The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-02-11
Atoms that are Greedy.

takes one of oxygen to form water.
The carbonic acid which is a gas, and
the water in the form of vapor are
carried out of the top of the chimney.
Gunpowder and dynamite do not
need air to burn them because they !
already contain oxygen. Having oxy-
gen of their own they can be set afire
by a spark and explode while shut
in a gun or cannon. The force of an
explosion is from the solid matter be-
quickly changed to gas which takes
up hundreds of times more room.
The Use of the Chimney.
The chimney of a lamp forces the
current of fresh air caused by the
rising of heated air within it, to pass
close to the flame, SO that oxygen can
be taken from it. This movement of
air is called a draft.
Light is made by the particles of
carbon becoming white hot before
they are burnt up. The hottest flames
make no light.
Do not try to blow out a lamp
while the fame is high. Doing so may
break the chimney or force the flame
down into the lamp bowl and cause
an explosion. Turn the wick down I'M
til the blaze is half its natural size,
and then blow over the chimney's
top; not down it. To turn the blaze
is low and blow into the burner is
more dangerous. If the top of the
wick is above the top of the tube
when the lamp is not lighted, oil will
be drawn up and will run down over,
the lamp.
How Does a Lamp Explode?
The heating of the brass in the
burner may warm the oil until it
gives off a vapor in the lamp globe.
If the wick is too small to fill the
tube the fame will flash down to this
.vapor and the lamp will blow M.
The screo. must be kept open Sc
the flame can breathe. If the chin
ney is not clear down on the burner.
the lamp smokes because the flame
gets too much air. When a lamp is
turned too nigh it smokes because
there is too much fuel for the air to
supply.
The brass in the burner and collar
should be kept clean and bright so
that the heat will pass off. Only dirty
burners heat lamps so as to make
, them explode. When a burner can
not be rubbed bright it should be
thrown away because it is dangerous.
A lamp should not be set in the
sur nor close to a fire, nor hung to
the ceiling over a table on which a
lamp is used.
Filling Il Lamp.
In filling a lamp, do not take off
the burner near another light or a
fire. The vapor in the bowl of the
lamp may expand until it reaches a
blaze and explodes. Flaming oil is
then thrown over every n who is
near. Above all, remember that fill
ing a lamp without first putting it
out is very dangerous.
When two-thirds of the oil in a
lamp has been used it should be fill
ed again. Once each week the oil left
in a lamp should be poured back in
to the can through a piece of cloth on
q funnel to filter it clear. This is to
emove dirt which has settled to the
bottom.
The Wick.
The char should be removed from
the wick every day. When a wick is
half burned up a new one should be
put in. A lamp cared for in It's way
will give bright, white light and will
not blacken the burner nor explode.
The burners for round wicks are
safer than those which use fiat ones.
Air one-eighth oil vapor will blow
up, if it touches a flame. In South
Dakota there We're more than IA
buildings fired in 1907 by the eX-
ploding or upsetting of coal oil lamps
or lanterns. The damage done by