for extinguishing accidental Fires in Ships. §g 



to the deflagration. Its oxygen joins the combustible ma- 

 terials, while its hydrogen, disengaged in the form of in- 

 flammable air, mixes with the atmospheric air present, and 

 inflames almost as quickly as it is liberated. 



A ship in such a case becomes filled with flames, even in 

 those places where, before, there was no fire ; and it may 

 truly be said, these parts are set on fire by water ! 



But water has been the only means hitherto employed to 

 extinguish fires ; and if this is not to be used, what other 

 method can we resort to ) 



The question is answered in part by what we have stated 

 respecting water when it succeeds in any case in extinguish- 

 ing fire. Cut off all communication between the burning 

 body or bodies and the atmosphere. 



The presence of air, we have already observed, is indis- 

 pensably requisite to maintain combustion. 



This fact has been long known, and it appears wonderful 

 that advantage was never taken of it to extinguish fire in 

 ships ; especially when it is considered that their structure 

 is such that, had this been one of the principal objects in 

 view in the building of them, they could not possibly have 

 been better constructed to enable us to take advantage of 

 this law of nature. 



If a glass jar be inverted over a burning taper in such a 

 manner as to bring the mouth of the jar into contact with 

 the table on which the taper stands, the flame soon grows 

 languid, and in a little time we see it expire altogether. 

 The oxygenous part of the atmosphere has been decom- 

 posed, and having, by that decomposition, given up all its 

 oxygen to the combustible body, the process ceases of itself, 

 not for want of fuel, but for want of a fresh portion of oxy- 

 genous air to be decomposed. If this experiment be per- 

 formed over water, its ascent in the jar, as every one knows, 

 will prove that a portion of the air lias disappeared ; its ox- 

 ygen having become concrete in the burning body, or as- 

 sumed a less volume in the new products formed, viz. car- 

 ionic acid gas and tvater ; and that portion of its caloric not 

 necessary to the formation of the acid gas having been libe- 

 rated. 



The larger the flame of the taper compared with the quan- 

 tity of air; or, in other word.^, the smaller the quantity of 

 air compared with the size of the burning body, the sooner 

 does the process of combustion cease. It is on this princi- 

 ple that a common extiimuisher puts out a candle. 



These simple facts furnish us with sutHcient data on which 



to found a rational and infalUble method for extinguishing 



G 2 " fire 



