THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[February 1, 1873. 
1000 
results. The time is not far distant when apparatus of 
this kind will he regarded as much of an essential ap¬ 
pendage to buildings which contain large quantities of 
valuable merchandise, as are gas pipes, or water closets. 
The burning of our warehouse, at the time of the great 
Ere, filled with chemical products, was in one sense an 
interesting exhibition. We cannot say that it was cal¬ 
culated to awaken much enthusiasm so far as we were 
.personally concerned, as the spectacle was a little too 
mostly fcr that. It was paying too high for the pyro- 
■techny, no matter how grand the display. The nature 
of the substances burned was peculiar, affording intense 
beat and flames of divers and gorgeous colours. Nu¬ 
merous packages of the salts of strontium, calcium, mag¬ 
nesium, potassium, copper, barium, etc., were consumed, 
■which produced a variety of brilliant illuminations, and 
these, with alcoholic preparations, carbolic acid, nitrate 
of ammonia, and hundreds of other highlv combustible 
bodies, gave to the flames a fierceness and colouring not 
observed elsewhere. The brick vault in which were 
deposited our account-books and valuable papers, was in 
the midst of the fiery furnace, and subjected to the full 
fury of the flames. Owing to the great heat, it could 
not be reached until five days afer the fire, and when 
opened, the contents were found to be in a most perfect 
■condition. The safe was a brick structure, carried up 
from the ground through the basement, having two 
iron doors, the space between the outer and inner being 
fourteen inches. The doors were about three-eighths of 
-an inch in thickness, and without transverse bars or bolts, 
or other fastening, save one common lock. Apprehen¬ 
sive that these frail iron doors would not withstand in¬ 
tense heat in case of fire, we directed the American 
*Steam Safe Company, two years ago, to put upon the 
inside of both twelve copper reservoirs of water, each 
holding about a gallon. These were constructed after 
their pattern, being sealed with a fusible plug. On the 
night of the fire, just before the store was burned, several 
of the young men employed in the counting-room gained 
access to the vault, opened it, and placed three wooden 
pails, filled with water, upon the floor ; they then closed 
fhe inner door, and before locking the outer, placed two 
more pails full of water in the space betwen the two. 
This was indeed a thoughtful act in a time of so much 
-excitement. We expected not only that the wooden 
pails behind the first door would be burned, but those in 
the interior of the vault; and therefore great was our 
surprise to find upon examination that they were entirely 
unharmed, and each contained a little water. Those in 
the interior contained nearly the same amount as when 
placed there. The copper reservoirs attached to the 
interior surface of the first door were entirely empty; 
those upon the second held about one-third of their con¬ 
tents. It is clear that we are indebted to the agency of 
•steam for the preservation of the valuable contents of 
our safe. The reservoirs upon the first door held water 
sufficient to maintain an atmosphere of steam in the 
space, during the time the fire was most intense ; after¬ 
wards, the heat was conducted through to the second, 
when the boiling water filled the vault itself with steam, 
and prevented the papers from igniting. Without the 
reservoirs upon the outer door, the two water pails would 
have been burned before their contents could have been 
.evaporated, and the flames would have found access to 
■the vault through the inner door, had it not been pro¬ 
tected. We used an iron safe of an approved pattern, 
in the counting-room, as a matter of convenience, not 
trusting, however, any papers of value in it. This safe 
was taken from the ruins burned through and through. It 
^afforded no more protection than would a wooden box. 
'The plan adopted by the American Steam Safe Com¬ 
pany of this city, of using water reservoirs as a lining, 
is an excellent one.. So long as the water lasts, steam is 
present in the cavity, and the temperature cannot rise 
high enough to ignite or char paper. Every bank vault 
in the country, and every brick or stone chamber, in 
which valuables are kept, should have the doors covered 
on the inside with water reservoirs. 
There are so many interesting points connected with 
the chemistry of the great fire, that we have not room 
to allude to them. At a future time we may present 
another article upon the subject. 
SUPPOSITORY MOULDS OF PLASTER OF PARIS.* 
BY CHARLES E. DWIGHT. 
Pharmacists who have had many suppositories to make 
with the old moulds have undoubtedly often hurt their 
fingers by pounding in trying to remove the supposi¬ 
tories. I have been for some time using a mould which 
parts through the centre and is made of plaster of paris, 
which gives so much satisfaction that I can but wish for 
others to try it; it may have been used by others, but 
is entirely original with myself. 
The expense of buying moulds of metal which part 
through the centre has probably been detrimental to 
their universal use, while they are undoubtedly superior 
to those old finger smashers in being easily cleaned and 
oiled, and also facilitating the extraction of the suppo¬ 
sitories when cold. For the benefit of those unused to 
the manipulation with plaster, I will give a general 
plan for preparing the moulds. 
Into a vessel of about six inches long by two wide and 
one deep (a pasteboard box -will do), pour in plaster 
mixed to the consistency of thick cream, until half full; 
have ready six suppositories, moulded of wax, from other 
moulds of good shape, and while the plaster is yet soft 
immerse them to half their diameter, with their large 
end close to the edge of the box, all in a row and a uni¬ 
form distance apart. When the plaster has set, gently 
remove the wax, and with a knife smooth off the surface 
and trim the edges of each mould sharp, and between 
each depression made by the wax suppository dig a 
small cavity about the size and shape of a small pea cut 
through the centre. Now we have half of our mould. 
When the face has become hard, oil or grease with 
linseed oil or lard, replace the wax suppositories and 
raise the edges of the box by wrapping heavy paper 
around, which will extend about another inch above the 
surface of the face ; mix another portion of the plaster 
equal to the first, and in the same way, and gently pour 
over the greased surface until it will be about one inch 
deep above the other or lower half. When hard, the two 
parts can be easily pulled apart, the edges trimmed off and 
each part boiled for about an hour in linseed oil, which 
will prevent the adhesion of the substance to be 
moulded. The plaster must be mixed thin and well 
stirred to be substantial. 
By following the above plan almost any number of 
sizes can be made at small expense, and will, I think, 
be found to answer admirabty. If this will in any way 
alleviate the frown which comes over the face of the 
pharmacist when he finds he has to make suppositories, 
the object of the writer will be fully attained. 
SOLANIA IN SOLANUM LYCCPERSICUM.* 
BY GEORGE W. KENNEDY. 
Having had a strong desire to know whether or not the 
common tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum ) con¬ 
tained any solania, and never having seen any analysis 
of the plant, I was induced to make a series of experi¬ 
ments. The fruit of the plant has been examined by 
several pharmacists, but I believe there was no solania 
discovered. The amount of citric acid obtained by the 
experimenters has varied very considerably, thus sug¬ 
gesting that the fruit of different varieties has been 
examined, or that the fruit was collected at different 
periods of the year. 
* From the £ American. Journal of Pharmacy.’ 
