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  | image = SB-04-026.jpg

  | notes = The Chronicle

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The learned engineer, Stephenson, is said to have inquired of his friend Ferguson what pulled the long train of cars along as it passed them with almost lightning speed. The answer was the canny. But what gives power to the canny? The steam. And what gives power to the steam? The fire, the heat. But Stephenson said “sunbeams!” The vegetable growth that finally made coal absorbed its carbon from the sunbeams, and now carbon and oxygen uniting develop the heat, and the heat is converted into force–sunbeams, the power that is pulling the vast commerce of nations along and making all humanity neighbors–sunbeams, lifting the oceans up to the mountains, making the Niagaras, and sprinkling the vast plains so quietly, so easily, that we do not realize the mighty power.

The learned engineer, Stephenson, is said to have inquired of his friend Ferguson what pulled the long train of cars along as it passed them with almost lightning speed. The answer was the canny. But what gives power to the canny? The steam. And what gives power to the steam? The fire, the heat. But Stephenson said “sunbeams!” The vegetable growth that finally made coal absorbed its carbon from the sunbeams, and now carbon and oxygen uniting develop the heat, and the heat is converted into force–sunbeams, the power that is pulling the vast commerce of nations along and making all humanity neighbors–sunbeams, lifting the oceans up to the mountains, making the Niagaras, and sprinkling the vast plains so quietly, so easily, that we do not realize the mighty power.

{{Style S-Lost|I*ing}} of the hand, the step you take, the {{Style S-Lost|breath you}} take, heat is converted into force; hence the {{Style S-Lost|fuel must}} be added to replenish that consumed. There are two means or methods of developing heat, viz.: Chemical affinity or action where two or more bodies unite and form a compound ; and second, by friction or force arrested.

{{Style S-Lost|I..ing}} of the hand, the step you take, the {{Style S-Lost|breath you}} take, heat is converted into force; hence the {{Style S-Lost|fuel must}} be added to replenish that consumed. There are two means or methods of developing heat, viz.: Chemical affinity or action where two or more bodies unite and form a compound ; and second, by friction or force arrested.

The {{Style S-Lost|ca*es}} that develop heat are numberless, and no doubt many of them are not observed by us. A nail driven into a board will develop heat. As it remains and rusts it develops heat. The iron absorbing the oxygen causes a slow combustion, and in time the nail is burned up. The iron being a good conductor of heat, the heat is dispersed and is impercentibie.

The {{Style S-Lost|ca..es}} that develop heat are numberless, and no doubt many of them are not observed by us. A nail driven into a board will develop heat. As it remains and rusts it develops heat. The iron absorbing the oxygen causes a slow combustion, and in time the nail is burned up. The iron being a good conductor of heat, the heat is dispersed and is impercentibie.

The next {{Style S-Lost|point}} I desire to call your attention to the {{Style S-Lost|differens of teratures}} at which different bodies will ignite.

The next {{Style S-Lost|point}} I desire to call your attention to the {{Style S-Lost|differens of teratures}} at which different bodies will ignite.

In adjusting a loss in connection with Mr. C. C. Dana, general adjuster of the Hartford Fire Ins. Co., for Messrs, Keith & Wood, the following circumstances occurred:–The books of the firm were taken out of the ruins the second day after the fire. They were used by Mr. Dana and myself during one day-opened and leaves turned over-the ends and outside of them blackened and charred. At night all were replaced in a new safe, with the exception of one blotter, which was placed upon a pine table designed for placing goods. The next morning the book was found nearly consumed, having burned its shape into the table. Cause-paper converted into carbon at low temperature by burning store, opening the book allowed the oxygen of the air to enter, and the absorption or chemical action ignited the Book. After the great conflagration I opened my safe eight days after the fire. I {{Style S-Lost|took the}} book of blank drafts which seemed all right, except that the edges were charred. In lees than half an hour I found them in flames.

In adjusting a loss in connection with Mr. C. C. Dana, general adjuster of the Hartford Fire Ins. Co., for Messrs, Keith & Wood, the following circumstances occurred:–The books of the firm were taken out of the ruins the second day after the fire. They were used by Mr. Dana and myself during one day-opened and leaves turned over-the ends and outside of them blackened and charred. At night all were replaced in a new safe, with the exception of one blotter, which was placed upon a pine table designed for placing goods. The next morning the book was found nearly consumed, having burned its shape into the table. Cause-paper converted into carbon at low temperature by burning store, opening the book allowed the oxygen of the air to enter, and the absorption or chemical action ignited the Book. After the great conflagration I opened my safe eight days after the fire. I {{Style S-Lost|took the}} book of blank drafts which seemed all right, except that the edges were charred. In lees than half an hour I found them in flames.

A Mr. Carette, a druggist, reported that his children prepared a ball of old wool, oiling the same to make it more elastic, wound it tightly with cord and covered it with leather. At first the boll seemed very hard, but soon it became soft, as though filled with bran or ashes. It was cut open and found to contain nothing but a black powder. The wool and cord had been carbonized, although ignition had not taken place. Mr. Gould, president of the Munufacturers' Ins. Co., of Boston, experimented with clean woolen waste, taken from a storage warehouse on Pearl street, Boston. He piled it in an area back of his office on State street. On handling it, it was found to be very oily. It was exposed on a damp hot day in August, and in less than 24 hours burst into a flame. Mr. Gould, also, in the cellar of his own house, allowed a workman's overalls to be placed, who had been polishing a door with linseed oil. At 11:30 o'clock the same night, the inmates were aroused by the smoke. It was found to come from the cellar, and the overalls were found to be on fire. Fire was discovered in the Catholic cathedral in the bell-tower, on the 16th inst.; the cause was the spontanious combustion of the rags used in cleaning the bell machinery. Mr. S. R. Holmes, adjuster of Springfield, relates from observation where oily rags took fire last winter at Galesburg, where the rags were placed in a barrel which bad been partly filled with water, which had become frozen. Observation also indicates that there is increasing danger arising from the recent practicing of charging fabrics with different substances to give them weight. Black silks are loaded with cyanogen, an extremely inflammable and dangerous compound, and also with salts of iron. The weight is increased 50 to 100 per cent., the animial nature of the silk is destroyed, it burns like tinder if ignited, and is liable to undergo spontaneous combustion of itself. Alapacas, serges, and many other fabrics are loaded more or less, and frequently with dangerons compounds. Velorur and Ulster goods contain vegetable fiber-like jute. Cheap satinets, denims, and oily woolen or uncleansed woolen fabrics will heat and finally ignite if piled up. Oiled silk, in dry goods, millinery stocks and hat stores, is unsafe. Any cloth oiled or varnished, like oiled curtains, tarpaulins, tracing paper–the oil paper used {{Style S-Lost|i*r}} copy-book–or for duplicate copies in connection with glycerine and lamp-black, tarred felt, {{Style S-Lost|<nowiki>*</nowiki>oddy}}, lampwick, scraps of leather or oil cloth will invite spontaneons combustion beyond a doubt. The M. D. Wells fire was caused, beyond any doubt, by the oily rags and scraps of leather piled in a heap. They used cotton-seed oil for oiling leather and wiped it with off with cotton and woolen rags.  

A Mr. Carette, a druggist, reported that his children prepared a ball of old wool, oiling the same to make it more elastic, wound it tightly with cord and covered it with leather. At first the boll seemed very hard, but soon it became soft, as though filled with bran or ashes. It was cut open and found to contain nothing but a black powder. The wool and cord had been carbonized, although ignition had not taken place. Mr. Gould, president of the Munufacturers' Ins. Co., of Boston, experimented with clean woolen waste, taken from a storage warehouse on Pearl street, Boston. He piled it in an area back of his office on State street. On handling it, it was found to be very oily. It was exposed on a damp hot day in August, and in less than 24 hours burst into a flame. Mr. Gould, also, in the cellar of his own house, allowed a workman's overalls to be placed, who had been polishing a door with linseed oil. At 11:30 o'clock the same night, the inmates were aroused by the smoke. It was found to come from the cellar, and the overalls were found to be on fire. Fire was discovered in the Catholic cathedral in the bell-tower, on the 16th inst.; the cause was the spontanious combustion of the rags used in cleaning the bell machinery. Mr. S. R. Holmes, adjuster of Springfield, relates from observation where oily rags took fire last winter at Galesburg, where the rags were placed in a barrel which bad been partly filled with water, which had become frozen. Observation also indicates that there is increasing danger arising from the recent practicing of charging fabrics with different substances to give them weight. Black silks are loaded with cyanogen, an extremely inflammable and dangerous compound, and also with salts of iron. The weight is increased 50 to 100 per cent., the animial nature of the silk is destroyed, it burns like tinder if ignited, and is liable to undergo spontaneous combustion of itself. Alapacas, serges, and many other fabrics are loaded more or less, and frequently with dangerons compounds. Velorur and Ulster goods contain vegetable fiber-like jute. Cheap satinets, denims, and oily woolen or uncleansed woolen fabrics will heat and finally ignite if piled up. Oiled silk, in dry goods, millinery stocks and hat stores, is unsafe. Any cloth oiled or varnished, like oiled curtains, tarpaulins, tracing paper–the oil paper used {{Style S-Lost|i..r}} copy-book–or for duplicate copies in connection with glycerine and lamp-black, tarred felt, {{Style S-Lost|..oddy}}, lampwick, scraps of leather or oil cloth will invite spontaneons combustion beyond a doubt. The M. D. Wells fire was caused, beyond any doubt, by the oily rags and scraps of leather piled in a heap. They used cotton-seed oil for oiling leather and wiped it with off with cotton and woolen rags.  

The convention then adjourned until 3 P.M.

The convention then adjourned until 3 P.M.