New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-11-07
How Our FOrcEafhers warmed
ThemselSes.
stoves in the Last Century.

l
stoves In the Last Century.
The introduction of stoves is so new that
it has scarcely any literature besides It's adj
vertisements. Nowhere in the language is
there handbood showing plainly and clearly
what the nature of a stove is and what facts
in heating have been established, and the
conflict of patents and of personal opinions at
the present day makes it as difficult to tell
now what truth is as it was two thousand
years ago. We do, however, clearly know that
there were no stoves in Greece and Rome.
Cicero never knew the delight of coal fire,
and though DcmostheneS was 4 man accus-
toned to pebbles as an article of diet--was,
in fact, the Great Original Stone Eater-he
was unacquainted with the taste of broilcd
bectSteak. Their fires were furnaces, and the
stove-pipe, as well as the chimney, was I'M
known. Indeed, many people would be sur
priscd to learn how recently the latter has
been introduced. Richsyd CGur de Lion and
Rudolph Of lIapsburg nsver saw one, and the
houses which are still standing that were
built five hundred years ago have no arrange
ments by which they could have been heated.
Fire was then made in the center of the room.
BY removing the fuel to the side of the cham
Der, and making a recess there, better draft
and ventilation was secured but heat was
lost. Much of it escaped into the outer air.
The introduction of stoves must have rap
idly followed that of chimneys in Germany,
Denmark, and Sweden; but in England they
are little used, and have not won place in
! the affections Of the people. 1t was in the
| United States, the land where the summers
are as warm as those of Naples, and the
winters as cold as those OF st. Petersburg,
that this useful invention was to be improved
| and perfected. Necessity is the mother oil
invention, and we quickly experienced the
truth of the adage. DR.. Franklin describes
in his autobiography how his attention was
attracted to the matter, and what he did in
the way of improvements. 1t was in 1745
that he brought out his novelty, which proved
so advantageous that some specimens are in
existence up TO the present time. The plan
was rectangular box of cast-iron plates,
open in front, except near the top, with a
sliding shutter, by which the whole might he
closed entirely or in part, either for safety or
increasing the draft; the hearth projected in
front, and was cast with double lodges to re-
ccive the edges of the upright plates, and al
so with number of holes. OF these one was
in the front part, with regulating valve for
admitting air to the fire by an air. flue from
beneath, when the shutter was down; one
under the first upright pate in the back for
discharsing the air brought under the hearth
from without into a narrow rectangular box
that WAS as long as the width of the stove
and as high, excepting the space for the
smoke-tluc over its top; it had also three
near the extreme back edge for the smoke
after it had PASSED over and descended be-
hind the air-box to enter the flue leading into
the base Of the chimney. The air-box at its
sides was furnished with holes through which
the heated air was admitted into the room,
E and succession of shelves one above
another was provided in this box, reaching
| Of 70 J,t1 ho 10 -
the air was extended, and it was longer ex-
r posed to the heated surfaces before passing
, out into the room. The back plate of the
stove, heated by the descending smoke-flue,
impaired heat to the air between it and the
chimney, the stove standing q little out from
the wall. A register ofsheetirOn was intro
duced in the descending flue, which could be
closed wholly or in part, and check the fire
to any desired extent. Thus the invention
, embodied the principles Of the modern air.
tight stoves, and the directions DR.. Franklin
, gave for using il are just as applicable to
these, though by reason of its ruder work
, manship, the joints are not air-tght, which
the inventor himself remarked, and supposed
could not well be otherwise. This stove was
= ornamented in front by a representation OF
r the sun, near which were the letters intended
: for its name, alter dem
In III DR.. Franklin, while acting as the
agent of the Pennsylvania and some other
i North American colonies in England, de-
l signed stove which should consume its own
smoke when burning bituminous coal. II
was vase-shaped iron vessel for receiving
the fuel set upon horizontal CRATE, and be-
meath this was a large box of cast irOn fur
C nished with partitions, which caused the
: flame and smoke drawn down the CRATE tC
circulate around until they finally escaped
into the chimney by q fiue at the bottom on
: each side. With the same object of consum
t ing the smoke he also invented a basket. OF
CRATE, or cage, with movable bars at the toy
e and bottom, the fuel being at the top anC
: over upon pivots, which supported it by the
!. center.
i The name of Count RumfOrd afterward he
o came celebrated for the improvements which
. he introduced in stoves, especially those de
= signed for culinary purposes. He gradual,
o reduced their dimensions, and contrived tina
:. most important feature in all cooking stoves
# of arranging number of pots and boiler
:, over the tlues proceeding from single fire
" and the method of roasting meat in ovens @
% sheet iron, without the viands acquiring
s dsagreeable taste, gentle current of al
,e being allowed to circulate through the oven
:. DR.. Franklin, among his other alterations
lessened the size OF the pipe for leading ava
J. the smoke. He had made the discovery tina
I'd too much heat went up the chimney, but h
10 could not completely obyiate the difficulty
N nor, indeed, have his successors. The his
;" tory of an art is history of continued expo
p rmcnts, and it needs time to determine man
IN points. We are applying ourselves to the
" resolution, but we should award all honor I
H. the pioneers of science who led the march
' discovery. We do more because our oppo
~ tunites are greater.
" - -
le Is Printing an unh enltely Occmpa
or tfDn!
The idea is quite common among printe
vi that their occupation is a very unhealthy on