Inflammable Buttons.

Manawatu Herald, 10 May 1892, Page 2

Inflammable Buttons.

_ — * Anew danger threatens modern life. In one sense explosive tendencies have for a long time been associated with buttons. When they come off at the most inopportune moment — and no has ever been known to exhibit the slightest particle t of consideration in this respect— an explosion naturally follows. It is the victim, however, who has hitherto done the exploding, not the button, which, it is true, has " gone off," but in a different sense. Now we are warned there are buttons being manufactured which are almost as dangerous as dynamite bombs. Mr C. V. Boys, of the Boyal College of Science, has published a letter recounting a singular accident which occurred to a lady who was standing near a fire. She found herself suddenly enveloped in smoke, and the gentleman who crushed the ignited portion of her dress had his hand badly burned. The fire originated where a large fancy button had been, which had disappeared. This phenomenon is not so surprising wheq, we learn that the button was made of compressed gancotton, which it appears is being used to imitate horn, ivory and tortoisoshell. How inflammable such a compound is may be gathered from the results of a test reported to have been made A phosphorus match and a piece of a button, it is stated, were placed on a piece of iron heated by a gas flame; in five minutes the button ignited, and in twelve minutes another piece double the distance from the flame, whilst the match remained unignited for more than a quarter of an hour. Another button, attached to a duster, and placed before the fire in a position a lady's dress might occupy, took fire, and ignited the duster in a few minutes, it becomes a grave question whether the sale of such dangerous articles ought not to be prohibited. In any case, ladies should be very cautious how they bring near | the fire buttons made to imitate horn, tortoiseshell,' and the like.