^ C« A15B.IAN0PLE RED, &e. 



■precfnat^d with boiled oil, since no one ever went into the 

 closet with a lig^hted pipe, or any thino^ else burning. 

 This not be- ^^ J found, that several persons belongin<>- to the nrianu- 

 jjy^ factory did not credit this explanation, I again impregnated 



Tried again, a few dozen hanks of some old cotton, that had not been 

 well dyed, in the same manner as 1 had done the cotton 

 that was burned. These I set to dry in a simi ar manner in 

 the open air; and as it threatened to rain, ordered them to 

 he hung upon a line under a penthouse, directing one of the 

 watchmen to look at it every quarter of an hour during the 

 night, and throw it into a bucket of water, as soon as he 

 perceived it begin to heat. Bui this man could not believe 

 the possibility of the cotton's taking tire of itself, as he af- 

 terward confessed to me, and walked through the ixianufac- 

 Tookfireas tory without once looking at the penthouse. At length 

 before. however he returned to lie down, and found by the great 



light he saw, that what 1 had foretold in case he wos negU- 

 gent had taken place. Finding the cotton as well as the 

 line was burned, he took the bucket of water to extinguish 

 the posts, which were already on fire. 

 Experiments Though these two accidents did not at all surprise rae, I 

 on ?pontaneous could the less forgive myself for the first, as, in order to pre- 

 com ustion. ^^^^^ similar accidents, I had made some experiments on 

 spontaneous combustions at a public house fifteen years be- 

 fore. On that occasion 1 had spoken of the probability of 

 fires being occasioned by heated substances, or subbtancea 

 that have a tendeticy to heat, and which are thoughtlessly 

 Substances li- V^^ ^'^ places capable of being set on fire. The substances 

 able to u. J mentioned to those of the company, who were not suffi- 

 ciently acquainted with the phenomena of spontaneous com- 

 bustion, were roasted coffee and chocoiate nuts; fermented 

 plants; ointments made with metallic oxides put hot into 

 wooden barrels ; bales of raw cotton, as well as woollen 

 yarn or cloth packed up warm, and even linen when ironed, 

 and put away i a drawers yet hot; and lastly substances of 

 every kind impregnated with boiling oil, as silk or cotton. 



^ . .,1 showed them besides, that in all circumstances where the 



Owing to rapm 



attraction of oxigen of the atmosphere is rapidly attracted and absorbed 



oxjgen. |jy ^^^y eause, the caloric or heat, which serves as a base to 



the.oxigen, and gives it the properties of a gas, is given out 



in 



