ofmsli Oil. 273 



twenty-four gallons of oil, heated to from 300 to 400 degrees. 

 From the evidence of Mr. FariidLiy,-Dr. Costock, Mr. Children, 

 Mr. Garden, and Mr. Martineau, the jury would be informed of 

 some effects arising from the heating of oil, of which tiiey had not 

 heard before. Besides the aqueous vapour of which they had 

 heard, the oil produced another vapour, highly inflammable and 

 of greater specific gravity than atmospheric air. They would 

 find that in one of the experiments to which he had referred, the 

 oil, at the heat of 460, had boiled up and rushed to the roof, to 

 the height of seven feet. Now, in the apparatus used bv the 

 plaintiffs, the vapour arising from the oil was carried off by the 

 vent, vvliich went to the chimney-top; but if that vapour was 

 heavier than the atmosphere, it must descend, and the steam-bin 

 being considerably lower than the vent, it might fall into it; and, 

 being highly inflammable, it might set on lire any combustible 

 substance on the floor. The learned gentleman illustrated this 

 supposition by the familiar case of a smoky chimney, and con- 

 tended that tlie same causes which produced the one effect might 

 produce the other. He did not say it had been the case, but it 

 was possible that, on the morning in which the fire took place, 

 the wind might have been in such a direction as by an eddy to 

 have forced the gas down the steam-vent into the bin. His 

 learned friend said the steam-vent had a draught upvvards, by 

 the working of the steam-engine ; but it was to be remembered 

 that the engine was not at work at that time, and that was a most 

 important fact in the case ; Muller had not got the engine to 

 work when the fire took jjlace, and that, no doubt, was the rea- 

 son why he had not been called. The boiler at first must, on 

 account of the coldness of^the sugar, be heated to a greater de- 

 gree than the average heat necessary during the day ; and this 

 being done while the pump was not at work, the mischief he had 

 described was likely to take place. Now, since the fire had taken 

 plac» at the time Muller was heating the oil — since the pump 

 was not then work — and since Muller, who was the workman cm- 

 ployed on the occasion, had not been called — he would leave it 

 to the jury to judge whether this was not the most likely cause 

 of the fire. What he had now ^aid he sho'uld substantiate by as 

 great a body of evidence as ever was submitted to a jury; and if 

 the jury should be of opinion either that the fire v,as occasioned 

 by the cause which he had assigned, or that the danger and risk 

 were increased by the introduction of this new jjrocess, or that 

 the tlescription of the premises was defective — on either of these 

 grounds his clients would be entitled to a verdict. 



Saiinicl \Villougl)!)y, a fellowship-porter, recollected the morn- 

 ing in wiiich the fire took |)lace. He lived at No. 10, Charles- 

 street, about 100 yards from tiie prcniiscs. A few minutes be- 



U 2 fore 



