FIG. 6-Improper way of obtaining acid from a carboy. Operator may lose control of carboy, may knock over jug, or the acid when being poured, may spill or splash in eyes or on hands, clothing or feet of person tilting the carboy.

FIRES AND FIRE HAZARDS

All materials except brick, stone, and metals are susceptible to change by fire, and in these materials, which are ordinarily considered incombustible, both physical and chemical changes may take place if the temperature is raised to a sufficient degree.

FIG. 7- Proper method of conveying a carboy filled with acid by the use of a "bicycle." Note broken carboy at left with carrying sticks for conveying the carboy about. The old wooden box does not seem sufficiently strong to hold the glass bottle. The bottom dropped out of the carboy containing the acid, which was broken, and contents spilled on the ground.

Combustion of material, which is always accompanied by heat and light and results in chemical change, may be caused by direct ignition with flaming material or glowing substances, spontaneous heating, spontaneous combustion, friction, chemical reaction, the action of light, shock, or static sparks. It must not be understood that all exhibitions of heat and light are necessarily instances of combustion, an example of this being the heating of platinum wire to incandescence without any chemical change taking place.

This subject is a large one and covers a wide range; hence, only a few of the danger points will be cited, viz.: Direct igni

tion with flaming material does not usually occur with inorganic substances, but there is a large list of organic substances which are easily ignited when present in a state of fine division (dust) and in sufficient quantity; an example of ignition by a glowing or highly heated, not flaming, substance is the flaming of carbon disulphide by contact with a glass rod heated to 120° C.

Spontaneous heating has been found to occur in dye woods, slag heaps, lampblack, charcoal, oily steel borings, and burnt limestone.

Chemical reaction, changes which take place when certain substances are brought together, furnishes a long list of materials which may produce fire; among these are sulphuretted hydrogen with bronze powder or nitric acid, and sodium peroxide with any organic substance or with furnace gases.

Friction, if the temperature of the substances brought together be raised sufficiently high, can easily cause certain materials to take fire, examples of this being the grinding together of sulphur and potassium chlorate, and instances of the ignition of alcohol vapor by the heat generated by the attrition of metals; i. e.— sparks produced by grinding a metal substance on an emery wheel in close proximity to the alcohol.

Shock will cause fire and explosion of fulminates on the very slightest provocation; none of this material is manufactured in the State of New York, but some of it is handled in the manufacture of primers and blasting caps. Where explosives are carried from one building to another, as for instance from magazines to workrooms, the employees carrying such explosives should not be permitted to follow each other closely, but should allow an interval of at least one minute in time, or one hundred feet in distance.

Static sparks, caused by the operation of belts in cold weather, etc., will ignite the vapors of many volatile liquids when these vapors are present in the air in sufficient quantity and proportion; among such liquids met with in industry in this State are benzol, benzine, ether, alcohol, and chloroform.

The carrying of matches or other flame producing devices, by employees for their personal use, may be the cause of fires and explosions in such places as have previously been described; this

combus

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This only a f

, as well as with patent fire ter connections for fire hose. al handled or made presents a

1 motors, fuses, electric bells, ectrical devices must be placed h hazard may be present.

by the passing of sunlight bat many barn fires, which are g in hay lofts, are really due to ng through the window glass, or, ss receptacles placed on shelves lens. While the danger of fire te, the State of New Jersey has rohibits the carrying of lenses by ilding in which dynamite, nitrole or used.

re occurred in a factory in New nufacture of dyes, it was found

form of fine powder, was placed near the windows; the path of the hese barrels to the other parts of o reasonable cause could be found with sparks or flame, it is within may have been started by the action through the window glass, on the

ignition, has been given as the es principally because no other reaand in most instances this conclu

g list of substances which, by heat, of gases, action of light, or presother substances near them to burst that not only men having a chemiory proprietor, mercantile owner, hould have a full knowledge of the fully acquainted with the list of