The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-03-29

Gasoline leaked from a car tank
to a pile Of shavings and was ignited
by a nearby light.
Careless dropping Of match in
garage ignited infammables on floor
and caused $4,000 loss. Same cause
resulted in bad fire in another city.
Spontaneous combustion Of waste
and rags used in cleaning and paint
ing caused $4,000 loss in one city
and 100000 in another.
Burning brush in rear Of a stable
ignited furces Of tank belonging to
adjacent garage, destroying the lat
ter.
Defective electric wires in the
building caused serious fire.
Car standing in street burned from
cigarette butt careless ficked aside
by passerby.
Drunken owner attempted to fill
his car tank with lamps burning.
Usual result.
Gasoline used for cleaning auto
mobiles with open light in room. The
expected happened.
Pilot light on a steam car set fire
to the car.
Employee stepped on match which
had fallen on saturated floor. BaC:
fire resulted.
Workman set fire to car with light
he was using.
Employee struck a match to light
lamps while tank was being filed.
The explosion and subsequent fire
ruined buildings and contents.
Cap was accidentally left off gas
oline tank on car and spark from
parlor match used in lighting lamps
few into the filing hole. Explosion
and bad loss.
Employee was filing car tank from
vessel Of the watering pot type. A
portable lamp hanging on the car to,
light the operation fell and broke.
The rapidly consumed filament ig-
nited the gasoline fumes. Loss, $751;
900.
Man stepped on a match, igniting
waste. Negro boy mistaking pan Of
gasoline for water threw it on fire.
Garage destroyed.
Workman in automobile repair
room stepped on a match which ig-
nited infammables. Entire building
destroyed.
Employee, working under machine
with electric light, accidentally broke
the bulb. Gasoline from flooding
carburetor was ignited by the fla
ment.
Total loss to a garage from a fire
caused by short circuit in an elec-
tric automobile. .. -- .~.
Cigar stub laid on machine and
forgotten caused bad fire.
Pail of gasoline ignited by en-
p1oyee who smoked near.
Gasoline dripping from machine
was ignited by lamp with ventilat-
ing openings, which had been placed
on the floor.
In addition to the above, many
cases have come to our notice Of fires
in private and public garages where
the causes have been given as care
lessness with matches, smokers, open
lamp, flooding carburetor, explosions,
etc., but where the exact manner in
which each fire started was not in
The examples given, how
ever, serve to show the readiness
with which fires may be started, and
they are generally severe, owing to
the nature Of the materials about.
Automobile garages and their fire
hazards are considered by Mr.. Al
fred G. Patton, chief inspector, the
New York Fire Insurance Exchange,
in a paper contributed to the Octo-
Der issue Of the Quarterly of the Ma
tional Fire Protective Association.
He divides automobiles into three
classes: (1) The electrically driven
which present the least
fire hazard Of any; (2) the volatile
oil vapor driven machines, which are
hazardous; and (3) the steam driven
machines, which are the most hazard
Gus Of the three. Inspector Patton
suggests a standard garage, its heat
ing and lighting artifcially, and pre-
cautions to be taken in handling au-
tomobiles, repairing and cleaning,
and in storing volatile oils.
The fact that there are a number
Of private garages in South Caro-
lima towns makes these suggestions
Of interest in this State. Thee are
a number of REGULAR garages In