On Fri, 20 Oct 1995, Dennis Lloyd wrote:

> MARSHAM ([log in to unmask]) writes:
> > We have in our collections a blue glass fire extinquisher bottle.  The
> > bottle is rounded, fluted with a fairly long neck with a stopper.   The
> > questions we have are, how was it used?  Was it thrown at the fire?  And
> > what liquid is in the bottle?  Any assistance is gratefully accepted.
> > Thanks.
>
>       YOW!...this sounds like carbon tetrachloride...nasty stuff!  Do
> NOT pull the stopper on this one.  Yes, the flask was thrown at the fire
> and broken.  The carbon tet suffocated the flames.
> Dennis Lloyd.
>
        This makes me feel really old. When I was going to Maury
Elementary School in Arlington VA, our fire extinguishers were *red*
glass globes (heat-sealed rather than corked) that sat in holders like
miniature basketball hoops. The brass plate below said it should be
thrown at the base of the flames.
        This was a four-story, open-stairwell structure whose wooden
floors were swept daily with oiled sawdust. It's a miracle we all lived
to tell the tale....

      Hank Burchard * [log in to unmask] * Washington DC