02?" KEROSEISTE OIL. 83 



fancy names, as '^ Eureka," '^ Sunlight Oil,'"' Danfortli's Fluid," 

 " Non-explosive Chemical Spirit," etc., may easily be detected. 

 When a thermometer is at hand the temperature of the oil may be 

 raised by cautiously heating the saucer over a stove, and for every 

 two or three degrees rise, a lighted match may be passed rapidly 

 across the saucer, one-fourth of an inch above the surface of the 

 fluid. If the oil becomes ignited, a slight puff of the breath will 

 extinguish the flame. Of all the methods devised for testing kero- 

 sene, the most approved is that used by the British government in 

 applying the " fire-test " to hydro-carbon oil. The only apparatus 

 required, is a tester, thermometer and spirit lamp or candle. 



The tester consists of a tin vessel four and one-half inches deep, 

 with the same diameter. A cover fits this, which supports another 

 small vessel of tin, two inches in depth and two inches in diameter. 

 When the cover is placed in position, the small vessel descends into 

 the larger vessel. The cover also has an elevated rim about the 

 circumference, one-fourth of an inch in height. Stretching across 

 the top of the rim is a wire, which passes over the center of the 

 small vessel containing the fluid to be tested. Water at 60 ° or 

 70 ° is placed in the large vessel and slowly warmed from under- 

 neath by the flame of a lamp or candle. The cover, containing the 

 small vessel filled with oil, is put on, and the bulb of a thermome- 

 ter is introduced one-half inch below the surface of the fluid. For 

 every rise of two or three degrees in the mercury, a minute gas- 

 flame, or lighted match, is passed along the wire a quarter o f an 

 inch above the surface of the oil, which is repeated until a pale blue 

 flicker is observed to pass across the surface of the fluid, w'hen the 

 flashing point is reached. The temperature is then increased until 

 the oil will take fire from the flash and continue to burn. The 

 temperature of this is the burning point. 



