The San Francisco call., 1897-01-01
FLO YD's WONDERFUL FIRE.
A Paste Which When Once Ignite
Nothing Can Put Out

A Taste Which When Once Ignited
Nothing Can Put Out.
There is a fire that never dies, and it is
here, and in this world, too. This strange
fire is of the consistency of paste, and is
harmless when in quiet state. The fric-
tion caused by rubbing it against a hard
surface will, however. set it aglow, and
nothing will extinguish the flames, which
will burn with blue light and an intense
Leat until the compound is com mple;ely de-
stroyed by com bustion. Water has no
effect upon 1t; it can be made into balls
and thrown anywhere. and it will burn
with slow but fierce combustion which
makes it unlike any known fire.
Dynamite and gunpowder equire a
spark 10 ignite them, and powder pro-
duces an explosion, not regular fire. To
ignite this compound there is Just the
slightest friction of rubbing 1t against
some ordinary substance. There is no ex-
plosion or rapid spreading OF flames, but
strange, pasty substance composed OF
living fire, which cannot be amped out
or killed in any known way.
John Floyd, the discoverer, has been
for several years delving in all sorts OF
cne micals, as his numerous inventions re-
quired constant study. One day ewished
10 make certain substance with which to
in liquid some waste substances which
he thought would, when dissolved, pro-
duce the wished-for compound. But he
found the material he wanted before the
liquid was dissolved, so he left the Jar
containing the solution on the shelf for
several weeks, thinking no more about it.
Finally he thought of using the jar and,
lifting il down from the shelf, some Of the
liquid split on the floor. Mr.. Floyd
thought nothing about the matter Til he
noticed a sensation of heat about his foot,
and on looking down found that the soft
paste which had fallen out of the bottle
had become a mass of soft, Pickering
flames emitting an intense heat. He put
his foot on the spot. stamping 1t out, as he
thought, and turned O his work.
When he turned around again he saw
that instead of going out the fire paste
was steadily burning; that his rubbing it
hao only smeared il over the floor, and it
was eating into the wood every moment.
He then threw several buckets of waler on
the stuff, but the water had no effect other
than TO be con gerted into puffs of steam,
and the fire burned steadily on, cutting its
way through the soft pine flooring. AS the
experiments were being conducted in the
back of drugstore, which was filled with
dangerous chemicals. he knew that some
thing must be done to put a step to its raw
ages or the whole place would be blown to
atoms.
After many fruitIess attempts to put it
out he procured hatcher, and it was only
by cutting out the entire square of wood
on which the paste rested tnat he sue
ceeded In stopping the fire, which burned
for at least an hour.
Afraid OF the uses to which this dis
covery might be put, Mr.. Floyd has never
made the secret of the ingredients public;
but he says that the cost of making it is
so small that it can easily be used instead
of the cheapest waste materials. And for
that reason he will not let the formula
become known, for incendiaries would
take advantage of it and no place would
be sale from burning. Those who use oil
or dynamite or powder can be easily
traced, as some preparation is necessary,
but with this liquid fire q criminal who
knew its composition could burn his way
noiselessly through any door or set any
home on fire by throwing against it a
noiseless ball of the comp position.
The cost of making this liquid fire is so
small that it can be easily used instead of
coai in heating furnace. But the most
valua BILE properties are those which it pos
sesses which are absolutely foreign to
those of fire as known to US. All forms OF
heat, except that of electricity, must be
generated in some kind OF furnace and
be constantly supplied with fuel, but this
fire is both flame and fuel itself About a
cupful can be set on fire and it will burn
with a steady glow for an hour.
This wonderful fire can be utilized in
the kitchen and stoves can be dispensed
with altogether as entirely useless. In
order to fry anything it is only necessary
to hang the pan from a wire and smear
over the bottom with a spoonful of the
liquid. In an instant there will be hot
fire which will burn for over an hour. So
that the cook of the future can take her
fire out into the country; it can be used in
hooking in camping; there will De no coal
bills, but the work of heating furnaces of
burning fires in CRATES or running motors
can be done by a harmless little spoonful
of paste, which can be taken around in the
vest pocket.
OF its practical uses there is no eud, for
the subject is yet in its infancy, the in
ventor, thinking but OF the harm that
might come, having stopped his expert
ments. He however says he intends to
resume them and find out more about this
explosionless, noiseless, unqueuchable
paste, which is fire pure and simple
Cleveland Enquirer.
DIR. Prices Clever Dog.
DIR pripofs