How Spontaneous Fire Originates.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 43, 20 February 1886, Page 5

How Spontaneous Fire Originates.

Somk peculiar instances of spontaneous ignition of various substancos, with attendant losses of property, would appear to have been due to simple ignor - anco of tho relation of tho animal, vegetable, and mineral oils to combustion. Professor Attfield points out that the two former aro much safer than the latter, since they do not ignite at low temperatures nor give off vapour which, When mixed with a certain portion of air, explodes in contact with flame. On tho other hand, in their liability to spontaneous ignition, when freely exposed Io the air, under certain conditions, they possess a dangerous property from which the mineral oils are free. Then, too, the animal and vegetable oils differ considerably among themselves in the rate at which thoy cause the generation of heat on being exposed to air, upon the j surface of fabrics, shavings, or other materials, though all aro more orless liable to this result when spreid out in tkin films, or in any other state of minute division. What are known as drying oils are particularly susceptible to Buch atmospheric influences, the drying it selfconsisting in the conversion of the oil into a kind of resin by the action of the air.