104- METHOD OF EXTINGUISHING FIRE. 



On trial itprov. by ufing the two liquids in the fame manner, the fire was al- 



ed lcfs effectual . ,. .„ . . , , , ,. ,, , 



than common - v extin guitned more quickly by the common water than by 



water. the anti-incendiary liquor; but I obferved, at the fame time, 



that a very inconfiderable quantity of water, if judicioufly di- 

 rected, would extinguifli a very violent fire. The refult of my 

 Experiment to firft experiments in this refpeei, led me to make others on a 

 ^^^^ larger fcale, and which I mall defcribe alone: I took two 

 water is needful cafks, which had been full of pitch, and of which the infide 

 inextinguiming was yet we ]j cover ed with that inflammable fubftance ; the 

 heads of thefe were then taken out, and in order to aftift the 

 operation of combuftion, I gave them a conical fhape, placing 

 the larger aperture of 20 inches diameter uppermoft, the other 

 of 16 inches diameter below, mounted on a three-legged 

 ftand, a few inches from the ground, fo that the fire might be 

 kept as brifk as polfible by the free current of air paffing 

 through the calk. I covered the infide of each calk with a 

 frefn coat of pitch, and having placed (havings of wood in each 

 cafli, I lighted them one after the other. I began to extin- 

 guish this fire when it was at its height. For this purpofe I 

 made ufe of an iron ladle capable of holding two ounces of 

 water, and provided with a very long handle, being kept at 

 thediftance of four or five feet from the apparatus by the vio T 

 lence of the fire. I carefully poured the water from this ladle 

 in very fniall ftreams over the infide of the calk, placing the 

 ladle on the edge of the calk, and moving it gradually along 

 the edge as the flames ceafed. In this way the firft ladle full 

 of water extinguifhed nearly one half of the fire, and what re- 

 mained was effectually put out by a fecond ladle full, ufed in 

 the fame manner. The linking fuccefs of this experiment, 

 induced me to repeat it in the prefence of many perfons, and 

 with care and attention in the application and management of 

 the water, I have more than once fucceeded in extinguifliing an 

 highly ignited calk with a fingle ladlefull of two ounces of 

 water, 

 •theory. The It will appear furprifing at firft that fo violent a fire could 

 fteam keeps off be extinguifhed with fo fmall a quantity of water ; the reafon 

 will, however, be eajily underftood when we reflect that, ac- 

 cording to well-known facls and principles, the flame of a 

 burning body will ceafe whenever its contact with the atmof- 

 pheric air is prevented: now, when a fmall quantity of water 

 is thrown upon an highly-ignited body, part of that. water is 



inftantly 





