862 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The Pygmies. Dr. Emin Bey gives in a 

 recent number of Petcrmann's " Mittheil- 

 ungen " some later notices of the Akkas, 

 the pygmy race discovered in Africa, and 

 first described by Schweinfurth. They are 

 a hunting people, divided up into numer- 

 ous tribes that do not mingle "with one 

 another. They have no fixed abodes, but 

 wander around in the countries of the Mon- 

 butte and the Amadi. When a small soci- 

 ety of them sojourns temporarily around the 

 settlement of some chief, they build little 

 huts for the married ones, while the unmar- 

 ried satisfy themselves with mere shelters 

 from the sun. Usually they live in the 

 groves that line the streams, which afford 

 them game and good hiding-places. The 

 chiefs provide them with grain and roots, 

 and take their pay in the proceeds of the 

 hunt. The Akkas are vengeful and dan- 

 gerous when offended, and are skilled in the 

 use of the bow and arrow. Emin Bey's 

 measurements gave heights of between four 

 and four and a half feet for full-grown Ak- 

 kas. The color of their skin varies from a 

 clear yellow to a glistening red. The whole 

 body is covered with a thick, stiff, filthy 

 growth of hair. A disposition of the skin 

 to wrinkle, peculiarly observable in the eye- 

 lids, makes them look much older than they 

 are. 



Origin of Fires in London. The statis- 

 tics of fires in London for the thirteen 

 years, 1870-'S2, state the origin and nature 

 of 22,262 fires, of which ten per cent at- 

 tained serious proportions. The most fires 

 were started in private houses, but they 

 were the least dangerous ones, for only 2*4 

 per cent of them became serious, while in 

 such establishments as saw-mills, furniture 

 ware-rooms, rag-stores, and builders' shops, 

 more than one fourth of the fires were de- 

 structive. No particular influence of sea- 

 sons in promoting or diminishing the dan- 

 ger of fires appears from the London re" 

 ports, where the difference in the number 

 of outbreaks in the several months is com- 

 paratively small and irregular, but in agri- 

 cultural districts the most fires seem to take 

 place in July and August. According to 

 the facts presented by Mr. W. G. McMillan, 

 in a lecture before the Society of Arts, the 

 distribution of fires over the hours of the 



day seems to be governed by a distinct and 

 well-defined law. The curves illustrating 

 the hourly distribution, through several 

 years, show a remarkable symmetry and a 

 wonderful agreement in general form. The 

 most outbreaks occur between eight and 

 nine in the evening, whence the numbers 

 fall somewhat rapidly to a minimum at be- 

 tween six and nine in the morning. Thence 

 the curves rise gradually to the evening 

 maximum. By far the greatest number of 

 the fires recorded originated in the use or 

 abuse of light- and heat-giving apparatus. 

 The most prolific source of danger still ap- 

 pears to be the candle, less dangerous than 

 when the old-fashioned, spark-emitting tal, 

 low-candles were in use, but still operative 

 by means of the ease with which it may be 

 set under a shelf or carried within reach 

 of light drapery. Surrounding the candles 

 with tall shades like lamp-chimneys is rec- 

 ommended as a precautionary device. Pe- 

 troleum is, with due precautions, a safe 

 fluid, but there are other burning-fluids, and 

 some kinds of petroleum, that are highly 

 dangerous. Coal-gas is entirely safe, except 

 from the danger of leaks at the joints of 

 the pipes, which may be guarded against; 

 but all burners should be fixed, else they 

 may be carelessly brought within reach of 

 drapery. Many fires are caused by careless- 

 ness in throwing away matches after they 

 have been used. Directly and indirect^, 

 artificial heating is responsible for a large 

 proportion of fires. It operates through 

 sparks shot out from open grates ; through 

 defects in flues ; through the proximity of 

 wooden beams and planks to flues, steam- 

 pipes, or register- furnaces ; and through 

 carelessness in disposing of hot ashes. The 

 red fire used in theatres is very liable to 

 spontaneous combustion ; plumbers some- 

 times allow their portable furnaces to set 

 fires ; and the sun shining through a body 

 so shaped as to act as a lens to concentrate 

 its rays, has been known to set papers on 

 fire. Water is still the cheapest and most 

 effective extinguisher ; and other agents in 

 use are good in their way. Gypsum, used as 

 a plaster and in concrete, is an excellent 

 fire-proofing material. Wood may be made 

 uninflammable by painting it with asbestus ; 

 by impregnating its fibers with such sub- 

 stances as tungstate or silicate of soda, or 



