Scientific Lectures. 223 



I. Fires caused by kerosene : 



Explosion of lamps 71 



Upsetting of lamps 30 



Filling of lamps 8 



Breaking of lamps 2 



Carelessness in handling lamps 4 



Ignition while pumping oil 1 



From kerosene 116 



II. Fires caused by the lighter products of petroleum, benzine, 



naphtha, gasoline, " liquid gas," " safety oil," etc. : 



Explosion of lamps 18 



Upsetting of lamps 3 



Carelessness in filling lamps 6 



Breaking of lamps , 2 



Ignition of vapor 8 



Carelessness in testing, filling or pumping 3 



Leak 1 



From lighter products 41 



Total from petroleum products 157 



It has been estimated that the loss from kerosene and naphtha in 

 the United States is $2,000,000 per annum, and that from one to two 

 thousand lives are annually lost from the same cause. 



Is this necessary ? Of course, a certain number of accidents from 

 fire must result, wherever fire is employed. They are unavoidable. 

 There is a certain per centage of accidents and loss that we cannot 

 escape. But is this true of our kerosene accidents ? 



The petroleum as it comes from the earth is a mixture of a 

 variety of constituents, some safe, some highly dangerous. It is the 

 duty of the refiner to separate these deleterious constituents, so that 

 the refined kerosene shall be entirely free from the dangerous ele- 

 ments, and not liable to take fire. Many refiners do this already, 

 and many more do not, who would do it were it possible to compete 

 successfully with those who do not. The accidents are due either to 

 the fact that the refiner fails to purify the kerosene properly, or else 

 the retailer sells to his customers a mixture of good kerosene with 

 naphtha, or naphtha all by itself. 



Kefining Petroleum. 

 Petroleum crude, as it comes from the wells in Pennsylvania, is 

 generally a dark greenish-brown liquid, of a somewhat offensive odor, 



