The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-12-03
From the Scientific American

OF fuel has increased, any methods of pre-
venting the waste of SO necessary and valu-
BILE a<commoaity must be useful. We give,
therefore, a few brief suggestions, drawn
from experience, in regard to the care of
ranges, heaters, cooking and parlor stoves,
and CRATES: - qaa
It's a,false economy to be chary of the
use Of kindling for anthracite fires. Char
coal is probably the best kindling, but is not
always to be obtained, and then, is costly. In
this and other cities, kidding wood, of pine,
sawed short-6ve or six inches in length
and split fine, is sold in convenient little
bundles, one or two Of which is sufficient to
start an anthracite Ere for any purpose. 1t
may be obtained also ID barrels or boxes, or
in quantity. In the country these convent
encies do not exist, but every householder
prepares his own kindling. One great mis-
take in its preparation is in not emitting it
short enough, or splitting it fine enough
More heat car be obtained by using fine than
coarse kindling. This preparation is to the
stove what mastication il to the stomach,
an assistant tss combustion or digestion, in
this case convertible terms 'ss s-.s,
After the kindling is lighted, it should be
allowed, to burn until il is all enveloped in a
light blaze and portions have become live
GOALS before particle Of coal is put on. IF
the coal is heapcd upon. the unignig hted wood
the process Of combustionsis delayed oy chok-
ing, and much of the carbon that would
otherwise produce heat is carried off in the
form Of dense smoke or is deposited or held
as carhonic acid gas, the greatest enemy to
infammability. Most persons have seen this
when an apparently well kiadlcd FIRE has been
extinguished and had tobe re-madc.
The coal put on the kindlings should be
new coal, not the screenings of former fire !;
and it should be carefully spread in thin
layer. The practice Of. filling the fire pot
or furnace will materially delay the process of
combination. In such cases we have seen an
hour elapse before bed of incandescent coal
could be formed sufficient to broil steak or
a fish, or to emit any sensible heat, while
with decent draft good coal fire, with ju-
dicious management, may be obtained in ff-
teen minutes
Where fire is kept all night, or for days
and weeks together, as is now SO frequently
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 welhignitcd. Then the
ashes may be ratified down until sparks drop
through the CRATE. Soon as these are seen
the raking should cease. Never pokea coal
fire-anthracite-at the top. This rule, as
military men say is general"
But a greater fault then any other and a
very common one is choking fire by piling
on a 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 aud it should be placed or spread
evenly. In some cases it is we'll to deposit
the Jumps peice 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 or as thick smoke. No
anthracite fire should ever be allowed to emit
a visible smoke. The gases IN the form Of a
blush flame carry of enough of the heat
producing products. 1t would 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 re,
spective Offices: Many leave the stove doors
open, and close the chimney 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 the passage to the chin
ney, the door or aperture above the fire should
also be closed, while the draft at the bottom
Of the fire, or uuder the crate, may be opened !;
for if the gases escape through this opening
they will have been neutralized BY passing
through the fire.
In open CRATES the draft is frequent y
found to be insufficient. This is because
too large portion of the fire is exposed
A sheet Of boiler plate covering portion of
the CRATE bottom will il. many cases imp owe
the draft, reduce the consump' ion of coal,
and, at the same time, increase the ava; able
he It, Il
Some persons, especially inexperienced
help, do not know how to distinguish between
unconsumed or cooked coal and valueless clink-
ers, as the former may be coated with white
ashes. It may be accepted as a general
truth that in CRATE, Or stove furnace, or fire
box, the clinkers, being of semi metallic
nature, sink and the unconsumed coal be left
on the top. Wo have found it to be scono-
mical to gather the the top Jumps by hand
before disturbing the mass. Thus, most of
the uncoasumcd portions, will be recovered,
and can be used again. In many cases this
will prevent the necessitysof sitting the ashes
and picking out the scoria
In sitting it isa good practice to drench
the ashes in the sieve with water Much
that would otherwise be rejected will be-
found to be pure coal, the water washing off
the coating Of ashes, and exposing the 'sblack
diamonds which are frequently in fine par
ticles. These savings are valuable to be used
when the requirements Of cooking Of partic-
ularly sharp airs do not demand brisk fire.
Even the ashes that escape4through the silt--
er, when made into a mortar with water, are
serviceable They may Be used advantage
ously in preserving the fire in CRATE, and it
is surprising how much Of what might be
otherwise condemned as waste can be made
thus to yield available heat.
Coal should be kept under cover, exposed
neither to the sun, the rain, or the FROST
Insensible combustion and waste bv the ac-