The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-09-17
SAFETY DEVICE
/ PUTSOUTAF|RE
INQU|Ck ORDER
- -
Flaming Gasoline At Standard oil
Plant Extinguished With
In a Minute
DEMONSTRATION SEEN
BY PlNKHAM AND FORBES
Scene Is Where Three Men Re-
Gently Received Injuries
Which Caused Death

How the Standard Oil Company
guards against FIRE was shown In n
striking manner ut the Iwilei plant yes
terday morning. .,.......
Flaming gasoline was extinguished in
less than minute by the frefo sys,
TEN of the company, in special de-
monstration arranged for public ofiici-
ais, insurance men and engineers. This
same system extinguished FIRE in the
tank of distillate three weeks ago,
when three men were injured mortally
by an explosion.
How Test Was Made
A cylinder of sheet iron, about nine
feet in diameter, had been sunk in the
ground, aud water had been run into
it to within foot or so of the top.
One half inch of gasoline had been rul
over the surface Of the water.
Three pipes led to the demonstration
tank from the fre-foam tower, sixty
feet away. One carried two electric
wires. The others led to the mixing
box, where the components of the foam
mingled before being thrown over the
surface of the gasoline. The pipe con
tanning the wires was closed by plug
of easily fusible metal. This plug was
designed to melt, at 240 degrees, and
its metal to fill a cup beneath, thus
completing an electric circuit. When
this circuit was completed, fluids from
the tower automatically flowed through
the other pipes to the mixing box, and
were sprayed over the surface Of the
flaming fluid.
Gasoline Is Ignited
A torch had been prepared on a
wire. 1t was lighted, and dragged Ov
er the gasoline which Immediately far
ed up in an intense flame, whose heat
drove back the spectators to thirty five
feet. A big torch of fame and smoke
rolled away.
1t should be remembefed that this
was burning gasoline.
Within forty seconds or so, clatter of
a trap was heard from the tower, and
within a few seconds more a Jet of
white shot from the mixing box, and
over the burning gasoline. This jet re-
solved itself into a thick mass Of bub.
bles, which welled from the box, and,
wherever they touched the fire, il died
instantly. 1t was no more than for
ty-six or forty eight seconds until the
fire had been extinguished entirely.
1t showed graphically what occurred
when the distillate tank caught fire.
Principle Of System
The principle is a combination of the
sprinkling system and the ordinary cop
per cylinder fire extinguisher, which
sprays fluid over a fire when inverted.
The fusible plug is common to the fire
foam apparatus and the automatic
sprinkling system. Reliance upon BIZ
carbonate of soda and sulphuric acid is
common to the fre-foam apparatus and
the fire eXtinguishd. These chemicals,
when mixed, effervesce and expand,
throwing the fluid through the rubber
pipe of the extinguisher; so do they in
the frefOam apparatus. Besides the
sulphric acid and soda, there is glue
to give body to the foam, in the
glue carbOlic acid to prevent it's sour
ing. That is the sole function of the
carbolic acid, and the glue is not an
active agent, so that the Standard Oil
apparatus is essentially the same as the
ordinary fire extinguisher.
Witnesses to the demonstration in.
cIuded Governor Pinkham and Superin-
tendent of Public Works Forbes. Mr..
Union Oil Companies to Install the
same apparatus. They have only fuel
oil in bulk, but fuel oil is more dan
gerOus, in one phase, than gasoline or
distillate, because the presence of wa
ter in it renders it much more likely
to explode when the sudden generation
of steam comes. The fire foam appara
tus demonstrated, to the spectators, Ats
efficacy in fire fighting. The Standard
Oil Company controls the patent, but
other companies may use it free of
charge.
A. s. Prescott, district sales manager
of the Standard Oil Company, arranged
the test The demonstration was made
~ direction of II. T. Harper, Paci-
tc Coast sales manager, and J. G..
Black, chief engineer. They are here
investigating the explosion which in.
'ured three men mortally. Besides Gov
Nor Pinkham. Mr.. Forbes and the
Standard Oil officials. those present in
"mded Fire Chief Thurston, Assistant
Chief Blaisdell, A. X. Gurrey, Sr. seere-
tary of the fire underwriters; Arthur
+. Davidson, agent of the Associated
Oil Company; J. +. Fenwick assistant
MANAGE of the Hawaiian Electric Com
nanv; High Sheriff Jarrett, Harold Dill
bingham, of the Union agents, the b. +.
DILLINGHAM; Company; A. Lewis, Civil
Engineers Smith and Burrell of Pearl
HARDER. II. w. Marvin, chief engineer
Of the Hawaiian Electric Company, AM
insurance and newspaper men.