The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-01
EWES AND Ep1pEM1cs.
Doth Prevented and Suppressed on Ship
hoard by Use OF SmlpI,nrous Gnxcs

/. hoard by Use OF Suiphurous GuScs.
! Three years ago the Lloyds selected
q committee at London to inquire into
the alarming and growing number of
hip fires and to recommend means to
prevent them. As n result of investiga-
tion the committee reported that no
less than 627 catastrophes in the first
mine months of 1903 had come TO the
knowledge of the authorities; that they
were caused less frequently by the care
llessness OF the crew than by spontane-
Gus combustion. and that the usual
means OF ,extlnguishing them were anti
Iduated and Ineffective. The committee
| therefore recommended. In place of the
| hitherto mechanical arrangements. the
Introduction Of chemical extinguishing
means.
The conditions In Germany are similar
to those In England, and c. Lund. of
Hamburg. who has been making a
thorough investigation OF the subject,
has recently written an article, trans
lation of which has been sent to the
State Department by u. S. Consul-Gen-
eral Richard Guenther, of Frankfort.
The main points of the article are here
given:
"a fire breaking out in the interior
| of ship often cannot be extinguished,
! because the crew cannot get to It. even
t in case of timely discovery. If the fire
has been raging some time, the parti-
itions and bulkheads become hot. and
the injection of steam cannot put the
/ fire out nor prevent its spreading. So
Hong. however, as the fire is confined
! to one closed space IT can be completely
and quickly suppressed by withdraw
Hing the air and introducing q gas which
| impodes combustion.
This fact has been known n long
time, and at last practical application
| has been found In the Clayton method
/ so called for the French engineer who
adapted it, Briefly stated, it consists in
/ eXhauSting the air as much as possible
| from the endangered space. and con-
Iducting 1t into a generator for burning
sulphur. The sulphurous gases devcl-
open pass through a cooler and are
then forced through hose into the hold
or ship, into which they enter perfectly
cool. The circulation of the air which
necessarily arises through this process
forces the Clayton gas (SOD into the
| most inaccessible corners OF the room
tand smothers the flames.
THAT the Clayton gas Is superior to
steam as an extinguisher Is proved In
| the case of the steamer Waimate OF the
New Zealand Steamship Company and
the othic of the White Star Line. Both
were sailing from New Zealand to Lon
don with about the same quantities and
character of goods on board, and on
both fires broke out in tho wool. The
| fire was quickly subdued by the Clay
ton method on the Waimate, but the
Gothic, which did not have the appara-
tus. injected steam, and the fire lasted
several days, so that 1t was necessary
! to beach the ship and fill 1t with water,
the damage being s97S,000.
I'm many cases it win be possible to
i oil, oil ,p l.
ling the temperature and introducing
1.-The gas If it becomes suspiciously high.
| another advantage OF the Clayton
method is that 1T is suitable for the
|dsinfection of infected rooms. Neither
lanimal nor vegetable 'exciters of dis
| lease can resist the action of the gas,
Iwhile at the same time all sorts of YER
min, which on ships especially cause the
spread Of diseases, are killed by 1T.
Rats are the chief carriers of plague
germs. and OF these no ship Is free,
some having them in incredible num-
| bers.
in India and Argentina the Clayton
i gas is used to cleanse rooms infected
with the plague, while in Central and
South America it has recently been used
exclusively in disinfecting yellow fever
/ hospitals, as we'll as the pools and
i sewers in which the mosquitoes are
/ Matching!
"rhe newer ships of the Hamburg
4 American. the West Africa Woerman,
the Hamburg-S South American, the
North German-Lloyd and other lines are
4 already using the method, and there is
no doubt others will adopt 1T, thus
! guaranteeing greater safety and COM
Il fort to all who travel by these swim
i ming hotels"
i India Limits Mining Licenses.
i ~