22 2 Tra wsa ctions of the A merican Institute. 



the causes of these fires. The first step in preventing fires is to 

 ascertain the causes. 



Out of 752 cases of fire, 200 were caused by incendiaries. In fact, 

 the most frequent cause of fires is incendiarism, and this is more preva- 

 lent in the country than in the cities, because the buildings are more 

 combustible and less protected. 



Next in order comes petroleum. In regard to frequency, this stands 

 second on the list. Out of these 752 fires, eighty-five were traced to 

 kerosene and naphtha, the products of petroleum ; defective chimneys 

 caused forty-four; defective flues, three; spontaneous combustion, 

 twenty-seven. To recapitulate : Of 752 fires throughout the United 

 States, the origin of which was ascertained with tolerable certainty, 

 there were due to, 



1. Incendiarism , 200 



2. Kerosene, naphtha, etc 85 



3. Defective chimneys 44 



4. Stoves and stovepipes 30 



5. Spontaneous combustion 27 



6. Furnaces 17 



7. Steam engines 16 



I glanced over very recently the report of the fire marshal of the city 

 of New York, Mr. Charles N. Bracket, for the year ending October 

 31, 1870 : 866 fires were reported to have occurred during the year, 

 resulting in a loss of nearly $3,000,000. Carelessness with fires and 

 matches, 236 ; children playing with matches caused thirty. Out of 

 these 866 fires, 157 were traced to kerosene, liquid gas and other 

 products of petroleum, — eighteen per cent of the whole number ; 

 twenty-four were the result of spontaneous combustion ; incendiaries, 

 forty-four. One cause of fires was lace curtains ; whole number, forty- 

 three. More than five per cent originated from lace curtains catching 

 fire from gas-burners, which • may be prevented by the use of such 

 solutions as we have described. 



Kerosene Fires. 



These kerosene fires have attracted my special attention, because 

 they are entirely unnecessary. There never should be another kero 

 sene fire or accident from the use of kerosene ; fires may un avoid 

 ably occur in factories where oil is refined in large quantities, but 

 there should never be another fire from kerosene in our houses. 



On examining this subject more closely, I found that tne petro 

 leum fires are classified as follows : 



