The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-11-04
How Cotton Fires. Start.

HOW l0ttOn FIRES start.
The cause cf many cotton fires is
so mysterious and the attendant cir
cumstancss so battling to those tend
ing to throw light upon thi, subject
is likely TO be welcomed and appre-
ciatcd by all who have given it any
| thought.
y fire recently occurred IN Mar
shallvillc, Ga, and the special agent
Of prominent company, after look
ing into the matter very thoroughly,
writes his head Office as follows:
81 have recently had practical
demonstration Of how cotton may be
fired at the gin in such . manner that
it will not be apparent for long time
thereafter. | am satisfied that the
| fire at .Marshallvillc must have origi-
| mated in this manner, and il is prob
able that many Of the unaccGuuted
for cotton fires owe their origin to the
same cause. A few days ago 1 had
occasion to visit cotton warehouse,
and while there bale Of cotton came
in for storage from neigh boring gin.
1t was weighed, sampled and stored
and there was nothing unusual in its
appearance. Later on the owner Of
the cotton, in conversation with the
warehouse man, incidentally men.
toned the fact that the bale had been
on fire at the gin, but that it had
been put out with the loss of only q
handful Of cotton and that it was
perfectly safe. The warehouse man
lost no time, however, in getting the
bale out into an adjacent field. 1t
was carefully examined and cooled
tina. is, the sample gimlct was run
almost through the bale at each end !,
and on each Of the four sides, Dut no
trace Of fire was apparent,
1.-The bale was left 10 the field over
night and next morning lighi brown
patch showed on one side. The gim-
let was inserted at that point aud on
being Withdrawn, brought out bunch
of blazing cotton. Had it not been
by the mercst accident that the owner
mentioned that his cotton had been
fred at the gin q fire in tho warehouse
would have probably resulted from
storing this bale. hai always sup
! posed that, if bale is set on fire at
the gin. it is from spark from the
| smokestack or some similar cause and
was much surprised, upon inves.igat-
ing this fire, to learn that it originated
in the gin itself. The man.ger and
others to whom l talked said that,
while the bale was being sinncd, the
saws Of the gin struck ire from a
breast rib or from some foreign sub
stance In the cotton and that as the
cotton went from :he condenser into
the press minute particle of fire was
noticed by the pressman. It is said
to have been 20 larger than n man 8
hand. The machinery was stopped
and the fire removed from the press,
and it was supposed that il was all
taken out. Either it was not or more
fire was struck from the gin, as the
| result showed.
II have often known fire to origi.
nate in gin, but it usually flashes
up and creates a fire at once, which
can easily be confined to the oonden-
ser. | have never known case where
it would have been possible to escape
the attention of the pressman. I'll
ginners that have talked to. upon
the subject expressed it as their cpin-
ion that fires which are consealed in
bale of cotton usually originate from
Il spark from tho boiler at the gin
house. The case demonstrates, how
ever, that it can, and probably does,
come from the gins themselves and in
| such manner as to make it easily
Il u. 1