THE UPPER HUTT FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2114, 3 April 1914, Page 8

THE UPPER HUTT FIRE.

Sir,—As cdirsiflerablp. uncertainty : ha3 been expressed : by statements, in your paper as to tho possible danger from th<s use of acetyleno, wo would. ask you to publish tho 'following facts for the information of your readers: — Thero require to be a niinimnm of 4 per cent, of acetylene in a room, to allow ■an explosion to be ciiused with, ix flaiiie. A room, nieaaur'ing. 10 ■ by .10 b,v 10 feet, eqiialiiiig 1000 cubic'feet, would require )orty_ ieet of acetyleno to bo accumulated in the room to .produce an oxplosivo nnxtjiro. A largo burner pas.ses one foot of .gas per hour, and would, if left open, (alio forty hours to pass tho necossary gas. During this timo the mixture would bo Weakened, by leaks of air tnto and from the room, and :m explosion from such a cause is impossible. . . • A gas pipe, broken clcan- off, ■ would, allow the total supply from generator to accumulate into the room, but as. the stored, quantity iii generator does libt exceed' a: lew toet, tlie available supply* of gas will depend on tho quantity of unused carbide in the. generator. This quantity, is limited, and; the.generation, of gas from: a tuiiy-chargcd chamber would take about an hour to exhaust tho chamber.

■ lu practicc it is hardly possible to •liavo nn explosive mixture in a room even if a main gas pijie is- broken clean off. .'' r . : " ~-4 . ■ - If by any clianec such a quantity of acetylene could bo. accumulated, intoa. room as to producer an explosive mix? ture, tho result of the oxplosion of this mixture by coming into contact with flamo would bo no more than that of a siniilar explosion .of coal-gas,, and .tho effects of .the explosion would , bo tlw shattering of tho window glass, if slosed,or tho forcewould he driven through' tho door if open. •• ■In the case :of the late ; disaster. at tho Hnct, tho generator only held seven pounds of carbide, when fully charged, and this had been in use for lighting tile premises during the evening. At the most there could. ; iip.t iliav.o, been available more ihan.2o feet of gas. which, obviously, could not have causca any explosion there at all. " .■ ifishaps from misuse of any , gas or light are possible, hut. acetylene has proved itself to- lie'faecr from such risks than any other lighting agent,' and llw more, this gas is knoivii tlio uior.e readily this fact is admitted.—We arc, etc., . ' For the "Daylight" Aco.tyleuo Lighting System, . .. J'\ J. SHELTOX. For the ..JjEsfr Zealand Acotyloiio G.o» LwhtinnOonuiaiiy, Ltd., PHILI1 1 CONGREVE.