436 Mr. H. Prater on the Anti-hiflammahle and 



use of oak, beech, or any wood susceptible of the dry polish 

 for their halls, staircases*, dining- and drawing-rooms, 

 might still, by using ^ja/nif«/ deal under their carpets, employ 

 uninflammable wood even forjloors^ with the certainty that 

 (as water did not come in contact with them) they could not 

 lose their powers of resisting flame by time. It is needless to 

 say, that little expense would be incurred by such process, 

 as the commonest sort of paint could, if desired, be employed 

 for carpeted rooms ; where oil skin was used, there would_ 

 be no necessity for painting at all. 



Of course, the preceding remai-ks, though applicable to all 

 structui'es of wood, or partially of wood, are more particularly 

 so to all offices and premises in which, from the trade pursued, 

 or the number of documents kept in paper, the risk of fire 

 is increased. And not only are they applicable to public 

 and private buildings, but also to ships, and particidarly to 

 steam-boats. 



Since this essay is intended for practical purposes, any 

 minute inquiry into the viodus opei-ayidi of the salts that have 

 an anti-inflammable property, would be out of place. But 

 as the carbonate (bicarbonate) of soda answers equally well 

 as the subcarbonate (carbonate), it seems probable that these 

 salts act in diminishing combustion, by the carbonic acid they 

 contain. Muriate of ammonia probably acts by the ammonia. 

 It is not perhaps so easy to form a plausible conjecture (for 

 the above are nothing more) how muriate of tin acts, for 

 neither bichloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate), sulphate 

 of zinc, sulphate of copper, nor sulphate of iron, were found 

 to have such property. 



I shall close this paper by only a few more remarks, and 

 first in reference to Mr. Benjamin Cook's patent for render- 

 ing wood, paper, 8cc. incombustible (to use his own term) 

 taken out in 1822. 



Mr. Cook used subcarbonate of potass, and likewise em- 

 ployed an instrument for extracting the sap. It appears pro- 



• It seems prhicipallt/ by the staircases that fire communicates from 

 one story to another. It is of immense consequence, therefore, for per- 

 sonal safety in case of fire, that these at least in all houses should be of 

 uninflammable materials. Hence stone staircases are often very properly 

 employed : but as these could not be used conveniently in small houses, 

 any more than the more ex|>ensive sorts of wood, deal prepared by soda, 

 and painted, ought certainly to be substituted, carpet or oil-cloth being 

 laid down in the middle of the stairs. In this case, of course, as the paint 

 is never trodden upon, it will remain as long without requiring to be 

 renewed, as when employed for the sides of rooms ; and consequently be 

 of little or no expense compared to the improvement in the appearance 

 of a staircase that it affects. 



