L. MECHANICS AND ENGINEERING. 465 



the exclusion of oxygen and atmospheric air ; second, by 

 fire-proof coatings of the combustible materials used in the 

 construction of buildings ; tliird, by rendering such materials 

 themselves essentially incombustible ; fourth, by rendering 

 bedding, clothing, scenery of theatres, etc., incombustible ; 

 fifth, by mechanical obstructions, such as fire walls, shutters, 

 etc. ; sixth, by the avoidance of the causes of spontaneous 

 combustion. 



The extinguishment of fires is treated of under the follow- 

 ing heads: First, by means of ordinary water; second, by 

 means of water holding in solution gases which are non-sup- 

 porters of combustion ; third, by means of such gases ap- 

 plied directly to the flames by machinery ; fourth, by means 

 of gases and vapors generated by the heating or combustion 

 of certain materials with which the timbers were coated or 

 otherwise protected previously to the erection of the build- 

 ing. 



These various methods are all taken up seriatim and dis- 

 cussed with much minuteness, and the whole paper is one that 

 should receive the attention of insurance companies and 

 other bodies interested in the preservation of property from 

 fire. 



SULPHUR AS A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. 



A well-known French savant suggests in J.es Jfondes that 

 brimstone should be carried on board every ship for use in 

 case of fire. Haifa hundred-weight of sulphur will be sufii- 

 cient to abstract the whole of the oxygen from 3500 cubic 

 feet of air, thus unfitting it to support combustion ; and the 

 writer remarks that in a closed space, like a ship's hold, the 

 sulphurous gas produced by the burning of the sulj^hur will 

 penetrate where water from the decks can not be brought to 

 bear, while the density of the gas will prevent it from ris- 

 ing and spreading if pains be taken to properly close the 

 hatches. Tlie suggestion is offered that the brimstone be 

 made up in the form of matches of considerable size, the 

 ends of which can be passed through scuttles prepared for 

 them in the decks or bulkheads. 



The foregoing recalls an assertion that has emanated from 

 several independent and trustworthy sources, namely, that 

 the vapor of chloroform possesses to a remarkable de- 



U2 



