The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-10-13
ABOUT coal OIL.


boiling in closed vessel or still and the
! vapors which come off first are. conden-
sed and then treated with chemicals and
coal oil is the result This oil, when
properly used, is one of our best friends,
It is used for lighting. and cooking pur-
poses and it may be added to water and
clothes cleaned with it without scrub
bing being necessary. However, if this
oil is not used as it should be, it becomes
a source of danger. Thousands upon
thousands of dollars have been lost and
many lives sacrificed by the explosion of
oil lamps, and all because the coal oil
was not handled as it should have been.
The first way to avoid explosions of
oil lamps is to have good ones Good
lamps do not cost any more than poor
ones. The fault generally lies with the
buyer, who considers looks only with
out taking quality and utility into con-
! sideration. The portion of the wick in
the oil receiver should be surrounded by
gauze and the oil receiver ought to be
made of metal rather than glass or China
and should have no opening for filing
other than the wick holder which screws
on and on. Every lamp should have an
extlnguisher. The stands should be
broad, flat and heavy to prevent liability
to being upset, If everyone, in buying
lamps, pays attention to these details
the market for dangerous lamps will be
considerably decreased and the demand
for first class, not necessarily expensive,
lamps increased accordingly, and the
dangers of fire and loss of life reduced in
the same ratio.
Second-Wicks. How many ever con-
slider the Importance of wicks. The
wick is nearly always responsible for the
flame, which ought to be broad and
bright. Wicks ought to be soft and
loosely plated. How many are? They
should be dried in an oven or before
fire and cooled in a dry place, and cut so
that they are only the length of the oil
holder and not curled up as is often the
case. They should exactly fit the burner
without being squeezed into it. Before
lighted a new wick should be soaked
with oil, which is best done by putting
it in the lamp in the morning and not
lighting until evening by which time it
is thoroughly saturated.
Third-Management The reservoir
should be quite full of oil before the
lamp is lighted and the lamp ought al
ways to be, thoroughly cleaned and all
charred wick and dirt removed before
lighting. This is best done after the
lamp has been burned by rubbing the
top of the wick with soft paper, which
keeps the wick always even, once prop
erly cut. W hen the lamp is first lit the
wick. should be turned low and slowly
raised. When lamps are left standing
in rooms which are not used or in hall
80 70 !,
wick turned low. This is a dangerous
economy because some day by trying to
save a few cents on oil the lamp will ex-
plode. The reason of the danger is: The
burner gets heated when the flame
is low, which it never does when the
flame is full, as all the flame is above
the burner, whereas when it is low it is
below. Thus the, burner gets heated
and, being metal, heats the gases in the
oil receiver which, when they are mixed
with air in certain proportions, become
powerfully explosive and inhalnmable
Coal oil gives off inaammable gasses at
and above certain temperatures. Now,
if the wick does not fit and in extinguish-
ing the lamp someone blows down the
chimney, which is common practice,
then the flame passes between the wick
and the burner and this explosive mix
ture is ignited and the lamp, if con-
structed of glass or China, goes into a
Thousand pieces. This explosive mixture
of air and gas may be prevented by al
ways having the lamp full of oil and a
perfect fitting wick and the only inlet
for oil by unscrewing the burner.
In extinguishing lamps which nave no
extinguisher, lower the wick until the
fame just hickers blue, then blow across
the top of the chimney. Never blow
down the chimney. All cans and bottles
used TO hold oil should be kept clean
from dirt and water and kept tightly
closed. These remarks refer to coal oil
lamps only, or what some may call par
affine oil lamps.
Perhaps few know that coal oil may be
used in washing clothes with saving of
| labor. Take half pot of watar as is
used to boil clothes in, add half pound
of soap and one and a half to two teas
poonfuls of coal oil Heat until the soap
is dissolved. then put in the linen with
out any previous boiling; boil from half
an hour to an hour, according to circum-
stances. Then rinse in hot water three
or four times, as necessity demands, and
the washing is done without any scrub
bing. Judgment must be used through
out, and after two or three trials the ex-
act method most suitable in each case
VIII be learned, Considerable smell
may be evolved during the process but
this Will be offset by the saving of labor
PROF. A. A. CUNEINGHAM.