The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-11-07

Study.
| The following bulletin issued by
Edward Peterson, state fire marshal Of
minnesota, is we'll worthy Of perusal,
as 1t contains much that would be
profitable for every one to know.
| Spontaneous Combustion. ~.
| Fires from spontaneous combustion.
usually appear in the newspapers as
probably incendiary'' or "of myster-
fous origin" What is known as spon-
taneous combustion, aside from that
gained in chemical laboratories, comes
entirely from fires which are noticed
WIN they are starting. They soon
destroy the stuff which causes them
and then no one can tell how the fire
started.
More than half Of all fires from
spontaneous combustion start in
greasy rags.
The chmistry of spontaneous COM
bustion is not hard to understand If
! one knows how a fire burns.
How a Fire Burns.
Burning is the same chemical pro-
cess in the rotting log blazing, shaving
and exploding dynamite, the only Diff
| ference being in the tim taken for the
| oxygen. of the air to unite with the
| carbon of the wood. If they unite
! slowly, as in the rotting of wood or
the rotting of wood or the rusting Of
iron or decaying potato, the heat is
| born away unnoticed; If they unite
fast enough to produce heat that will
| roast out and ignite burning gases, it
| makes a flame; If 50 fast that the ex-
pans1on Of the water, in the form of
steam and the carbon dioxide which
are made by all combustion causes
! shock and noise, it is an eplosion.
Water Formed by Explosives.
In high explosives, wood fibre and
chemicals rich In oxygen are COM
bfned so that the fibre, cellulose, can
be burned in a closed space in which
there is no air. THE expansion of gas
! formed within the space can throw a
cannon ball or split rock. The most
powerful explosive mixture. is one
| containing two parts of hydrogen to
on part oxygen, that being the pro-
portion necessary to form water by
uniting chemically. The hottest fires
| make. the most water.
The taking fire Of any material
| comes from its being heated so hot
that the hydrogn and carbon in it
begin to unite with the oxygen Of the
air to form carbonic acid gas This
! gas, is. made up of watered air. The
carbon -dioxide being slightly heavier
than air fails ITO furnish breath for
trees and plants while the watery
vapor rises to form clouds and re-
turn in rain. So, we get back the pro-
duct of the burning Of our houses, but
after it Is crafty cheapenedI IN value
Spontaneous combustion, strictly
| speaking, is the igniting of a. sub
! stance from heat caused by chemical
action within itself, but - the word is
often used in speaking Of any burning
which happens without the touch OF a
flame. spark live coal.
Dangers From Grease.
In the last 200 fires from spontan-
eous combustion reported in Ohio to
! the state fire marshal, fats or oils on
cotton fibres caused 122. A fat when
warmed is oil; when smeared on any
| thing 1t Is grease. The animal fats,
| tallow, butter and lard, unless rancid,
are less liable to cause spontaneous
combustion than the vegetable oils,
linseed, cottonseed, nut, castor bean
| and olive. None Of these can take
| fire: spontaneously unless spread over
a large surface of easily ignited ma
terial, as when a cotton rag Is wet
| with them. They then take oxygen
from the air so fast that the heat from
| the chemical union will, If 1t is not
carried away by movements Of air,
| rise. to a point at which the hbres Of
| the. rag will first char and then take
| fire. An instance: A mop used in
| oiling a floor In the Home for Work
ing Girls in Columbus took fire in a
few hours after being put in q closet
under the stairs.
Linseed- Oil is chargeable with the
greatest number Of burned buildings.
Cottort>Fags, sawsdust or scraps Of silk
wet with olive or cottonseed Oil, may
! take fire. These oils are likely to get
| into any pile Of rubbish. =
| Many fires start in closets from
rag-bags, greasy overalls, and from
cloths used in oiling the floor. Many
heavy losses on factories come from
fires started in their paint shops by
paint dryers, turpentine and linseed
| oil. 80 ~ s'' INK
Lard, tallow and butter sweared on
rags and thrown into a trash barrel
are a. source Of danger The store-
houses in which the rags are picked
and baled are very likely to be de-,
stroyed by spontaneous combustion.
Petroleum, kerosene and gasoline do
not dry by uniting with oxygen, there
fore they cannot cause Spontaneous
| combustion.
A large number Of substances that
are not greasy are liabl to get hot and
take fire without being near stove
or fame. Many barns get hot and
take fire without being near q stove
or flame. Many barns are burned Nv
new mown nay getting too hot. a
few are burned by the heating Of
shredded fodder grain and meal.
Ice houses are very liable ia take
fire from heating Of the sawdust IA
which Ice is packed, or from the saw.
dust used to ALI the walls Perhaps
the grease from tho =, III 81 49,. .,1,S-,.,-.s