The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-08-30
now TO FIGHT FIRE
First Step Is to Turn Off Gaso-
line Supply at Tank.
SElF.coNTRoL IS ESSENTIAL
While Novice Stands Aohast Expert.
enced Man Jumps for Nearest Pre-
ventive-SmalI Extinouisher
10 Favored. w

(By WILLIAM H. STEWART, JR.)
When gasoline takes fire it is a seri.
Gus matter, but the most dangerous &C
cessory to a fire is the one you least
expect, namely, panic.
The average person has such an un-
reasoning fear of gasoline that he
loses his. head completely. The first
few fires will leave one completely I'M
nerved for q time, but after q little ex-
perience in fighting them panic disap-
pears and s~elf-control is gained. This
does not mean that M should delay or
move any slowly, but should
know what to do and do it quickly.
Novice Stands Aghast.
The novice stands aghast as the first
burst Of flame comes from the carbure-
tor. The experienced man jumps for
the nearest preventive. At least one
small fire extinguisher should be on
every car The large chemical devices
are too bulky and cannot be laid in
any position, whereas the ordinary in
strument may be slowed away in q
small space. The best place is beneath
the hood on the carburetor side. This
is where the fire starts and may be
reached by raising the hood. Some
carry them on the running board, but
this is Objectionable on account of
theft liability. If placed under the
seat or secured by a lock they r not
readily placed in service. and the ma
chine may De badly damaged mean-
while.
Always turn off the gasoline at the
tank to stop feeding the flames. Ordi-
narily there is not more than two
ounces in any float chamber and this
will not last long. All the parts about
the carburetor " metal and not ea=~
ny harmed. Il - well also to ne the
self-starter to turn the engine. This
will draw flames into the manifold.
Quite often the whole fire may be ex-
tinguished if this is done in time.
A greater danger arises from permit
ting an accumulation Of inflammable
material in the drip pan. Once this
becomes fully ignited, the situation re-
quires prompt and efficient action. The
work of extinguishing should begin
right here, leaving the carburetor till
the last. Otherwise the burning gaso-
line at the bottom will continue to ig-
mite that at the carburetor:
Start at Bottom.
So, remember, always start at the
bottom and work upward. If there is
a flame on the ground beneath the
car, use the self-starter with gears in
Sand is good If available, but
throw sand on the carburetor or any
other parts of the machine. It falls
away, leaving gasoline free to burn and
also gets into the mechanism, doing
lncalculable harm. On a fiat surface
sand is excellent, or any other dry
powder. Even -four has saved many
q home where gasoline has been used
~carelessly. The old method of cover
Ing the fire with a rug or carpet is
good, but the extinguisher is better.
This covers the fluid with a layer Of
heavy noninfammable gas which,
smothers the flame. Finally, be eau
toned never to throw water on burn
ing gasoline. It is heavier than gaso-
line and tends to spread the flame.
Everyone knows that any kind Of
a fire is dangerous, but If the above
suggestions are employed under SELF
control, the flame starting from a car
buretor backfire will be efficiently
stopped at the source.