Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-17
FIRE EXITING
USHER ISABIG
WARTIME
FACTOR
Pyrene Used Effectively on Motors,
Ships, and in Gun Factories
HAS INTERESTING HISTORY
First Appeared in Country in 1907;
Now is in a Million Homes.

A little smoke, flash, and waste
basket, a curtain or something else is
in flames. A few years ago an excited
person would fail to extinguish the
blaze with water or with any other
first aid at hand and would call for the
fire department. When that arrived
the fire frequently would be beyond
control.
Modern methods have wrought great
changes. Nowadays, in case of fire,
any man, woman or child can reach
for a Pyrene and after a few strokes
of the pump the fire is out.
This change did not come all at once.
The fire extinguisher has been develop
ing ever since man learned to fear fire
Devices for extinguishing fire are al
most coeval with that element itself.
in the Second century before Christ,
the Egyptions had pumps worked by
levers to put out their fires.
First Use of Chemicals.
The Roman Pliny refers to fire extin
guishers butgives no account Of their
construction. Appollodorus, architect
of Emperor Trajan, speaks of leather
bags with pipes attached. Water was
projected by squeezing the bags. Me-
dieval Europe used various forms of
water pumps, and it was not until the
opening of the Nineteenth century
that chemicals were used to combat
fire.
Pyrene came when the efficiency of
new liquid as an extinguishing a.
gent became known. Pyrene is a
coordination of inorganic materials
with an aromatic odor and high spe-
cifc gravity. When subjected to a
temperature of 22O F. or over, it
changes to a heavy, cohering, nom
poisonous gas blanket which surrounds
the burning Material and cuts off the
aid supply necessary for the life of
the fire.
Pyrene appeared in the United
States in 1907. There was little re-
mblance between it and the Pyrene
of today. A cylindrical tube with a
perforated end contained the liquid
The user was expected to sprinkle the
liquid over fire just as salt is sprink-
led from asalt-c ellar over meat.
The Pyrene company applied the l.
dea of pumping the liquid on the fire
in 1909. They introduced single act
ing pump The user inserted the noz-
zle in the liquid, drew it into the pump
and then elected it on the flames.
| There was substituted a double a. ing
pump early in 1910. The container
for the fluid and the pump werethus
com bined and the extinguisher had The
general appearance ofthose now on the
market.
Brass construction was substituted
for tin in the latter part of 1910, and
in 1911 all brass construction was a
dopted The extinguisher has remain,
| ed practically unchanged since 19ll
Pyrene Easy to Handle.
Pyrene was the only one-quart type
extinguisher on the market until 1911
Pyrene, the original type, pumps the
liquid out by hand. Others eject it by
air pressure or by a combination o.
the two methods. The objection made
by some people to the use Of air pres
sure is that it demands attention ant
the use of a complicated mechanism
which more readily gets out oforder.
The liquid extinguisher agent ha
seen little change since 1907. In 191
it was modified so that it Injuries moth
ing with which itcomes in contact I
puts out fires originating in oily vast
es, turpentine and shellac, and fires re
| sulting from the ignition of gasoline
!. benzine or acetyline gas, on which OF