THE FIRE HAZARD OF ELECTRICITY

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 68, 13 December 1907, Page 7

THE FIRE HAZARD OF ELECTRICITY

(By D. Orron Halc-s, Wellington.)

" Electricity has something to do with it," is tho popular explanation of all phenomena not entirely clear to the general mind; in fact, almost overy mysterious occurrence, good or bad, is attributed to the uso or abuso of electricity in somo form.

The firo at the Parliamentary Buildings is the latest disaster for which those people whoso interest it is to do so will lay tho blamo on tho electric current, and sinco it has beeomo the fashion to call so much attention to fires attributed v to electricity, many peoplo have como to tho conclusion that the uso of electricity is extremely Hazardous, whereas tho reverse is tho case, for tho fire hazard of olcctricity is vory muili less than that of tho other mediums which it displaces for tho distribution of light, heat, anil power. , It is-needless to say that tho United States is tho largest consumer of electric power, and tho fallowing table, prepared by Mr. L. B. Marks, President of the Illuminating Engineers Society, gives, an idea of the extent to which electricity is used for illuminating in that country. Approximate cost of illumination to tho o-m----sumcr in tho United States (I90o) Electric light ovor £22,000,0(10 Oil i 12,000,000 Coal and water gas ... ~ 8,000.000 Acetylene gas GOO,OOO Natural gas „ 30G,000 From this table it would appear that the uso of electricity equals tho sum of all tho other agents used for lighting. Tho committee chosen by the National Electric Light Association of tho United States to report on tho Firo Hazard of Electricity, in prdor to reach a fair conclusion on. tho safety of electricity afi compared with other

mediums for distributing light, heat, uml power, selected a territory in which electricity is very largely used. Unquestionably, New York City is ono of the most densely electrically-supplied territories of the world. Hundreds of miles of conductors traverse almost every aveinio and sido street in Manhattan and tho Bronx, and thousands of miles of wires radiate through each block of buildings; many structures alone extending over several acres and containing installations larger than are found in many towns throughout tho country. Over 150,00(1 horse-power in motors, hundreds of thousands of arc and incandescent lamps, as well as heating appliances, arc hero supplied in one of the most congested centres of of tho country. Surely in this territory tho extent, of tho electrical hazard can bo fairly judged.

, Tho following table, accurately compiled from the official reports of tho Firo Department of New York City for the years IUO21905, represents not only tho other illuminant risks but tho common domestic risks as well. In order that a fair idea may bo obtained of tho danger of electrical equipments compared with that of other ordinary risks, it must bo borno in mind that electricity might, with fairness, bo compared as weil with power mediums, such as boilers, furnaces, and tho like; since, in tho item " li'lcctric light- wires, sparks from, or defective," electricity is represented not only as an llluminant, but as a very consideralilo source of power and heat as well. Nevertheless, the total supply of electricity, considered as an illuminant alone, compares, it can readily boseen, very favourably with other lighting mediums. Manhattan and tho Broiix—Causes of and losses by fires with averages and percentages 1902-1905. Cause of Fire. No. of Total Fires. Loss. Ashes (hot) igniting wood ... 113 .£3950 Chimneys, fireplaces, flues (defective) grates, heat from ... 1710 4-J.39S Candles and tapers, carelessness in tho uso of 124S 22,002 Electric light, wires, etc., sparks from or defective 3GI 42,072 Kerosene, naptba, benzine, gasolene, etc., explosions or ignitions of 352 3G,G70 Kerosene used in lighting fires 21 200 Gas—Escaping and explosion, lights igniting curtains, stoves, ranges, radiators, explosions of and heat from .ICS 11,674 Gas-total 2013 35,G75 Lamps—Kerosene, gasolene, etc., i falling, breaking, upsetting, heat from 500 23,335 Kerosene, etc., explosion ... 26G 4590 Lamps—total 82G 28,225 Matches—Carelessness in uso of 2952 102,975 Gnawed by rats ... 125 14,792 Matches-total _ .... ... 3077 117,767 Sparks from chimneys and stoves .' '6-10 22,772 Stoves—Furnaces, etc., heat from ... 151-5 105,505 Hot coals falling from ... 114 3372 Kerosene, explosion of 6 . G36 Kerosene, falling, upsetting, . heat from ISO 47G9 Thawing out frozen water pipes, gas pipes, etc, ... . 335 11,000 Total number of fires, all causes 28,575 3,710,727 An analysis of those figures, which indicate tho comparative danger of tho most common 1 every-day risks m the homo as well as in tho public buildings, is very interesting, for what is true in New York City should hold truo in proportion in other centres.

The figures for the entire four years shmv that with ninny risks, sn6h as matches, stoves, kerosene, benzine, and gasolene, gas stoves, dofoctivo chimneys and lines, the percentages aro well up to and in somo cases ahead of tho percentago of tho total losses attributed to electricity.

Figuring on the percentago of total number of fires, tho remarkable showing of electricity as a safe risk is oven more clearly demonstrated. Only ono and one-third per cont. of the fires were due to electricity, while 15 per cent., o rover one-sixth of the total number of fires werodue to lamps, candles, and gas. Total fires, in order of magnitude, 19021905, inclusivo:— liii.n Hatches, carelessness in uso of 2952 Chimneys, lircplaces, defective flues,

.grates ... ... ... 1710 Cigars, cigarettcs, pipes, ctc., smoking of ... ... ... 1600 Stoves, furnaces, stove-pipes, heat from 15-15 Candles and tapers, careless use of ... 12<I8 Children playing with firo /10!)8 Gas lights, igniting curtains, etc. ... 894 Lamps, kerosene, gasoline, etc., falling, breaking, upsetting, heat from ... 820 Gas, escaping, and explosion of 687 Sparks from chimneys, stoves, stove-

pipes ... i. ... G-10 Gas-stoves, ranges, radiators, explosion of 4 OS Meats, fat, gluo, etc., igniting'on firo... 370 Electric light and wires ... 361

Looking at the above table of the causes of fires in the order of magnitude, wo find that electricity, instead of being near the top of the list, occupies the thirteenth place, v/hilo it is significant that three risks most common to public buildings, viz., carelessness in the use of matches, defective chimneys, and smoking, occupy the first three places on the list. More than eight times as many firos were caused by the handling of matches as bv electricity, and as any one of a number of risks common in every house cause several times as many fires as electricity, it would seem £o bo demonstrated beyond question that the olcctric light medium' is undoubtedly tho safest of all' illuminants ,aiul preferable to any other.

This huge fire and the great loss of valuable documents and papers will impress on tho public tho need of fireproof safes. C.'iubb's safes can bo relied on on all occasions. Messrs. Gualter, Dykes and Co., Feathorston Street, are New Zealand managers for tho Chuhb's Safes Company.—Advt.