DANGEROUS GOODS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1687, 14 October 1887, Page 4

DANGEROUS GOODS

Tc woald seem that there la a lurking danger iir teepee?; to certain clasaea of boo^s packed ia xasea, which waanot until lately djsatned of. A week or two ago we ( :( New Zealand Herald ") notioed the outbreak of a fire m the premises of Messrs Ughtband, Allan, and Co., boot manufacturers, Chrißteliurch, caused, It waa Biippoesd, through epontaneous combus tion. One of the boots which a Bupposed to have been the cause of tLe i fire ia now on exhibition at th« New Zea ] larjd Insurauco Gcmjdaij'a ofSoe, Q ' -on | Btreet. Thess Loots were hitherio regarded aa q -ite 3afe allied* to deal with. They are the cls33 unusually known as men's rubbet-liued hip boots, sometimes called " gum boots." The above firm qoito recently had pot m b ; x een caaea of these boots ; each csbb containing twelve pairs of boots, The consignment was stored m the compapy'a brick cellar. After the caßeß : had been on the prtmieea for some time, one night two of '.he employes who were workiDg m the rffice became sensible of^ a pfcnii3rly < ffansive emell, and, on looking d wn a hoie m the floor used for tha tiR-oM- > mpe from tha cellar, they noticed t a il tr.ei were rising from two of the ciße« t ihroatening the joists of the floor. '1 h»j tir^ was ptomptly extinguished, and on ?n examination beiDg made it was found that 24 pairs of boots were more or le-a damaged. The cases buried were m ■ m iho centre of the consignment, hence the icea of spontaneous combustion. An examination showed that the fire had begun m the inßide of tha case, and it j has been recollected that m a previous consignment of similar goods many of the boots were found to be blistered, which waa then Dlamed to had stowage. It would appear now that the blieters arose from the haating of the material of which the boots were made, and that the goods were opened none too coon. It ia evidently necessary that drapers should be very careful m regard to the Btowoge of large quantities of ladles' rubber waterproofs, which are made of smiliar materials as thoße of which the combustible bo^ts were made.