The record-union., 1895-08-31
The ELECTRICAL HAZARD.
Caution Necessary in Placing Live
Wires.
The Underwriters National Associa-
ton Adopt Important Rules
for Wiring.

Electricity as fire hazard has an inter-
est for every citizen. Wherever it is used
direct or incidental, danger to property
goes along with it, If asked to name the
values destroyed by this cause the answer
would be difficult to give. Like fire set
by an incendiary, actual knowledge OF
the cause cannot always be traced with
certainty in the ruins, and if investlga-
ton follow, "unknown' is too often the
only verdict. No more subtle agent can
| be imagined than the live wire whose
presence has become so prevalent in the
appliances which have grown to be all
most a necessity in modern life.
For lighting, power and means OF COM
munication the use Of electricity will con-
| tinue to increase and all that can be done,
SO far as the fire hazard which accom-
! panies it is concerned, is to throw about
1t all the safeguards possible. 10 the ln-
Surance people the pubic Is Indebted
| largely tor the checks which have thus
TAR been placed upon this new danger and
! IL Is 10 be regretted that there Is no ade-
quate data from which to show the serv-
Ice performed by boards and assOcla-
tions o. underwriters in this direction.
Although used for 80 many years for the
! transmission of messages, 1t Is hardly
more than fifteen years since IL became
possible to employ electricity practically
for lighting and power, and its rapid and
widespread use for these purposes has oc-
Cured almost entirely within the last ten
years.
The insurance companies early saw
the dangers in electrical appliances which
otherwise promised so much for the con-
venieuce OF the people. AS early as 1881
| o hV
son, Superintendent of the New York
Board of Fire L Underwrit re. before con-
vention OF ire insurance companies IN
New York, which pointed OUT the salient
features of requirements which should be
insisted upon. The first code OF rules fol-
lowed, and these with MIR. AnderSOnS
paper were received so well not only IN
the United States, but also abroad, that
they were translated into French and
German. The rules came into general
use throughout this country. They have
been revised from time to time as ad-
vancing knowledge demanded it. Local
| boards of fire underwriters IN the leading
cities employ inspectors to examine risks
where electricity is introduced. and in a
wider sphere State associations OF ire un-
| derwriters engage inspectors whose busl-
| ness IL is to visit smaller places and apply
| the rules wherever needed. There has
thus grown up force OF inspectors IL the
employ of the insurance companies who
may be regarded as experts, and who
constitute an authority upon this new
hazard. They have organized the Un-
derWriters' National Electric Association,
and regular meetings are held mainly for
the purpose of pertectIng and revising
the rules SO as to meet new conditions or
| eXigencies which may arise.
! The National Board Of Fire UnderWrit-
erS has given encouragement to the work
OF these inspectors, and during 1894 an
important step was taken by the board
| with the intent of esta ablishing uniform
rules on the subject throughout the States.
AT the last annual meeting OF the board.
hold on May 9th OF the present year, the
assured success of the plan was reported.
Up to that time varying rules had been
adopted in different sections OF the coun-
try The National Board secured the
| assent of all underwriting organizations
to rules as revised by the Underwriters
National Electric Association, and pro-
mulgated by the central authority, viz,
the National Board of Fire Underwriters,
| and an agreement was made by which no
changes should be made until approved
by the association OF experts and promul-
| gated by the board.
This action is important to every COM
munity. 1t gives standard rules to be
! followed. Even electric companies have
generally accepted these rules as fair and
! u
palities which have not already taken ac-
ton should by ordinance insist upon the
| following of these rules wherever elec-
| tricity IS introduced.
Public attention should be drawn to
this danger and TO the waste of property
| likely to result from careless installa-
tiOnS 4 circular recently issued by the
! Electrical Bureau OF the National Board
of Fire Underwriters enumerates Sl5
! fires attributable to this cause within u
given period III the United States.
Only a study of the rules themselves
will disclose the scope OF the work and
show the need for careful attention
to every detail, yet the following cautions.
| based upon the rules, may give some
idea Of the ground covered ana serve par
tally to inform those interested as to i'm
portant requirements.
|. Have your wiring done by RESPONSE
BILE parties and make contract subject to
the underwriters rules. Cheap work
and dangerous work usually 60 hand in
hand.
2. Switch bases and cut-out blocks
should be n-com bustible porcelain or
glass;,
3. Incandescent lamps get hot; there
fore, all intlammable material should De
kept away from them. Many fires have
been caused by intlammable goods being
placed in contact with lncandescent lamp
globes and sockets.
4. The use OF flexible cord should be
restricted to straight pendant drops, and
| should not be used in show windows.
| 3. Wires should be- supported on glass
or porcelain. and never on wooden cleats;
or else run in approved conduts.
| 6. Wires should not approach each
other nearer than inches in arc and q
inches in incandescent lighting.
| 7. Wires should not come into contact
| with metal pipes.
s. Metal staples to fastsn wires should
not be used.
9. Wires should not come into contact
| with other substances than their designed
insulating supports.
10. All joints and splioes should be
thoroughly soldered and carefully
wrapped with tape.
ii. Wires should always be projected
with tubes of glass or porcelain where
passing through walls, partitions, tim
bers, etc. Soft rubber tube is especially
| dangerous.
II. All combination fixtures, such as
gas fixtures with electric lamps and wires
attached, should have approved insulat-
ing joints. The use of soft rubber or any
material in such joints that will shrink
or crack by variation of temperature is
dangerous.
Is. Electric gas lighting and electric
| lights on the same fixture always increase
the hazard of fire, and should accord
ingly be avoided.
IA. An electric arc light gives off sparks
and embers. All arc lamps in the Vi
cinity of inflammable material should
have wire nets surrounding the globe,
and such spark-arresters reaching from
globe TO body of lamp as will prevent the
escape of sparks, melted copper and
particles of carbon.
Is. Arc-light wires should never be
concealed.