Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . at others,possesses a very high degree of importance and interest. In some cases the difference referred to by this question can, toa certain extent at least, be easily accounted for. There is no dif-ficulty, for instance, in seeing why a shingle-roof with six inches ofsnow upon it should be lessreadily ignited by sparksthan a similar roof which amidsummer sun had for twoweeks been thoroughly bak-ing. The inquiry why a firewould be likely to be moredestructive in clear weatherwith a high wind than
Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . at others,possesses a very high degree of importance and interest. In some cases the difference referred to by this question can, toa certain extent at least, be easily accounted for. There is no dif-ficulty, for instance, in seeing why a shingle-roof with six inches ofsnow upon it should be lessreadily ignited by sparksthan a similar roof which amidsummer sun had for twoweeks been thoroughly bak-ing. The inquiry why a firewould be likely to be moredestructive in clear weatherwith a high wind than in apouring rain with no windat all, would not be a par-ticularly puzzling problem toordinarily intelligent chil-dren ten years of age. Theinfluence of these, and a num-ber of other circumstances that might be mentioned, is Abram G Hul1- plain enough. But there are some influences which are far frombeing so obvious. After all the reasons that can be given for thespread of most of our great fires, nearly or quite all the causesassigned, both by practical and scientific men, could generally be. 212 Reminiscences of the Old Fire Laddies. found to exist in cases where the conflagration was comparativelyslight, and where the means of extinguishing it proved no less effectivethan usual. Every one who regularly attends to an ordinary grate or stovehas frequent occasion to observe that a fire which burns brightly atcertain times with a certain draught will often require at other timesa much greater draught to keep it from going out. In some cases,as I just remarked of a similar fact in reference to conflagrations,this is readily understood; but in many instances it is in a verygreat degree owing to causes which neither science nor practicalobservation knows anything about. The simple fact in regard tothe whole matter is, that the different states of the earths atmosphereare a subject concerning which, like a great many other things,science is able to tell much less than scientific men
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