Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-01
Curious Causes
Gasoline Fires

The enormous and ever increasing
use OF gasoline and of hydrocarbon
gases has caused many mysterious
and disastrous explosions and fires,
says Augustus Fl. Gill of Massachu-
sets Institute of Technology, in the
February number of Industrial and
Engineering Chemistry. "One of the
most mysterious of these fires, which
was attended with fatal results. was
! the Hair Dressers' Accident OF
, June 26. 1897, in London. A petro-
leun containing hair wash was be-
ing applied as a shampoo when il
suddenly ignited. burning the woman
There is no doubt but that FRACTIONAL
electricity was here generated in suf
| ficient quantity to ignite the petro-
leum vapor. An automobile was de-
strOyed and its owner, naval sur
geon, severely burned. through the
| firing of the gasoline by spark pro-
duced by fractional electricity. The
surgeon had walked some distance tC
| his garage in his fur coat and rub
| Der boots. The friction of the flap
ping coat against his boots generated
the electricity, while they insulated
| him from the ground and allowed his
body to store it.
"A silk dress that had just been
cleaned by gasoline was removed
from a basket This movement OF
the silk generated an electric
spark that fired the gasoline vapor
still remaining In the dress after
cleaning The dress and other near
by garments were burned. When
WOODEN fabrics are washed in ether
| or gasoline, they become electrically
charged. This charge is so great as
to produce sparks when touched by a
person.
1T has been demonstrated beyond
question that when gasoline is pump
, ed through hose. FRACTIONAL or static
electricity IS generated; under GER
tain circumstances a pressure of 400
to 500 volts has been generated.
Even when poured through channels
skin dangerous sparks have been
produced. This chamois stralner
must be replaced by so to 80 mesh
wire gauze which will exclude water
when first Wetted with clear gasoline.
A chauffeur hung an ordinary five
gallon can on the hook Of common
gasoline pump. The bail of the can
had a wooden handle which insulated
the can from the pump. A gallon
had been pumped when a spark
Jumped from the can to the pump
and fired the gasoline. After putting
out the fire the filling of the can was
repeated and it caught fire second
time. In filling a can or or-car
tank. care must be taken that GOOD
metallic contact is made between the
nozzle of the hose and the article
filled.
1.-THE explanation given of the
cause of the hair -dresser's accident
the generation of FRACTIONAL or static
electricity by rubbing Of hair or fur
will undoubtedly explain the two fol-
lowing Incidents: 1T is the custom
of dog (and caD catchers to asphyXl-
ate their catch in a tank" or dis
patch" with ordinary illuminating
gas. In 1914 the dog officer in Prov :
dence threw cat into the iethal
tank; on turning on the gas it eX-
'>ploded. smuggling the officers hair and
injuring another. This was the third
time such an accident had occurred
many dogs had been disposed OF
without trouble. In New York. So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty TO
Animals reports that. in the course
of twenty-five years there have been
half dozen minor explosions; the
last one, however. was so serious
that they have decided to adopt
other means. Their dispatch" was
a steel tank 10X4x4 IT.: on the top
were two covers Of heavy plate glass
set In steel frames and capable of be-
ing firmly fastened down Thin lids
covered the holes through which the
animals were passed into this as
phyXiator: the usual charge was
about six cubic yards of cats. It
was customary to charge II some
what with Illuminating gas and drop
the victims into it. On the afternoon
in question three basketsful OF cats
had been put in, one of the glass