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Show WATER FOICTIOli SETS HOSE AFIRE Phenomenon Developed in 1 Tests at Boston Arouses Widespread Interest BOSTON, Dec. 22. So much public Interest has been aroused by the phenomenon phe-nomenon developed in teats of fire host,' here when flames broke through collcn coating of the hose through , which water was belnp forced at high prensure, that th fire c ommistMorier. John K. Mur plr. . has boon receiving requests for Information from all over the country. Ignition of a fire hose while water was bolriK pumped through it. though no fire was near, is new to those who con3ldei-iho flre-fightlng business as a science. To determine the cause of this peculiar Incident and ascertain ascer-tain how to avoid it. the Boston fire department will undertake a series of tests and experiments. SCIENTISTS' OPINION. Professor Augustus M (Jill, of the . MassachusettK Institute of Technology, j al the rSQuMt of Commissioner .Mui -I phy, examined the hose burned, and. I without mo king a chemical analysis, reported his belief thai the hose was ignited from excessive friction caused by vibration between iwo cotton jackets. jack-ets. The hose was of the new .stand-lard .stand-lard Ji-inch rubber-lined double cot-; cot-; ton Jacket type, made according to the ' specifications ?if the lioston fire de-' de-' partment, which conform with those of I of the National Board of Fire Underwriters Un-derwriters A 750-gallon pumping engine was ; being tested under the direction of . nngljicera of tho Xatlonal Board of I l-'lre I ; nderwrjters and officials of the Boston fire department. For four ! hours the engine had drawn water from the Charles river basin When the ' order for the high pressure test vw given. Two lines of hose were used, one ; fiuni each side of the engine and each about 3oo feet long. Mdrae gates (vere j placed between tho first and second j length of each line, and the gates I were chocked down to about one-third 'capacity, the gates on the engine OUt-S lets bring similarly reduced. Bl KSTs INK : . M ' About fifteen minutes after the i gine was started with a pump pves-j sure of 250 pounds, smoke came from I the hose about a foot from the coup 'ling at the engine connection, tn'i . tlgaibm shouted that the hose was ery hot and In a moment flame bur tl i through the outer covering. With- in a minute the same thing happened j to tho hose on the other side of the engine. It was decided by the chiefs and experts that the chocking down of the gates had resulted In a tr mcn-dous mcn-dous amount of water being forceo through a small opening. The water In passing through the engine gate instead in-stead of filling the hose at the coupling coup-ling was forced In at an angle, sinking sink-ing one side of the hoa with 'i fine sharp point, with sufficient force to) I generate heat . This point of water, together with ; I tho friction caused by the two cot- ton jackets rubbing against each other! apparently caused the flame. The fire did not injure ihe rubber lining, which was not even charred, the I (lames working entirely in the cotton' mixture. This was scorched for sev-1 efal inches around the burned hole.! The conditions under which the engine en-gine was working when tho hose Itr- nited, were said to be such as would never occur while a fire w:.s being fought, and for that reason the fire i fighters !ia ly a keen academic in- rather than serious thoiighLs of t their hose burning during a fire un- j less it conies in contact wlh flames or I OO |