The reason why : $b a careful collection of many hundreds of reasons for things which, though generally believed, are imperfectly understood. A book of condensed scientific knowledge for the million — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The reason why : $b a careful collection of many hundreds of reasons for things which, though generally believed, are imperfectly understood. A book of condensed scientific knowledge for the million
John Stuart Mill · en
Because the _carbon_ (charcoal) absorbs _oxygen_ from the air, and
conveys it to the _phosphorous_. Here are _chemical changes_ which
develope heat, and produce _spontaneous combustion_.
316. _Why do hay-stacks sometimes take fire?_
Because the hay, having become damp, decays, and passes on to a state
of _fermentation_, in which _chemical changes occur_, during which
heat is evolved. Hay, taking fire under these circumstances, would
exhibit _spontaneous combustion_.
[Verse: "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who
hath babbling? who hath words without cause? who hath redness of the
eyes? * * * They that tarry long at the wine."--PROV. XXIII.]
317. _What substances are liable to produce spontaneous combustion?_
All substances which contain sugar, starch, and other components
liable to _fermentation_. All bodies that evolve, under low degrees of
temperature, _inflammable gases_. And all organic bodies undergoing
decay.
Grain, cotton, hemp, flax, coals, oily and greasy substances.
318. _What is the Ignis Fatuus (sometimes called "Will-o'-the-Wisp",
"Corpse Candles," and "Jack-o'-Lantern")?_
It is a flame produced by spontaneous combustion, caused by the decay
of animal or vegetable bodies, which evolve _phosphoretted hydrogen_
gas, under circumstances attended by a low degree of heat, sufficient
to ignite the gases. It is mostly seen over marshy places, and
burial-grounds.
Many a "Ghost Story" has owed its origin to these singular but
harmless appearances. People, ignorant of the cause, have been
terrified at the effect. To the fancy of an affrighted mortal,
the simple flame of the _Ignis Fatuus_ has assumed the form of
a departed friend, and even found a supernatural voice. If,
excited by a momentary daring, the beholder moved towards the
light upon which he gazed, it fled from him. If he turned from
it and walked away, it followed him, step by step. The darkness
of a lonely road, or the sacred solitude of a burial-place, have
been sufficient accessories to authenticate the appearance of a
spirit. And yet how simple the phenomenon? Matters so volatile as
those which produce the _Ignis Fatuus_ would naturally be driven
back by the motion in the air caused by an advancing body; and, on
the other hand, a body moving from them would create a current in
which the _Ignis Fatuus_ would follow. Poisonous gases, escaping
from decaying bodies, pass into the air and take fire. They are
thereby converted into harmless compounds. Thus we see that the
"ghost" which terrifies the mind of the ignorant, becomes a
"guardian angel" to the educated.
319. _Has spontaneous combustion ever occurred in living bodies?_
It has occurred in numerous instances to persons habituated to the
excessive use of spirits.
320. _Why should spontaneous combustion occur in the case of the
drunkard?_