The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-04-27
MANY FIRES ARE !
DUE TO RUBBISH
CLEANLINESS AND VIGILANCE
ARE POTENT FACTORS IN e.
FIRE PREVENTION
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION SURE
Care essness In Leaving Oily Cloths
About Is Responsible for Many
Fires--Sprlng HousecIean-
ing Fire Hazard.


One Of the things the average man
knows little about is the chemistry
of fire. He hears occasionally OF fires
from spontaneous combustion, but his
ideas Of the process Of spontaneous
ignition are vague; and his knowledge
Of the substances or combinations OF
substances susceptible to such igni-
i tion is limited. 1t is difficult to ac-
/ quire the knowledge outside OF the
chemical laboratories; for in the com
mon run Of experience unless fires
from this cause are discovered at
their inception they soon destroy all
| evidences of their origin. Such iires
1 are commonly reported as probably
| incendiary" or Of mysterious origin.
The chemistry of spontaneous igni-
| tion is simple. Decomposition is al
slow combustion The human bodyl
slowly burns to ashes In the grave.
| Oxygen uniting with carbon producesI
heat. Ii they unite rapidly enough, In
sufficient quantities, the combustion Is
visible in flame. If they unite slowly,
as in the decay of organic bodies, the
heat escapes unnoticed. Rapid chemL
cal action will start visible combus-
tion as easily as the application OF
the torch. Vegetable oils spread over
easily carbonized Substances such as
cotton rags or waste will ignite the
latter very quickly. The cotton fiber
furnishes a sort of tinder. Animal
fats like tallow, butter and lard, es-
pecially if rancid, will ignite under
conditions similar to the above, but
they are not such great offenders as
the vegetable oils-cotton seed, nut,
castor bean, olive and especially lin
seed.
Shun Rubbish Heaps.
An oily rag or oily waste never
should be thrown into rubbish heap.
Many fires start in closets from such
rags after use In oiling floors or polish
ing furniture; and factory fires are oc-
curing constantly from spontaneous
ignition OF turpentine and linseed oil
on rags and waste. There are not
many men who give the same thought
to this danger in their homes that
they give to it in their factories, where
metal waste cans with selfclosing COW
ers are generally provided. At the
time of spring renovation, however,
1t is well to keep an eye upon tho
domestic establishment with thisI
hazard in mind as servants are gen
orally quite irresponsible. Products
Of petroleum such as kerosene, gaso-
enc and naphtha, although they do not
gnite spontaneously, have a hazard
of their own, and rags soaked In them
should be carefully looked after. A
house rule should be made that all
greasy or oily rags be burned without
ielay.
In the development of rapid transit
llong the lines of trolley cars and
the problem OF flying
lust has been immeasurably intensi-
led and confronts all lovers of clean
mess Ordinary broom sweeping
imply stirs 1t up to settle again on
loors and furniture. The vacuum
leaner has not yet developed to the
,oint at which its constant use is
commercially expedient. An endless
recession of floor oils and sweeping
ompounds has therefore come upon
he market, some of which are not
azardous, but others of which are
lready demonstrating their abilisS to
urn the buildings in which they are
sed.
A School Mans Experiment.
Prof. John II. Bryan, principal OF
be ward schools of Marion, Ind. who
looks after the physical as
ell as the mental welfare Of his pu-
lis, stated at recent meeting OF
chool superintendents that twice re-
emily he had found mops used by the
lnitor in oiling the floor, burned to
she's, it being evident that the build
lg each time narrowly escaped being