New-York tribune., 1918-04-28

proper care, and equally true tnat the
majority Of them might be extin-
guished if the owner, being present,
would keep his head, stay on the job
and fight the fire--provided, Of course,
that the proper materials are at hand.
Whatever the cause of fire in your
car, therefore, do not run away from it.
Stay and fight it. True, often the ut
most haste is needed in getting out of
the car when fire starts, but on the
way out grab the fire extinguisher and
turn to use it. Do not run for fear
there will be an explosion-there will
be none-and if you work fast you may
save serious damage to the car. Keep
your head and fight.
The presumption is that you will
have a good extinguisher on the car.
Two would be better and more in keep
ing with the high priced car, both to be
placed where they can be got at in
stantly, for gasolene fires spread
mighty fast. The causes Of fires have
been discussed quite thoroughly, and
means for preventing blaze have been
suggested as covering all but negli-
SlD!e percentage OF cases.
Backfire, for instance, may be made
harmless by placing over the air in
take screen of wire gauze, such as
is used in miners safety lamp. To
prevent shutting off some of the air
and deranging the carburetor, the
screen should be made much larger
than the opening of the intake. 1t
can be made in bulb shape and clamped,
soldered or wired in position, and it
ought not to require more than an aver
age gumption to fit such a device on
any csrburetor. Make sure it is safety
gauze.
Wire Gauze Screen Is Best
There are several forms of gaskets
advertised for this purpose, but all
! SO far noticed are to go between the
carburetor and intake and are too
likely to cause condensation of the gas
olene to be recommended for use.
Particularly in cold weather would
there be likelihood of condensation
of vaporized or partly vaporized gaso-
lene. But with the wire-gauze screen
above described the sting of backfire
VIII be gone, as no blaze can pass
! through it and reach the gasolene
fumes which might be in or about the
drip pan.
One cause of fire not often men,
toned, because of its rarity, is from
sparks from the magnetic or generator
brushes, or from the breaker points,
which might be hot enough to ignit.
gasolene and therefore are to be
guarded against. Because gasolene
fumes are heavier than air, usually the
enough to be above the danger point;
and where the magnetic is between the
cylinders on the V-shaped installation,
there is no danger.
If after all precautions are taken
you are visited by fire stay to fight it.
Get only far enough away to escape
being burned and then fight and fight
hard. Work the extinguisher for all
it is worth, for in less time than it
takes to read this story the fate of
your car will have been decided.
Fire, Not Explosion, to Fear
Get out CT your head first of all the
1t does not happen. The first puff from
the burning gasolene is the nearest
thing to an explosion you will see
After the first puff it is fire, not ex-
plosion, you need fear and fight Tanks
will not explode unless empty of gaso-
lene. or nearly SO, and filled with
gasolene fumes-that is, vapor and air
mixed.
Water is little good in fighting an
automobile fire where gasolene and oil
are burning. There are several things,
however, which will quench the flames
and which should be at hand. If you
can get salt in sufficient quantity to
put on the flames it will be effectual,
but. of course, one can hardly carry a
sufficient quantity along. There are
also tube extinguishers filled with a
dry compound, which under favorable
circumstances will do the trick. But
the trouble is to get the compound at
the seat of the fire, and to throw it
violently upon the flames is impossible.
There is one thing, though, which
Will actually put out a gasolene fire,
and it is such a safeguard that no
owner can afford to be without it.
That is. the carbon tetra- chloride COM
pound, which is the basis of all liquid
discharged close to the seat of the
flames. forms dense smoke like gas,
which has no oxygen to feed the fire.
1t therefore goes out for lack of fuel.
There are many good extinguishers
on the market which use the carbon
tetra.- Horde mixture with other in
gredlents to keep it from corroding
the pump, or to add some other quality
TO the compound. These extinguishers
cost more than the dry compound
tubes, but the men who can afford to
own a car can afford to have the
necessary appliances for its protec-
ton.
One may never have occasion to use
the, fire extinguishers. but it is nice
to know that they are ready if the
emergency does come, for there isn't
always. fire department handy, and if
tnere is, generally the firemen arrive
after the car is doomed.
:. If you happen to get some of the
llquld or gaseous carbon tetra-
chloride in the carburetor, or start the
engine while there is any of it under
the hood, do not expect to run. You
might as we'll have shut off the gaso-
lene, or closed the air intake, or turned
off the ignition switch. There is no
oxygen to- unite with the gasolenc; !;
ergo, nothing doing. 1t is worse than
water in the gasolene. But it will nut
out gasolene fire if rightly used. and
that Is the really important thing to
know about
Page and Tickling Join
r. L. II I.