320 On the Chemical Evidence 



been proved, that the actual risk was increased by the intro- 

 duction of the oil process, much was imagined for the sake of 

 supporting that supposition. 



Jt was said, that the copper pipes, through which the oil cir- 

 culated, might have burst, and the heated oil have set fire to 

 the sugar, which is well known to be a very combustible sub- 

 stance. That an inflammable vapour might have arisen from 

 the oil when at that high temperature, and been productive of 

 mischief. That a permanently elastic inflammable gas might 

 have been generated by the action of an intense fire upon the oil, 

 and that this might have escaped from the orifice of the safety- 

 pipe*, and spread itself throughout the body of the building — 

 for though its specific gravity would naturally direct it upwards, 

 it might by a sudden gust of wind have been driven down- 

 wards, and then coming in contact with a gas-lamp, which 

 was burning in the room below, it might have become ignited, 

 and the buildings thus have been destroyed. And in order to 

 strengthen the opinion, that the fire might have been occasioned 

 by the sudden ignition of inflammable gas, it was said, that 

 the nature of the oil put into the large iron vessel might have 

 been changed by the repeated and long-continued application of 

 heat ; — for though it might not give out any considerable quan- 

 tity of gas at a certain temperature now, it might after a lapse 

 of time be so far changed in its quality and character, that 

 the same effects would be produced at a temperature of 300° or 

 400°, which on fresh oil, would require a heat of 600° or 700°. 

 It was said also, that the oil-vessel might have leaked, and the 

 oil have dropped into the fire, and thus have occasioned this 

 tremendous conflagration. 



These various surmises and conjectures were, however, very 

 completely answered by Mr. Serjeant Copley, his Majesty's 

 Solicitor General ; and I trust, that in the following pages they 

 will be entirely refuted. To do this I need only examine the 



♦ Tliis pipe rose directly from the top of the oil-vessel ; it was 18 feet 

 long, and terminated within a brick flue, called the s^am vent ; and 

 this latter communicated with a very lofty brick chimney. 



