Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-13
STEAM PIPE FIRES.
Ihe Necessity for sheathing the Pipes In
Something Besides Wood.

Ihe Necessity for Shenthing the Pipes In
Something Besides Wood.
The second annual report of the fire mar
,hal of the city of Boston for the year ending
May |, 1883, contains, among other matters,
The following interesting inforInation:
i have been able TO satisfactorily trace the
origin of but five fires during the year TO
steam pipes, and the circumstances surround
ing these in no way tend to show that wood
in its normal condition, i. e.. when free from
any previous desiccation, is in danger of be
coming ignited In this manner In other
words, ignition in said cases appears to be
merely a certain species of what is popularity
termed Spontaneous combustion" the steam
pipes themselves being merely one Of many
indirect factors which often assist in produc-
ing such combustion. Although the subject
has been discussed pro and con from the year
lS48, when Chief Braidwood, of the London
fire brigade, first addressed the house Of
lords on the topic, to the present time, when
the opinions Of experienced persons inter
ested in the matter seem to be somewhat
conflicting, | find by far the preporderance
of evidence in favor of the conclusion that
wood, subjected for number of years to the
heat Of steam pipes, may eventually reach
such a state of carbonization as, with the ad-
dition of moisture, exposure to draught OF
air, or under the influence of friction, caused
by expansion and contrs ction of the pipes,
may break into 1ame. As the ignition point
of ordinary pine wood has been determined
by experiment, to be 700 degs Fahrenheit, i,
is evident that this must be reduced by some
| process in order to admit of its taking fire al
292 degs., the temperature Of steam under 6
pressure of sixty pounds.
| have found one of the most frequent
causes of fires, which are directly traceab!,
to steam pipes, to be tie self ignition of dust
fluff, small pieces of paper, waste, etc, whicl
seem especially attracted to the neighbor
bood of inclosed steam pipes through almos
imperceptible crevices. In several such in
stances the fires have been fortunately dis
covered and extinguished before doing an,
harm. P. A. Montgomery, secretary of th
Western Manufacturers Mutual Insuranc
company, in special report No 5 the Man
facturers' Mutual Insurance company, refer
to this same clement of danger, and suggests
as a remedy, the use of a funnel shaped cast
ing, cast in two parts, from three to 81
inches in height, fitting close at the top, an
scTtWtl 10 tDe HopT, Nnere Tue pipe IlSSt
J through; and he further recommends that
thimble Of some non-combustible materii
should be put through the hole in the foe
| or partition and securely fastened on eithe
| side, in order to protect the wood from cor
tact with the pine
TIE light sheathing by which the pipt
are often covered, being obliged to col
: stantly absorb the confined steam heat,
} extremely liable to reach dangerous ign
J ton temperature. Sheathing reduced I
S such condition by being in close conta
' with the pipe, and so placed as to be suscel
tible to more or less friction, caused one
I the five fires herein referred to; another W,
a caused by lumber dust in the dry house
e planning mill sitting through the floor on
p the pipes. The desirability of employir
q some sort Of non-combustible covering fl
' steam pipes, to prevent their contact wit
I wood, dust, etc, is apparent. They shou
never be inelosed in wood sheathing Pr
fessor Gibson, in a report to the Manufac
n urers' Mutual Insurance company, gives
4 exhaustive and instructive treatise on q
d merits of the various kinds of coverings
e Scientific American.