Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 242

Escape from apartments on fire may be best effected by creeping on the hands and knees. In this way the window or door may be reached. It is found that the atmosphere of a room so full of smoke as to produce suffocation to a person standing upright, may generally be safely breathed on nearly a level with the floor. A damp cloth, or handkerchief, tied over the mouth and nostrils, or, still better, over the whole face and head, will enable a person to effect a pa.s.sage through the densest smoke, and, in many cases, to escape from buildings on fire, when otherwise it would be impracticable. Should descent by the staircase be found impossible, then the window should be immediately sought, and a ladder or fire-escape waited for. In the absence of either, if the danger is imminent, a rope should be made by tying the sheets and blankets of the bed together, one end of which should be firmly secured to a chair or table, or preferably to one of the bed-posts, and with this apparatus descent should be cautiously attempted. Jumping out of the window should be avoided, as persons who have not been brought up as clowns, or harlequins, run just as much danger in performing such an exploit as they do by remaining in the burning building. When it is impossible to escape from a burning building by the stairs or windows, retreat may be sometimes secured by a trap door opening on to the roof, or by a skylight, when, unless it be an isolated house, the roof of one of the adjoining buildings may probably be gained with safety.

Fire-escapes of various kinds have been employed of late years in the metropolis, and have proved of the greatest value in rescuing persons from burning buildings.

It is said that there is no instance on record of a person being burnt to death in a dwelling-house in Edinburgh, where the houses are usually high; yet in London, where fire-engines and fire-escapes are provided in greater numbers, deaths are very frequent from this cause. The reason of this difference is, that in the former city the stairs are all made of stone, by which means a road of escape is secured.

The clothes of females and children, when on fire, may be most readily extinguished by rolling the sufferer in the carpet, hearth-rug, table-cover, a great-coat, cloak, or any other woollen article at hand. If this be expertly done, the flames may be rapidly put out, unless the skirts of the dress be distended by hoops or crinoline, when there is great difficulty in staying the progress of the flames. Should a.s.sistance not be at hand, the person whose clothes are on fire should throw herself on the ground, and roll the carpet round her, as before described; or if such a thing is not in the room, she should endeavour to extinguish the flames with her hands, and by rapidly rolling over and over on the floor.

In this way the fire will be stifled, or at least the combustion will proceed so slowly that less personal injury will be experienced before a.s.sistance arrives. The advantage of a.s.suming the horizontal position is manifest from the fact that nine times out of ten it is the lower parts of the dresses of females that first catch fire.[308]

[Footnote 308: For the mode of rendering muslin and other inflammable articles of ladies' apparel fire-proof, see INCOMBUSTIBLE FABRICS.]

The extinction of fires on board ships by means of carbonic-acid gas was some years since suggested to the Admiralty by Mr J. R. Hancorn. He proposes that a simple and economical apparatus should be attached to every decked vessel capable of supplying this gas, which is a well-known non-supporter of combustion, and will extinguish fire at the very instant of coming in contact with the burning matter. Chalk with sulphuric acid diluted with water (vinegar with any other acid will do) yields 44% of the gas; hence, a ton of chalk, and a fourth part of that quant.i.ty of sulphuric acid, will be found sufficient to extinguish any fire on board a ship. Mr Hancorn also proposed this as a method of destroying vermin in ships, such as rats and c.o.c.kroaches, for which purpose it is more easily applied and more effectual than that usually adopted. This plan was rejected by the Admiralty, from a fear that the destructive action of the gas might extend to the crew as well as the fire. But "it surely is possible by mechanical means to expel the gas before again entering the ship's hold. At any rate, the grand point would be obtained of extinguishing the fire, though the crew might have only the deck to stand on."

_Precautions to be taken against a Fire amongst Farming Stock._--The following are the suggestions of Mr Beaumont, the secretary of the County Fire Office:--

"Forbid your men to use lucifer matches, to smoke or light pipes or cigars, destroy wasp nests, or fire off guns in or near the rickyard, or to throw hot cinders into or against any wooden out-building on the farm, on pain of instant dismissal.

"Place your ricks in a single line, and as far distant from each other as you conveniently can. Place hayricks and cornstacks alternately; the hayrick will check the progress of the fire. Keep the rickyard, and especially the s.p.a.ces between the stacks and ricks, clear of all loose straw, and in all respects in a neat and clean state. The loose straw is more frequently the means of firing than the stack itself. Have a pond close to the rickyard, although there may be a bad supply of water. When a steam thrashing machine is to be used, place it on the lee-side of the stack or barn, so that the wind may blow the sparks away from the stacks.

Let the engine be placed as far from the machine as the length of the strap will allow. Have the loose straw continually cleared away from the engine; see that two or three pails of water are kept close to the ashpan, and that the pan itself is kept constantly full of water."

It is often difficult to get horses out of buildings on fire, but it is said that they will readily come out if, after being blindfolded, the saddle and bridle, or the harness, &c., to which they are accustomed, are thrown over them as usual.

We learn from the last report issued by Captain Shaw that the actual number of fires in the year 1877 in London was 1533. Of these fires 1374, or 90 per cent., were slight, no persons being endangered, and no considerable destruction of property taking place. The number of really serious conflagrations was 150; in 88 of these life was endangered, and in 24 cases there was loss of life. The actual number of persons whose lives were in danger was 165; but of these 136 were saved, and the lives eventually lost amounted only to 29. The smallness of the loss is due in great degree to the courage of the members of the Brigade, seven of whom have been commended for special efforts for saving life during the year.

Even of the twenty-nine persons who perished fourteen were taken alive out of the burning buildings, and died in hospital of their wounds. It is very satisfactory in view of the vast height of buildings used in business, and the flimsy character of so many London houses, that the risk of death from fire should be so small. It is one of the very slightest risks to which we are exposed in modern London. The fire-escapes must of course be credited with much of this security. There are now 108 stations of these useful machines; and instances of their utility in rescuing the inmates of burning houses are constantly occurring.

The various tables which Captain Shaw appends to his report give some very curious details as to the character of London fires. The hours at which they most commonly break out are by no means those which are popularly supposed to be the most dangerous. No considerable proportion occur after people have gone to bed. From seven o'clock in the evening till eleven o'clock there are more alarms of fire than in an equal portion of the twenty-four hours. Not a third of the number which occur in these evening hours take place in the small hours of the morning, which are in fact less destructive than the same period in the afternoon. There are, moreover, in the detailed list of fires some curious statistics, ill.u.s.trating the comparative security of private houses over places of business. A very large part of the half million houses in London must come under the description of private dwellings, yet the alarms of fire in this cla.s.s of buildings were only 316 in the year, and only in five of those were there serious conflagrations. In the lists of business premises nearly every trade in the metropolis is mentioned; and next to houses let out in lodgings, public-houses seem to suffer most. The causes of fires tell the old story of carelessness. They were instances of the almost inconceivable folly of seeking for an escape of gas with a lighted candle. The throwing down of lights is responsible for a considerable number of fires. Ordinary cases of chimneys on fire are not included in Captain Shaw's summary; but they give the brigade a good deal of work. The number of calls of this kind was 3744, of which 1256 proved to be false alarms. The number of these false alarms will probably be reduced when the stations at which men with hose are situated are more numerous.

=Fire Anni'hilator (Phillips's).= This is essentially a gaseous fire engine, which at any moment can be made to discharge a stream of mixed gases and vapours having the power of checking combustion. When first introduced it was generally regarded as a most important invention, but it has not proved an effective subst.i.tute for the common water engine. For extinguishing fires on board ship and in close apartments it is undoubtedly well adapted, but as a street engine it is comparatively useless, owing to the unmanageable nature of its fire-annihilating vapours.

The composition with which the 'Fire Annihilator' is charged is a mixture of dried ferrocyanide of pota.s.sium, sugar, and chlorate of pota.s.sa. It is set in action by a blow on a gla.s.s vessel containing oil of vitriol, which, being fractured, permits the acid to flow over the 'charge,' when the anti-combustion gas is liberated, and rushes forth with great impetuosity.

=Fire-damp.= See HYDROGEN (Light Carburetted).

=Fire-engine.= The common fire-engine is a compound forcing-pump, consisting of two 'forcing-pumps' placed on opposite sides of an 'air-vessel,' with which both communicate. The 'fulcrum' of the 'lever' by which both pumps are worked is placed midway between them; consequently they act alternately in charging the air-vessel. In order to obtain a very forcible jet it is necessary to prevent the escape of any portion of the contents of the air-vessel until the confined air is considerably compressed. The lever is connected with handrails on each side of the engine, and these are alternately raised and depressed by the workers.

Engines worked by steam power are now common in London and most of our large towns.

=Fire-Extinguishing Powder (Feuerloschpulver)=, Bucher Leipzig. Nitre, 59 parts; sulphur, 36 parts; coal, 4 parts; iron oxide, 1 part. (Wittstein.)

=Fire, how to light a.= In a close stove the first thing is to empty the fireplace. Take out the larger cinders and half-burnt coal with your fingers, and lay them on one side for lighting the fire; then rake out all the ashes (this can be done with the lids on, then it will not make so much dust). Next take off all the lids, and sweep all the soot carefully out; once or twice a week the flue pipe must be taken off and cleared out, also the flues under the oven. The soot should be carried away at once, as it blows about. Then blacklead the stove; put in a few cinders, lay on them a piece of paper and a few sticks crossing each other; on these lay very lightly some pieces of half-burnt coal and a few cinders, leaving s.p.a.ce for the draught.

Do not fill the grate full; put the lids on, draw out the damper, light the fire, and shut the front door. An open fire is lighted in much the same way. There are no flues to clean out; but the chimney, as high as one can reach and behind the register door, should be cleared from soot daily.[309]

[Footnote 309: 'Household Management, &c.,' by W. T. Tegetmeier.]

=Fire-proofing.= See INCOMBUSTIBILITY, &c.

=Fireworks.= See PYROTECHNY, and _below_.

=FIRES.= (In pyrotechny.) Coloured fires may be termed, not inaptly, the _chefs-d'uvre_ of the pyrotechnist's art, since on their excellence the attractions of most other varieties of fireworks depend. The following forms, under judicious management, yield fires of remarkable beauty.

=Blue Fire.= _Prep._ 1. From metallic antimony, 1 part; sulphur, 2 parts; nitre, 5 parts.

2. From realgar, 2 parts; charcoal, 3 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 5 parts; sulphur, 13 parts; nitrate of baryta, 77 parts.

3. (Mr A. Bird.) Charcoal and orpiment, of each 1 part; black sulphuret of antimony, 16 parts; nitre, 48 parts; sulphur, 64 parts.

4. (Fownes.) Tersulphuret of antimony, a part; sulphur, 2 parts; dry nitre, 6 parts. This is the composition used for the Bengal or blue signal light employed at sea.

5. (Prof. Marchand.) Sulphur, sulphate of pota.s.sa, and ammonio-sulphate of copper, of each 15 parts; nitre, 27 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 28 parts.

For theatrical illuminations. This may be rendered either lighter or darker coloured by lessening or increasing the quant.i.ties of the sulphate of pota.s.sa and ammonio-sulphate of copper.

6. (LIGHT BLUE--Marchand.) Sulphur, 16 parts; calcined alum, 23 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 61 parts.

7. (DARK BLUE--Marchand.) Calcined alum and carbonate of copper, of each 12 parts; sulphur, 16 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 60 parts.

8. (Marsh.) Sulphate of copper, 7 parts; sulphur, 24 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 69 parts.

9. (Ruggieri.) Nitre, 2 parts; sulphur and zinc, of each 3 parts; gunpowder, 4 parts.

10. From sulphur, 1 part; dried verdigris, 2 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 9 parts.

=Fire, Crimson.= _Prep._ 1. (Marsh.) Chlorate of pota.s.sa, 4-1/4 parts; charcoal (alder or willow), 5-3/4 parts; sulphur, 22-1/2 parts; nitrate of strontia, 67-1/2 parts. For pots.

2. (Marsh.) Charcoal, 4-1/4 parts; sulphuret of antimony, 5-1/2 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 17-1/4 parts; sulphur, 18 parts; nitrate of strontia, 55 parts. For boxes and stars.

3. (Marchand.) Sulphur, 16 parts; chalk (dry), 23 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 61 parts. Turns on the purple. See RED FIRE (_below_).

=Fire, Green.= _Prep._ 1. Nitrate of baryta, 77 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 8 parts; fine charcoal, 3 parts; sulphur, 13 parts.

2. From metallic a.r.s.enic, 2 parts; charcoal, 3 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 5 parts; sulphur, 13 parts; nitrate of baryta, 77 parts. Very beautiful, particularly when burnt before a reflector.

3. (Mr A. Bird.) Charcoal and black sulphuret of antimony, of each 2 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 5 parts; sulphur, 6 parts; nitrate of baryta, 80 parts.

4. (Fownes.) Lampblack, 1 part; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 4 parts; sulphur, 6 parts; dry nitrate of baryta, 18 parts.

5. (Marchand.) Boracic acid, 10 parts; sulphur, 17 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 73 parts. Very beautiful.

6. (Marchand.) Chlorate of pota.s.sa, 18 parts; sulphur, 22 parts; nitrate of baryta, 60 parts. For theatrical illuminations.

7. (LIGHT GREEN--Marchand.) Sulphur, 16 parts; carbonate of baryta, 24 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 60 parts. Extremely delicate.

8. (Marsh.) Charcoal and sulphuret of a.r.s.enic, of each 1-3/4 parts; sulphur, 10-1/2 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 23-1/4 parts; nitrate of baryta, 62-1/2 parts. For pots or stars.

=Fire, Lilac.= _Prep._ 1. (Marsh.) Black oxide of copper, 6 parts; dry chalk, 20 parts; sulphur, 25 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 49 parts. For pans.

2. (Marsh.) From black oxide of copper, 3 parts; dried chalk, 22 parts; sulphur, 25 parts; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 50 parts. For stars.

=Fire, Orange.= See RED FIRE, No. 8 (_below_).