The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-08-06
CRAFT ISSUES
A STATEMENT
State Fire Marshal Warns
People of Use of Ace
tylene Gas.
II PRODUCES An Ideal LIGHT But is UNSAFE
There 1. Danger { Elk plodine by
EARRING HAS Force Greater
Thln Gun Powder.

Calling attention to the dan
gers Of using acetylene gas,
State Fire Marshal Frank A
Craft says the greatest precau-
ton for public safety should be
exercised. Explaining it's uses
he says:
THE GAS FROM CALCIUM CARBIDE.
The flame from acetylene pro-
duces the ideal light, brilliant
and colorless like that of the
sun. The delay in it's coming
into general use is due to two
causes. At fist the manufac-
turers made the gas in a large
generator and shipped it to
homes compressed until it liq-
uified in tubes five feet long by
five inches in diameter, four
hundred cubic feet of gas being
squeezed into one foot OF space.
This method was abandoned
because many of them, by jar
ring, were exploded with a force
much greatertthan that of a dy-
Mantle bomb. Then poorly
made generators were sold for
use in farm houses and a num-
Der Of them blew up with fatal
effect.
Now, there are fifty-one
makes of acetylene generators
which are safe if properly plac-
ed and handled with intelligent
carer The value of property
burned by the early accidents
with this gas was not large-in-
deed it produced fewer fires
than funerals.
A POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE.
Air containing three per cent
of acetelene explodes. with a
force several times greater than
gun powder. More than double
that ten per cent Of any other
gas.
Calcium carbide, which is the
source Of acetylene, is seven
twelfths quick lime and five
twelfths coke, ground, mixed
and fused together in an electro
cal arc furnace at a temperature
of 5000 degrees Fair. The
greatest heat possible m any
solid fuel furnace is 5000 de-
grees. After cooling it is crush
ed into small Jumps and packed
in metal cans holding a hum
dred pounds, or in one pound
packages for bicycles. Carbide
cannot burn. but if it gets
damp will become red hot and
~ t7
fire wood touching it, and if
i water gets to the lime it slakes
and the carbon of the coke
makes the explosive gas.
4, THE GENERATOR.
Il Generators of the size used
!, FLOR farm houses are zinc tanks
which hold about a barrel. In
,|them carbide and water are
! brought in contact, producing
I acetylene and slaked lime. The
j gas passes into a tank, double
!, the size Of the generator, which
j lis fashioned like the big tanl
) for city gas, having at the bot
! tom a seal Of water to preven1
the gas escaping.
{ The danger is near the gen
) orator. The gas may escap,
) from a defective tube or from
1.-THE opening Of seams by thl
n formation Of ice in the water
81 A number Of fatal accidents
{ have resulted from person.
) who were cleaning the genera
1.ltor preparatory to reflling it
i striking match to see if TIL
ii work were well done.
4 If the generator is ontsid,
) there is little possibility of al
4 expl osion ia the house lightel
!, Iby it because the holes in th,
burners ars so small that til,
II gas cannot leak fast enough K
! make the air explosive. St
!. rich is acety lene in carbon thai
IL illumina ting power i tsr
pftimes that of city gas. It take