Fires and Firemen | Page 8

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. Mr. Braidwood, in his
evidence before a Committee of the House of Lords in 1846, stated that
it was his belief that by long exposure to heat, not much exceeding that

of boiling, water, or 212°, timber is brought into such a condition that
it will fire without the application of a light. The time during which this
process of desiccation goes on, until it ends in spontaneous combustion,
is, he thinks, from eight to ten years--_so that a fire might be hatching
in a man's premises during the whole of his lease without making any
sign!_
Under the heads "Incendiarism," "Doubtful," and "Unknown," are
included all the cases of wilful firing. The return Incendiarism is never
made unless there has been a conviction, which rarely takes place, as
the offices are only anxious to protect themselves against fraud, and do
not like the trouble or bad odor of being prosecutors on public grounds.
If the evidence of wilful firing, however, is conclusive, the insured,
when he applies for his money, is significantly informed by the
secretary, that unless he leaves the office, he will hang him. Though
arson is no longer punished by death, the hint is usually taken. Now
and then such flagrant offenders are met with, that the office can not
avoid pursuing them with the utmost rigor of the law. Such, in 1851,
was the case of a "respectable" solicitor, living in Lime Street, Watling
Street, who had insured his house and furniture for a sum much larger
than they were worth. The means he adopted for the commission of his
crime without discovery were apparently sure; but it was the very pains
he took to accomplish his end which led to his detection. He had
special]y made to order a deep tray of iron, in the centre of which was
placed a socket, the tray he filled with naphtha, and in the socket he put
a candle, the light of which was shaded by a funnel. The candle was
one of the kind which he used for his gig-lamp, for he kept a gig, and
was calculated to last a stated time before it reached the naphtha. He
furtively deposited the whole machine in the cellar, within eight inches
of the wooden floor, in a place constructed to conceal it. The attorney
went out, and on coming back again found, as he expected, that his
house was on fire. Unfortunately, however, for him--if it is ever a
misfortune to a scoundrel to be detected--it was put out at a very ear]y
stage; and the firemen, whilst in the act of extinguishing it discovered
this infernal machine. The order to make it was traced to the delinquent;
a female servant, irritated at the idea of his having left her in the house
to be burned to death, gave evidence against him; he was tried and
convicted, and is now expiating his crime at Norfolk Island. Plans for

rebuilding this villain's house, and estimates of the expense, were found
afterwards among his papers.
The class "Doubtful" includes all those cases in which the offices have
no moral doubt that the fire has been wilful, but are not in possession of
legal evidence sufficient to substantiate a charge against the offender.
In most of these instances, however, the insured has his reasons for
taking a much smaller sum than he originally demanded. Lastly, we
have the "Unknown," to which 1323 cases are put down, one of the
largest numbers in the entire list, though decreasing year by year. Even
of these a certain percentage are supposed to be wilful. There is no
denying that the crime of arson owes its origin entirely to the
introduction of fire insurance; and there can be as little doubt that of
late years it has been very much increased by the pernicious
competition for business among the younger offices, which leads them
to deal too leniently with their customers; or, in other words, to pay the
money, and ask no questions. It is calculated that one fire in seven