
numerous clicntage Of financiers and bust
ness men, he stirred the fire 10 a proper de-
gree OF heat and told Of an interesting
event in his term as fire marshal OF the
metropolitan district.
"I was sitting In my office overlooking
tho mails OF two days, which / had not
found time 70 look at, when an old &c
quaintance, a lawyer at 81 Nassau street,
camo In. well, Cap said he, i've had
an incondiary fire in my Office, and want
you 20 come down, for I've caught tho In
cendiary'
"'Who was itP asked. Your Office
boy, l suppose No. Who else would set
hre t0 lawyers object There Is never
any thing In one worth stealing. Mice got
at the matches, thenr
"'No,' no replied. 1T was not mouse
nor was IL matches. The incendiary In this
case was water
81 looked at him 10 see whether over
study was affecting his brain, but he seemed
sane enough except for the assertion that
watcr, which extngushes fire, could be the
incendiary which set fire 20 n building.
Still, I went with him 20 investigate the
seeming contradiction, and came away a
surprised convert 10 the paradox that under
certain circumstances water could be in
ccndiary.
"Tho lawyers office was in building
whose rear windows faced south He, dur
ing tho summer, had leopt a small globular
aquarium OF gold fish, which stood on a
shelf In tho window Tho fish died. but tho
water remained in the aquarium. My
friend having had occasion 10 90 out OF
town In n hurry bought a common glazed
gripsack, and stunning some linen and cot
Ton underwear into IL departed for several
days abscrco. Returning 20 his offico ne
throw his gripsack carelcssly down on a
chair and went out for lunch. II was a
bright warm afternoon In tho late winter,
and the sun shone strong through the
southern windows On his return an
hour aftorward no found fire en-
gino Just ready 10 drive away and
several fromon coming out The fire had
boon discovered before IL had made any
Roadway, and very slight damage was done.
~ had manifcstly started In my gripsacl,
and was thoroughly puzzled 10 account for
n. / carried no matches or spirits In n, and
there was nothing 20 encourage the theory
OF spontaneous combustion. when my eye
fell on the spot Of light which was brought
90 focus after passing through the aqua
rum. II seemed scarcely possible that II
should have localized enough heat 20 burn
through the glazed sides OF my gripsack
and fire the cotton under-clothing, but when
I placed my hand at the true focus found
tho heat as sharp as that from the lighted
end Of cigar. Wen experiment this
morning., he said.
cit was then near noon. We placed a
wad Of cotton waste just whore the aqua
rum would throw its hottest focus on it.
just the distance, as my friend rccollected,
that he had thrown his grIpsack in a chair.
In less than n minute the cotton waste
broke into a bright blaze, and the fact was
proved that water sometimes may cause a
: Arl.