AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 423 



tlirect rays of the sun. The same observation has extended to old timber, 

 boards, &c. 



The Chairman considered that they were already partially burned by 

 the action of light, 



Mr. Garbanati remarked upon the impossibility of protecting combus- 

 tible property, even in fire-proof buildings, and the consequent great dan- 

 ger of having cornices, shutters, &c., of combustible material. On a late 

 examination of the school-houses, nine out of ten were found to be danger- 

 ous. The same is the case with churches and other public buildings 

 which are attempted to be warmed in an absurd manner for economy's 

 sake. 



The Chairman. — The extraordinarily frequent burning of our public 

 buildings shows a singular lack of good sense which is not allowed to ap- 

 pear in private dwellings. The subject was under consideration about 

 twenty years ago by insurance companies, who found that their profits were . 

 lost by such buiWings, churches, warehouses, and others, not dwellings. 



Mr. Garbanati suggested that a well paid fire brigade would lessen the 

 number of fires. 



Mr. J. W. Reed considered that the goods in an air-tight room could 

 hardly be much damaged by fire originating in them. The division of 

 stores into fire-proof departments seems practicable, so that the goods in 

 one taking fire, those in all the others would be safe. 



Mr, Tillman, — Combustion is the union of the oxygen of the atmosphere 

 with a combustible. To prevent buildings burning, we must fill and sur- 

 round them with a gas which is not a supporter of combustion, and 

 which displaces the air. Or we must make the materials of the building 

 incombustible. The first plan has been attempted by using steam to dis- 

 place the air, and also in a secret method by *' Phillips' Fire Annihilator." 

 Both are, however, unreliable, although in single apartments, either may- 

 be of use to some extent. The other seems to be the true plan to follow 

 where wood is predominant building material, and there are three diflerent 

 methods which can %e employed to render it incombustible. 



1st. To cover the wood with a substance which shall keep the tempera- 

 ture of the wood below the burning point. For this purpose the whole 

 <ilass of alums may be employed. Each atom of alum contains twenty- 

 four atoms of water, and every atom of water absorbs 1,212^ of heat before 

 it arrives at 212" of sensible heat. During this process of absorption, the 

 wood remains below the boiling point, and cannot take fire. Also the 

 water, when driven off as steam, displaces the heated air, and thus still 

 protects the combustible wood, 



2d. To coat the wood with a substance which has already so much oxy- 

 gen in it, that it can take no more from the heated air. The phosphato 

 of magnesia is a good sample of this class of materials, 



3d. To fill the pores of the wood, and to coat its outside, with a sub- 

 •stanoe which contains another supporter of combustion than oxygen, and 

 which will therefore show no afiinity for the oxygen of the air. Of this 



