1054





RECORD  AND  GUIDE





December 26, 1914





USEFUL APPLIANCES





Novelties, Kew AppUcations of Familiar Devices
and the Trend of Invention, Designed to Aid the
Architect, Builder and Building Manager, Described
Without   Regard   to   Advertising   Consideration.





Why Things Bum.

WE all know that certain substances
will burn and others will not. Why
this is so is explained in a comprehensive
way by Howard D. Minchin, Ph.D.. in a
pamphlet issued by the Rochester
Chamber of Commerce.

When chemical union of substances
takes place with sufficient energy to de¬
velop heat and light the process is called
combustion. In a restricted sense com¬
bustion is understood to mean the union
of any substance with oxygen with the
evolution of heat and light, but the term
is used in this article to mean the chem¬
ical union of such substances. The tem¬
perature at which this union occurs is
known as the kindling, or ignition tem¬
perature, which is dependent upon the
kind of material involved, the condition
of the material, the pressure,  etc.

An inspection of a candle, oil or gas
flame will show three principal regions.
The interior region is dark and
consists of cold gas, the next
region is where oxygen is being
united whh the gas—the lum¬
inous part. The third is the
oxidizing region, the hottest part
of the flame. The tongues of
flame seen in the burning of wood
or coal have the same structure.

In order that substances may
unite chemically it is necessary
that each be brought to an active
state, known as the nascent state.
When this condition obtains the
molecules are broken up into
their atoms, and the substance as
a whole is in a gaseous form.

The discussion involves botli
the kinetic theory of heat and
the kinetic theory of gases. Thc
kinetic theory of heat explains
heat as a mode of molecular mo¬
tion, the heat being due to the
continuous impact of the mole¬
cules against each other. The
kinetic theory of gases considers
that in a gas the molecules are in
continuous motion, darting in
various directions. The pressure
of an enclosed gas is explained as
being due to the impact of these
molecules upon the walls of the
enclosure.

Anything that increases the
velocity of the molecular motion
of a mass increases its heat, and
if this heat is not carried off the
temperature rises. When the ig¬
nition point is reached chemical
union takes place with the evolu¬
tion  of heat  and  light.

This increase of velocity may
be brought about by: The di¬
rect addition of heat. The heat
may be added by means of a
lighted match or torch brought
in contact with the material. The fric¬
tion of a belt on a pulley or of an axle
in its bearings may furnish the cause.
By chemical action. We have as an
example the heat generated in a pile of
dirty waste. The process here is that
of oxidation. Heat is generated and. not
being allowed to escape, the accumula¬
tion causes the rise of temperature until
the point of ignition is reached and
union takes place. The condition is
known as spontaneous combustion. The
conditions necessary to produce spon¬
taneous combustion are: Production of
heat, an environment which is a non¬
conductor of heat, and material with a
relatively  low  ignition  point.

Some substances possess the property
of absorbing oxygen to a very high de¬
gree. This is known as occlusion and
considerable heat is always generated.
Some of these substances are finely di¬
vided coal, charcoal, coal containing iron
pyrites, carbon bisulphide, and phos¬
phorus palladium and platinumate, two
metals  that  occlude  hydrogen  so  ener¬





getically  that they  will  glow in  the  air
and produce combustion.

Some other conditions favoring spon¬
taneous combustion are: Wood near a
hot steam pipe, wood in contact with
coal, tow, flax, hemp, rags, leaves, cocoa-
nut fibre, straw in manure heaps, saw¬
dust upon which oil has been spilled.
Very dry wood has been known to
ignite by spontaneous action.





Built-in Kitchen Garbage Receiver.

HERE is a device manufactured by
the Majestic Company, of Hunting¬
ton, Indiana, and consists of a cast-iron
circular front and hopper, which is fin¬
ished with a flat white primer to be fin¬
ally enameled by the decorator, when
the kitchen is completed; or, in the event
of installing in a residence already built,
it can be given two coats of a good
grade white enamel which will cause it
to present a sanitary and neat appear¬
ance in the kitchen. The outside door
and frame are also made of cast iron.

The receiver can be installed in an
old wall, as well as in a new one, by
simply cutting an opening in the wall
18 inches wide and 29 inches high. It
is a very simple matter to install it in
an old brick wall, as there is sufficient
flange to cover up any roughness caused







by cutting the opening. The galvanized
iron can is 15 inches in diameter and
18 inches in height. Just above the can
is a mechanical device for holding a can
of disinfectant, which is so arranged
that when the hopper is opened to de¬
posit garbage, a small amount of dis¬
infectant is discharged into the garbage
can, which prevents unpleasant odor
and keeps the can in a sanitary condi¬
tion. There is also a 2-inch pipe con¬
nection on top of the steel body, and
if the owner desires a vent pipe can be
attached and conducted to the attic or
to the vent stack from the bath room.
In some cities an ordinance provides
that the garbage can must be delivered
to the alley, or in case of no alley, to
the front curb line. In this case, two
cans and an underground container are
furnished with a flat lid, so that the can
may be buried in the ground, and the
garbage can may always be in position
for the garbage man to collect it, as
described in the Record and Guide
Aug. 8,  1914.





Smoke Waste.

]\/IaNY articles have appeared in
^•*' this department describing the
different appliances available for pre¬
venting waste through smoke. The No¬
vember issue of the Technical World
Magazine contained an interesting ac¬
count of how large companies have been
forced to curtail smoke waste. George
H. Cushing, the author, says:

"Wounded in its pride, this country
has at last awakened to its opportunity.
The story of this awakening one day
will make one of the biggest chapters
in America's industry.

"It is to go far too minutely into the
chemistry of steel-making to tell why
this is so, but it is true that when the
war began, the steel business of the
L'nited States cam^ very near to stop¬
ping. One of the elements in Bessemer
steel is feorromanganese. We had ob¬
tained this mainly from Europe, or Ger¬
many, to be exact. With fresh supplies
shut off and with small stocks on hand,
we were in a bad way.

*'Then we got one cargo and ar¬
ranged for others from South America.
This eased the steel mind and estab¬
lished closer relations with our neigh¬
bor to the south, but it did not salve
the wound to the national pride. In fact,
we were stung to the quick when we
learned from the Department of
the Interior that these elements
are available in quantity in this
country and have been all along.
"Our steel-makers give the as¬
surance that, before the war is
•^         over,   they   will   have   developed

1^^ the deposits which yield those el-
-^^^^ ements. This will make for the
real independence—and hence the
greater riches—of this country.
This is the beginning of our
home program.

"Another shock to commercial
and self-contained America came
when it discovered that while the
tin can is the emblem of cheap¬
ness, and while tin is the founda¬
tion of some-of our richest in¬
dustries, we mine no tin. All of
it that we have and use comes
from 'the other side.' The stipply
was interrupted for a time and
we were in a panic.

'Tt was with a sensation akin
to pain that we learned that we
have tin here and should have
been working in it years ago. To
wipe out this national disgrace—
enterprising citizens of Cincin¬
nati have said they intend to pro¬
duce our tin. That will add to
our riches. Surely, it will help
to complete our home-trade pro-
grain.

"These things hurt, but 'the
unkindest cut of all' came in con¬
nection with the thing which,
with us, is almost as common as
dirt. The United States produces
about 40 per cent, of the total
coal output of the world. This
giant coal pile is a mine of rich¬
es. After two weeks of study 117
separate articles were found to
pass off in smoke. All of these
things we have burned, or thrown
through the chimney in smoke in order
that we might obtain the three element¬
ary things, light, heat and power.

"For example, all of the anilin dyes
are by-products of coal. Chicago, Pitts¬
burgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland belch
great vats of gorgeous colors into the
air daily and then send all the way to
German^' to buy a supply.

"Creosote oil is a by-product of coal.
This is used to preserve wood and adds
from 200 to 500 per cent, to its life. We
buy between fifty million and sixty mil¬
lion gallons of it each year from Ger¬
many. This' element in the coal we
either burn to make heat or spill it into
the air as smoke.'*

Smoke in New York City is not as
serious a destructive agent as in some
other cities, but the constantly increas-
inq- cost of upkeep of buildings encour¬
ages more extended use of soft coal and
the smoke evil is destined to grow worse
rather than improve, unless means are
taken to stop excessive chimney smoking.