THREE TIMES DID THE FIRE-BELLS CLICK OFF THE BURNING OF STARTED IN THE ciently to make a statement. He was in the bin, which had but a little of the shavings in it, but a large accumulation of shavings and dust hung like a snowdrift from the ceilings and the rough walls. With a long pole he loosened this, and it suddenly fell in a blinding mass upon him. He got out as quickly as possible, but found himself surrounded by flames, followed immediately by an explosion in the upper part of the bin and in the ventilator shaft. Part of the falling shavings and dust had been projected from the open doors into the firing-room, and were ignited at the gas light, burning quickly back among the shavings on the floor of the bin, and then exploding above, where the atmosphere was more laden with dust. At the coroner's inquest the inspector produced a tablespoonful of the wood dust, and, placing it on a tin plate, showed that a lighted candle applied would not ignite it. Putting the dust in a small pasteboard box, he blew gently through a small hole upon it, while a lighted candle was within the box. The dust then exploded, and an immense flame shot upward to the ceiling-the lower part of the flame yellow and the upper part blue, the former showing carbon, the latter hydrogen. "You see," said the inspector, "it only requires air between not make perfect joints. Where such is the case a little jet of steam comes out with great velocity, and a piece of cotton or woolen, or anything of that sort, or wooden surfaces, in close contact with the escaping steam are very apt to fire. The most common cases of fires from steam-pipes are those where oily overalls and wet clothing are hung over the pipes or radiators to dry. One should never place wet clothing over a steam radiator or near a steam-pipe for any length of time. Even so apparently simple a thing as charred paper left lying around might set fire. The second day after a fire packed without having been thoroughly dried. Thoroughly dry straw used for packing musical boxes sent from Switzerland to this country has, on several occasions, ignited on becoming wet. This is doubly interesting, as in these instances the hay must certainly have been originally well dried before being used for packing such delicate instruments. An iron rolling-mill at Pittsville, Pennsylvania, was four times set on fire by nests of sparrows, which the birds had built in the rooftimbers. Two of the fines Occurred in a woolen house the books of the firm were taken out of the safe, opened and turned over; the ends of the books were blackened and charred. At night they were placed in a new safe with the exception of one blotter, which was left on a pine table used for showing goods. The next morning this book was found nearly consumed, having burned its shape into the table. The paper had been converted into carbon, at low temperature, by the burning of the plant. Opening the book allowed the oxygen of the air to enter, and the absorption, or chemical action, ignited the book. It is a common proverb in the country that "more hay is spoiled in a good season than in a bad one"-by overheating. Hay or straw, even when thoroughly dried, if subsequently wetted, will, when densely packed, be as likely to ignite from sparks falling into the nests, and the other two from the spontaneous combustion of oily waste which had been used in building the nests. Fires have occurred often from the spontaneous combustion of birds' nests. How about our buildings? Why not adapt the methods of the pure food law to a campaign for better building con struction and against the terrific fire waste of our country? Manufacturers of food products are compeiled to label their wares, for the information and protection of the public. So also owners of buildings used by the public should be compelled to label their structures, for a similar reason. Over each entrance should be affixed a sign reading "Fireproof", "Slow-burning", "Ordinary", or "Dangerous", as the case might be. And the term "fireproof" should be rigidly THE from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to Glacier Park, Montana, was made noteworthy by the operation of a small printing plant in a baggage car of the train which accompanied the tourists. The paper was a daily of two pages, called the "Glacier Park Blazer". In it was printed the day's news of the trip, together with photographic reproductions of incidents along the way. The plant cost about thirty thousand dollars. The "Blazer" marked the first t. me that a complete newspaper plant had ever been operated in so small a space. COMPUTING INTEREST BY MACHINERY THE latest and one of the greatest labor-saving devices, which tends to promote efficiency in the business world, is an interest calculator. This machine consists of two revolving cylinders upon which are answers to all possible interest problems. This calculator shows calendar dates, interest amounts, and whether or not the date of maturity falls on a holiday, all by a simple turn of a single handwheel. All interest problems are calculated in less than a second, and the most intricate problems in bank discount can be calculated in less than one minute. This machine figures interest on any amount, at any rate, for any period of time. The calendars are perpetual, and the holiday detectors are easily arranged to provide for any number, or specification, of holidays which may be peculiar to any business or locality. Interest calculations in foreign money are figured as easily as in American money. The machine serves for marks, francs, etc., as well as dollars. The device is further adapted to the requirements of wage calculation, as a limited scale of amounts can be multiplied by any number from one to three hundred and sixty-five. BUILT as close to the cemetery wall upon the city of the dead, are the derricks of a score of oil wells in Los Angeles. The burying ground is old, and interments have not been made there for many years, in fact many bodies have been taken elsewhere. Apparently, the ground under these toppling tombstones is rich in oil, for the wells are drilled close to the line and extend southwest for miles, but "God's Acre" is considered sacred and, so far, has been un disturbed. ANTI-MILITANT The legend on the sign shows the spirit of the Na WHERE WILL FUTURE LEVIATHANS DOCK? IT is the opinion of men conversant with the shipping business that the vessels of the future will so far surpass those of the present in size as to stagger the imagination. A ship fifteen hundred feet long is said to be easily within tional Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. an English organization which does not sanction the acts of violence perpetrated by their belligerent sisters. COPYRIGHT-NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATIONS, LTD. the possibilities of the next fifty years. The problem then arises as to where such a craft may be accommodated when in port. There is not an Atlantic port in the United States that is capable of taking care of vessels of such size. New York has reached its limit; Boston is out of the question; and the St. Lawrence is now crowded in handling the traffic of the huge steamships. |