Year: 1875

Years ago, when fires originated by


unknown and undiscoverable careless


ness, they were by common consent at
tributed to spontaneous combustion.
This reason was assigned 80 often that it
fell into disrepute; almost every fire


whose cause was unknown being by one
or another laid to this account. Even
cases when human beings intoxicated


with liquor had fallen into the fire and
been burned to death were alleged to
have taken place in this manner.
Though rare, spontaneous combustion is
no myth, and has lately occurred in sew
eral instances, causing considerable loss
Ofproperty.


Ships having cargoes of wool from
South America are obliged to exercise
much caution, lest the densely packed
wool, soaked with oil and grease, be-
come heated and set fire to the ship.
English coal vessels are also liable to the
same calamity. The coal now taken
from the English mines appears to be
more easy of ignition and more bitum-
ineus in character than ever before,
partly, perhaps, from the vast depths
from which it is taken. While stored in
the holds of vessels in vast quantity, hy-
drOgen, in combination with other gases,
is liberated in great abundance, produc-
ing constantly increasing temperature,
until the combustion point is reached,
when it combines very rapidly with OK
ygen, and the vessel bears, often for
days, burning cargo ere the fire is
noticed. When detected, it is frequent
ly too wide spread to be stopped, and all
il lost.


Various means have been proposed
and tried for the prevention of this Ca
lamity. Some say that every crevice
through which the air could have access
to the cargo should be closed, alleging
that the ingress of fresh air promotes the
chemical process and hastens the COM
bustion; others affirm that ventilation
should be perfect as possible, since the
dangerous gases are thereby carried
away, and all peril is removed. Either
extreme appears from experience to be
safe, and, contrary to the general esti-
nation of happy mediums, the middle
course alone is dangerous. When the
hold is closed and the matches battened
down for few days, the cargo becomes
heated, and then if the outside air be ad-
mitted, the danger is much greater than
if it had been allowed free ingress and
egress from the beginning.


A new plan has lately been proposed
which, if it can be made practicable at a
moderate cost, will at once do away
with all fear of fire. 1t has already been
tried few times in the English ports.
The whole cargo is first loaded, and then,
Ia, 1,, ae rtNn IN of
lime, carbOnic acid gas is disengaged in
great abundance. until the whole inside
of the vessel is filled with it, fatal as it is
to all combustion. While it remains
there is not the slightest possibility of
fire. The only difficulties about its use
are the cost of manufacture and the diff
fculty of getting rid of it when the
cargo is to be unlOaded. 1t is heavier
than common air, and opening the
matches and other apertures to the hold
will do nothing towards causing its re-
moval. 1t could be absorbed by placing
lime in the hold, or by driving a strong
current of fresh air through the cargo;
both are slow and both somewhat un-
certain. The men who unload the cargo
would run great risk of being choked to
death by the nOxious gas; while, from
the peculiar construction of coal vessels
and their depth of hold, it is hardly pos
sible thoroughly to expel the gas, and
thus preserve the life of the laborers.
If this difficulty can be met, and the
cost of providing the gas lessened, it
will, perhaps, come into general use on
coal and wool vessels, and thereby great
ly lessen one of the most fearful dangers
of ocean life and traffic.