Jacket cleaned with petrol, matches in the pocket and the origin of the fire is uncertain? Really? Let me take a guess.
When I found this I thought “Yay, a spontaneous human combustion story.” Now I just think that people in the past must have tolerated far worse smells than we do today. And had less respect for flammable liquids.
Barrier Miner 31 Mar 1920http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45543067
There is no way I would purposely clean some clothing in petrol if I ever wanted to wear it again, although I know that it was something that was done in the past.
The Man of the House often comes in on the weekend having splashed petrol on his clothes after an adventure in the man cave. He is immediately banished to the outer and the offending clothing hung on the line (sometimes for days) until some of the evil smell has evaporated!
If normal parliamentary procedure was followed, I expect that some of the opposition party members who followed Mr George Brown out of the chamber to ‘help’ him would have been doing all they could to fan the flames….
Buried words and Bushwa. 
“The origin of the fire is uncertain, but the coat has been cleaned with petrol and there was a full box of matches in one of the pockets”
Hmm….I would think the journalists were brighter than that! Wonder what the reasons were for cleaning it with gas? Was he trying to get rid of lice/fleas 😉
Using something like petrol or kerosene to clean clothes was an early form of drycleaning. I can’t imagine people being too happy with their expensive garments coming back from the drycleaner smelling like that these days!
Oh, I didn’t know that. Learn something new everyday 😀
What a smell there must have been, if the man gets petrol on himself in the shed I am sure I can smell it for days even when the clothes are outside. Imagine if the clothes WERE inside. No wonder many people didn’t have the most robust health in those days.
Loved this story— and the title is hilarious, Metan. Yeah, I’m wondering about the lice/flea thing myself, now that J.G. Burdette mentioned it!
Here’s my second thought: Eeeeeuw!
As I said to J.G. above, people used petrol or kerosene as fabric cleaners. It is surprising that I haven’t found more stories like this one! Hmmmm… maybe I should start looking!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning
I’m a guy, so I love the smell of gasoline. I wouldn’t mind seeing this cleaning method come back into style, minus the explosions and third-degree burns, of course.
Hmmm, now you have made me think that the Man might be splashing it on himself intentionally as a type of backyard cologne! 😉
I bet you wouldn’t love the smell so much if your entire house started stinking of it though, just imagine the days when clothes were washed in petrol and people cooked over wood stoves. It sometimes surprises me that we humans ever made it so far in our evolution! 😀
Especially given the inherent bullheadnesses of men. We males have, at times, seemed bound and determined to wipe ourselves out through stupidity and inanity. Although, in fairness, we usually have had a pretty good time doing it. 😉
No point doing things unless they are fun 🙂 Many years ago I bought a can of flammable foam that was for lighting the fire. The Man and his best mate used the entire thing up the first weekend, spending the day drawing with foam on the driveway and setting fire to it. Yes, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in emergency rooms 😀
Well, I live in one of the few US states where fireworks are still legal, so you can imagine the fun I’ve gotten myself into over the years.
Yes, I can imagine! 🙂 The Man and I were telling the kids of our childhood bonfire night hijinks just the other day.