The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-03-28

tight enough TO coDhne the smeil Vi the
benzlne and it worked out into other parts
Of the ship The cook 5 galley was good
way from the barrels and the cook one day
started to light fire in the usual course
of business. 1t is probable that the pro
portion of liquid smell to real air was about
| to ). 600. for at the fare of the match
the schooner aud contents fled heaven
ward
Similar to this was the destruction Of |
the Vile de Calais, a steamer OF LOO |
tons register. She was tank steamer, |
properly fitted with compartments, pumps, |
valves. &c. and had reached dock and |
discharged her cargo The tanks were
being filed with water for a ballast when /
some one went to have 4 look at them with |
some sort Of light He thus made CON
nection between the smell portion Of gaso-
line vapor mixed with the air in the tanks, |
and the explosion followed.
But that was in the early days Of the /
business, before the scientists had looked /
carefully into the defects in the manage
ment Of petroleum products in bulk. Soon
afterward extensive experiments were made .
which proved that the vapor Of gasoline
escapes from 1t at very ordinary tempera- /
lures and by way of very small aperures,
that it falls instead of rising and flows along
deck as water might. and accumulates
and STAYS in hollows, holds and closed com
partments ready for the fatal lighted can
die or match
SinsuIarly enough, these experiments
proved also that il required actual fame
or an incaudescent metal white hot c" thus
ignite the explosive mixture. That Is.
into A mixture Of gasoline smell and air
that is ready to explode on contact with
fame man nigh, walk with a lighted
cigar and not ignite it. unless the cigar
was Of the e-burnjug hraEi which some
/ or our economical friends ufec, aud which
/ Hare up under forced draft. \ brazier ut
/ burning charcoal in which there i M fame,
but only the glow Of fire viii not set of
I the invisible devil. nor viii fuse nor slow
match that does uoJ flame
now LEAKAGE L. PREVENTED.
/ This deadly leakage has been prevented
f by care in construction The rige,iH- was
T made closer and tirmer in tanks than in oT-
( binary ships, and the water bulkhead next
+ the fire room sud the double awning decks
prevented undue expansion which also
I va, regulated by the small expansion tanks
above each compartment. With these
+ safe guards. frc or explosions ou tank
steamer, an, uaw rare things indeed. and
I take place in ms~, Instances only 1hen the
/ vessel {, 10 dock and the tanks wholly OF
partially empsied ii EgHii. leaving the va
Dor behind To- mix With air ia the deadly
proportion OF calr-o ether precautions
are 90, neglected The ruie prohibiting
+ the u-r e fame ou ,he>e vessels s. very
strict They are lighted by lneaade-oent
T electro lights. 1nd care !, taken tn the
wirlu- The re;lrn circuit is not allowed
T 10 ts4~- bv way af the ball A. l. the case
/ IN the ordinary iron vessel. thus lighted
+ The dynsmo- arr In che i,oiated engine
roofa and -uakiu. J., either Forbidden or
/ very carciua,iy r~fy'e,et
Tank steamers a,.-1 c. Increase 10
number under thg~. regulations until now
I there arc upward B; bali hapdrci adaat
( crossing .hc Alan.ir aud indeed al a;hcr
sss-. and caGtyJs- ihe ,naammabie crude
T petroleum and "a, Frziaas, 60 al parts Of
+ She world &. -afesy aud g; wash reduced
/ freight rate Great numbers Il tarscs
are al,, used IN Ebs c-s-l st-e traffic hal
/ the-c arr ,1ae5 and the danger ffun arr
i. not great. bs,uz slsh as euald eane
( FROM the g4ryly-ssas>s af ghe fes persons
aboard
Yc, ,he OLD sesds-s REGARDED ,hc tauk
steamers with u.aeh i.@ra-t The sea-
mau i. conservative. anyway. 4ui az; g.
take bli sIsSig f1 jaraya'soa,- The he'll
I saigon. we're Ig.lar,d 70 - in -Fea, dan.
gsr a. 6ry 4nd ekpls.5pa sF1m lightning
+ ,hossh vhy i l. hart So .Ay, a. aa lTou
.hir aaatiu. ga 50 -,sI conductor as
. waisT. 3, peculiarly szeup' irou danger
( by lightning pcrhsp- thsy -It the idea
. troa the frequent ares shjgh occar IN ail
tanks un Shore irvu this source Hat gt
I i a5w recognized fhaf the be-s preventive
IT danger FROM sl,=,tneal js.ehar1ys 10 the
+ show ,auk, s, to bald ,bsm Fl iron and
( lhgs i, nov done 10 the majority o.! eases.
I sir William Ehausoa thr great English
expert in slsgsf,eal matters, hF, declared
! iha, sheet irgn keysc ), she safest plarC
IN land IN a thunderstorm and has rr>gm
meuiri tia, powder magazines be baslt Of
iran throughout, The gale. Of sfur>e al
~ apples 10 shiTs a. --a
Il DOES seem At art bl4-h that satEsu,-
port Thousand, q SON, I'll tbc explosive
devil that may r~c Ike svau frnu the
Arabian bo,gle. cat u the huge tank, VI
petroleum. prulJets. with lerCe ares tri AZ
their yery sides, !. a pretty dangerous mat /
ter. Tia, il Is aa, Is due 70 the patient
ingenuity Of science which has ir,uuphei
over the obstacles aud ia4ir the cork 4, -
Tight that, be,weeu the devil aud ghy deep
sea, the tank steamer sziiormau yf' passes
nowadays hight hearted and ia sategs