Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-11-27


the greatest enemy TO in6ammability |
Most persons have seen this when an ap-
parently well.kindled fire has been extin-
guished and had to be re-made.
The coal put on the kindlings should be
new coal. not the screenings Of a former
FIRE; and it should be carefully spread IN
thin layer. The practice of filing the ire'
pot or furnace will materially delay the
process of combustion. In such cases we
have seen an hour elapse before bed oi
incandescent coal could be formed sum
cient to broil steak or fish, or TO emit
any sensible heat, while with a decent
draft good coal fire, with judicious man
agement, may be obtained in fifteen min
utes.
Where q fire is kept all night, or for
days and weeks together, as is now so fire.
ouentIv the case with base burning stoves,
and even the common cylinder stove, the
first thing TO do in the morning is to put
on fresh coal, without disturbing that in
the stove, open the draft and the damper,
and do no raking until the new coal Is well
ignited. Then the ashes may be rattleo
down until the sparks drop through the
CRATE. Soon as these are seen the raking
should cease, Never poke coal IRE
anthracite-at the top. This rule, as mill
But greater fault than any other and
very common one is choking a fire by
piling on CRATE or filing up stove with
coal when the fire is low. In all cases the
coal should be added in moderate, even
small, quantities, and 1t should be placed
or spread evenly. In some cases 1t is well
to deposit the Jumps piece by piece by
hand. When dumped on in masses the
coal wastes rapidly without giving out
heat, a large proportion of the carbon
escaping up the chimney in the form OF
visible SCOT OF as thick smoke. No an
thracite fire should ever be allowed to
| emit visible smoke. The gases in the
form of a blush flame carry off enough
of the heat producing products. Itwould
be we'll If all this could be retained and
consumed; but we almost despair that
this will ever be an accomplished fact
Drafts and hampers are too frequently
used without intelligent reference to their
respective offices. Many leave the stove
doors open, and close the damper The
effect is, to be sure, to retard combustion
but at the same time the gases evolved
finding no escape by the natural draft, are
forced out into the room, poisoning the
atmosphere and rendering the apartments
unhealthy, inducing languor and headache
If the chimney damper is closed, or thu
passage to the chimney, the door or aper
ture above the fire should also be closed
while the draft at the bottom of the fire
ofunder the CRATE, may be opened for |
the gases escape through this opening
they will have been neutraliZed by passing
through the fire.
In open CRATES the draft is frequently
found to be insufficient. This is becaus
too large portion of the fire is exposed
A sheet of boiler plate covering portio
, of the CRATE bottom will in many cases i'm
prove the draft, reduce the consumption c
; coal, and, at the same time, increase tn
/ available heat.
8 Some persons, especially inexperience
4 help, do not know how to distinguish bC
| tween unconsumed or coked coal and value
/ less clinkers, as the former may be coate
e with ashes. IT may be accepted as ger
e eral truth that in CRATE, or stove furnace
g or fire box, the clinkers, being of sem
: metallic nature, sink and the unconsumeC
p coal be left on the top. We have foun
it to be economical to gather the to
Jumps by hand before disturbing the mas!
a Thus, most of the unconsumed poi
J., tions will be recovered, and can be use
7 again. In many cases this will preven
the necessity of sitting the ashes an
t picking out the scoria.
In sitting it is good practice to drenc
+ the ashes in the sieve with water. Mucl
II that would otherwise be rejected will
i found to be pure coal, the water washing
4 off the coating of ashes, and exposing tn
2 "black diamonds" which are frequently
: in fine particles. These savings are valu
!, able to be used when the requirements G
4 cooking or if particularly sharp airs d
: not demand brisk fire. Even the ashe
. that escape through the sitter, when mad
: into o mortar with water, are servicablt
They may be used as advantageously i
. preserving the fire in CRATE, and 1t is SUI
/ prising how much of what might be othel
! wise condemned as waste can be mad
thus to yield available heat
Coal should be kept under cover, e1
posed neither to the sun, the rain, or tn
: frost Insensible combustion and vast
. by the action of the elements rapidly d
Q minish the heat producing qualities of eN
en- the hardest anthracite coal. By som
this possible waste is estimated as high O
fifty per cent. This may be an exaggera
ed estimate, but that it is considerable tn
! observation and experience Of twent
, years warrant us in confidently affirm
!; ing. Even the fine dust left in the cos
4 bin is valuable. Mixed into mortar, q
" we advise with the ashes, it gives out a
intense heat, greater than that of lum
3 coal because of the more readiness wit
: which the oxygen of the atmosphere ca
permeate the mass and here we ma
give few words of advice. Small size
! coal is more economical than large Goa
especially for household purposes, if tn
. CRATE is adapted to the size, for the reaso
! Just stated. To prove this let one take
lump of anthracite as large as a man
fist, "all alive" and crack it so as to el
pose the interior, it will be found to b
. entirely black inside and undisturbed b
the heat.
, These practical suggestions and fact,
unaccompanied by scientific reasons, ar
submitted for the consideration of ou
readers. We might have given the philosc
ply of combustion as applied to anthracit
coal, but preferred to make few simpl
statements, leaving our readers to trac
, the truths back to their source. We ar
! confident, however, that an observance {
these rules will result in valuable savin
i of coal. Scientific American.