The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-18
Fire in Cotton steamers.

The recent fire aboard the steamship
Abyssinia Of the Guion line, cotton laden
from New York for Liverpool, has opened
afresh discussion Of the causes of fires in
cotton freights and the remedies to be ap,
piled in cases of ships carrying passengers.
About O year ago the steamer City of Rich
mond, for Liverpool, carrying passengers,
suffered a cotton fire which endan-
gered the lives Of some hundreds Of people.
| The matter was brought to the attention of
the British parliament and an inquiry into
the subject asked for, with view to pro-
| hibiting passenger traffic on cotton-laden
steamers. The inquiry came to nothing,
| but this recent case Of the Abyssinia has
| renewed the agitation and a sentiment
| favorable to such prohibition is apparently
gaining ground.
The generally accepted theory of fires in
| cargoes Of American cotton is that the spark
goes into the hold with the bale, to smolder
for an indefinite time and finally break out
in blaze that cannot be controlled. Cot
ton on American wharves and platforms is
frequently exposed to sparks from passing
| or loading steamers or locomotive engines,
or both, when the atom that proves fatal is
lodged In the meshes of the jure bagging
The sum of it, according to Liverpool deal
| ers. is that our system of handling cotton is
| faulty. and needs remodeling. And it may
| be true; who can deny 1t? But what shall
we do to make a change for the better9
Cotton fires are very mysterious affairs,
anyway. Savannah shippers are well aware
| of that fact, having learned In the dear
| school of experience. And so will Charles
ton brokers testify. Last season, at the
latter port cotton ship had loaded below
| the limit of water on the bar with COM
pressed bales for the continent and was in
the stream waiting for a 'spCing" tide to
get out. The matches had been battened
down for nearly week. On the morning
| that the pilot came aboard a suspicious
warmth of the iron deck was noted; the
matches were raised and fire burst forth
that damaged quite half Of the cargo and
| the ship had TO be beached and filed with
water before the danger was past. A thorough
| investigation followed, but ell to no pur-
| pose, and the theory Of spark from q pass
| ing steamer was accepted for want of some-
| thing better. The city council Immediately
passed an ordnance requiring all steam
boats, presses and engines in the cotton dis
trict to put in spark arresters. But even
they do not stop the fires.
While it would be a great hardship to
follow up the suggestion of the Liverpool
people and prohibit by law the carrying Of
passengers on ships taking cotton freights,
in justice to travellers something should be
done TO minimize the risk. 1t is true that
the casualties arising from this source have
not been very great. but that fact seems
due more to good luck" than to any pre-
cautions that have been taken.
The good, old>fasbioned cut nail, progeni-
tor of hundred trite expresslons-"fait
full as a nail, " "strong as a nail. )" ''penetrat-
ing as a nall" "hit the nail on the head"
"hard headed as a nall" mail the cam
paign lie, mailed him between the eyes,
1.-THE astonished girl was nailed to the floor,n
ETC., ad infinitum-is about to be relegated
to obscurity by the DUDE Of naildom, made
OF bright wire and having oblique checks
down the leg. The newcomer Is sharp,
however, and may add considerable irony
to the literature on the subject.
The Washington Post says "the brick
makers might do worse than adopt Henry
Clay as their patron SAINT II its all in
the name. fowlers and anglers might do
worse than adopt E. Burd Grub as their
patron saint-but it is doubted.
A illegal war on oleomargeaine' IN Penn>
sylvsnia has been announced. Better ma Ike