The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-12-06
a Reply to Fair Play"

on oil importations and tests.
think "Fair Play" is entirely
wrong in his ideas or calculations
when he says that kerosene oil a
100 deg. Fair. is not dangerous
| The heat of healthy mans HAND
is 90 deg. and fever heat 112 deg
Now, an oil that will flash only
2 deg above the heat of mans
hand, and II deg. below fever heat
is not fit to use where life and pro
perty are at stake.
l consider such oil very danger
Gus, and | am very sorry to either
see or hear Fair Play make such
an assertion. If Fair Play will
take a thermometer and place the
bulb against the brass work On the
bowl of single-wick kerosene oil
lamp, he will see the quicksilver
rise to 106 deg or 108 deg, and if
he will apply the thermometer to
the same place on a lamp having a
duplex burner the quicksilver will
rise to 112 deg. and perhaps more.
The least gust of wind or even lift
ing the lamp quickly will drive the
fame down into the bowl, and with
this low-grade oil there will be an
explosion.
I" Fair Play says he will defy
the Marshal, fire officials or any
other man to prove that inferior
kerosene oil has been the cause of
any fire or confagration in this
city or kingdom. Mr.. " Fair Play"
they are numerous. During the
month of May of this year alone,
damage to the tune of S12,639 was
done to buildings and property land
the insurance companies had to pay
out Si,365.75 for losses by fire
caused by lamp explosions from
ow-grade oil, and the insurance
companies will corroborate this
statement.
The kerosene oil that caused the
fire at Mr.. Chas. Dwight's house
flashed at 90 deg, the oil that
caused the fire in Mr.. NJ. P. Rob-
inson's block flashed at 90 deg,
the oil that burnt Levi Kaiamas
house on Richard street flashed at
81 deg. | could enumerate a great
many more and likewise give the
names of the parties if Fair
Play so wishes and he can ascer-
tain for himself. There were two
lamps exploded simultaneously in
Kilzy:s railroad restaurant near
King street bridge the lamps that
exploded were nearly fifteen feet
apart and hung in brackets; that
oil flashed at SO deg.
" Fair Play" says what was
done with it Answer 1t was
sent to San Francisco and consumed
in the regular way.
Now, Mr.. Editor, / wish to in
form Mr.. "Fair Play" that the
flash test in San Francisco for
kerosene oil is 10 deg, and how
that oil flashing from SO to SO deg.
ever got floated on the San Fran
CISCO market is mystery to me. l
am sorry Fair Play" made that
remark, as it throws great discredit
on the San Francisco officials that
they were either bribed or they
were not dong their duty.
Thnpa 10 onnf h b,nfr I will COW
here that if "Fair Play" is a fam
lily man, 1 am confident that he will
not use kerosene oil in his house
that flashes at 100 deg. or even 104
deg; he will rather pay fifty cents
a case more for oil at 115 deg. than
two dollars and forty cents a case
for oil that will flash at 100 deg.
"Fair Play" says Hawaiian legis-
latlon has gone to the extreme in
the 115 deg. test, and the dear pub
lie will have to pay for it. With
regard to the test it is not too high
i'll this country. The average tenn
perature Of California for the year
is $50 deg. or Whereabouts, say 60
deg. The test there is Ito deg.
The average temperature of Homo
lulu for eight years is about "A deg.
Now, taking the difference in tenn,
perature, 100 deg. is not too much.
With regard to the dear public
having to pay for it, | would in
form " Fair Play" that it only
costs B cents extra per gallon to
rectify oil that will flash at 100
deg. compared with 100 deg.
Now if case of oil at 100
deg. is worth $40 a case, and
put 3 cents per gallon extra on
for better refining, that would
make a case $40; but there is no
person in Honolulu or the HAWAII
an Islands that would grudge So or
1925 for good, safe oil.
| thank Fair Play" for the CON-
mandatory remarks he made with
regard to the Marshal and fire Off
cials, but at the same time, Sir. we
are only doing our duty.
Yours truly,
JOHN G.. WHITE.
E;,o lTo,.b,l