1822.] Mr.Cook on rendering Wood, Cottons, &c. incombustible. 
be charred. ‘by an intense heat, but 
they will not burn.” These are facts 
that. proved many years ago; and 
several of my friends, to whom I ex- 
hibited cloth, calico, muslin, &e. ren- 
dered. incombustible, can attest the 
same. Indeed I have by me speci- 
mens which have been done twelve 
monihs, which I have kept te see 
if time would. make any difference in 
them. 
- Some of the cloth and timber so 
prepared I exhibited to some friends 
about eight months ago, who urged me 
to take out letters patent for the dis- 
covery. After my patent was com- 
pleted, I offered it to the Nayy Board, 
and am now preparing to lay before 
that body my plans for rendering tim- 
ber not only incombustible, but, by 
the same process, effectually prevent 
the dry-rot. I not only propose to sa- 
turate timber in the planks, by letting 
it remain for a time in the solution; 
but also when the tree is cut down, 
(which may be done when the sap is 
up, and the bark in its best state,) by 
# machine to drive out or extract the 
sap; and saturate the whole tree at 
onee, filling up all the pores with a 
solution of alkali: this I can effectuate 
in a few hours at a small expense. 
I have by me memorandums of ex- 
periments made more than seven years 
ago; at which time I discovered that 
solutions of the alkalies would render 
all sorts of cottons, linen, timber, 
&c., incombustible; but the many 
engagements I was under at that time, 
and for the last four years, in bring- 
ing to perfection my invention of 
rollers for calico-printing, for which 
I obtained a patent about three years 
ago, prevented me from paying that 
attention to it I wished, In fact, 
what urged me now to make the disco- 
very public, and to secure it by letters 
patent, was the occurrence of so many 
accidents by fire, as well as the: ear- 
nest solicitation of my friends. 
In wishing you to make this public, 
2 have no desire to take away from 
M, Gay Lassae, or any other, the me- 
rit that is due to.them for the diseo- 
very; for it is very evident that they 
could not know of any experiments 
JT had made; yet 1 think L am entitled 
‘to the merit of having been the first to 
aaake this discovery. ‘That it will be 
of importance in saving the lives of 
og 1 have no doubt, especially if 
the ladi 
ies can. be prevailed upon to, 
adopt it in their dresses, which will 
Montuty Mac, No. 373. 
204 
only require the dress, after it has been 
washed and wrung out of the: last 
water, to be dipped in a solution of 
pure vegetable alkali. This solution, 
which is as perfectly clear as the purest 
water, and without any smell, I am 
now preparing forsale. But, if there 
should be any objection to use itin the 
finest dresses, there can be none to 
dip ajl window-curtains and hangings 
for beds in it; for thousands of acci- 
dents haye happened, and property 
been destroyed, as well as many lives 
lost, by the curtains being set on 
fire by accident or the carelessness of 
servants. No accident can ever hap- 
pen from this cause if the curtains are 
firstrendered incombustible; andnofa- 
mily should ever put up curtains liable 
to be set on fire, without first securing 
them from its power. I propose, also, to 
render all the boarded floors of houses 
incombustible, by washing over every 
part with this solution after the rooms 
are cleaned: the servant should wet 
every part-with a proper brush, and 
this may be done always after the 
rooms have been cleaned with water, 
or scoured. Those rooms that are 
never wet or washed should be wash- 
ed over with the solution several 
times, in order that the wood may be 
well saturated,—when the timber or 
floors will require no farther attention. 
There is another adyantage of some 
importance that those will experience 
who use this preparation,—the insect 
so common and troublesome in large 
towns will not remain in the floors so 
prepared, nor will they enter into bed- 
steads that have been rendered incom- 
bustible by this solution. 
I have, I fear, taken up already 
too much of your time; yet I wish 
to mention its importance to all 
inns, hotels, &c. where so many per- 
sons at times sleep, that, if a fire was 
to break out in them, how many lives 
are endangered; when the whole of 
the rooms, at a small expense, may be 
rendered safe, and every noxious in- 
sect destroyed or driven away. | 
I should not at this time have pub- 
lished this statement to the world, but 
I feel a desire (which I think no one 
can blame me for, if I am entitled to 
-it,) to claim the merit of having’ first 
discovered the important property of 
-the alkalis, in rendering all combus- 
tible bodics incombustible, when. they 
are impregnated with them. 
Basherville House, ‘R. Cook. 
Birmingham ; July 15. 
Dd To 
