Of the
singular entry, "rat gnawing a gaspipe," the firemen state that it is
common for rats to gnaw leaden service pipes, for the purpose, it is
supposed, of getting at the water, and in this instance the gray
rodent labored under a mistake, and let out the raw material of the
opposite element. Intoxication is a fruitful cause of fires,
especially in public houses and inns.
It is commonly imagined that the introduction of hot water, hot air,
and steam pipes, as a means of heating buildings, cuts off one avenue
of danger from fire. This is an error. Iron pipes, often heated up
to 400?°, are placed in close contact with floors and
skirting-boards, supported by slight diagonal props of wood, which a
much lower degree of heat will suffice to ignite. The circular rim
supporting a still at the Apothecaries' Hall, which was used in the
preparation of some medicament that required a temperature of
300?°, was found not long ago to have charred a circle at least
a quarter of an inch deep in the wood beneath it, in less than six
months.
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