Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-02-23

Il is safe to assert that carbonic oxide
does not perneate the fire pots of our fur
naceS. and that any escape of Gus which
may occur must be caused by defective
joints, improper tlue-. and careless man
agement
The alleged superiority of wrought over
cast iron is another false deduction that
has often been made from the experiments
of Deville and Troo>t. 1t was shown by
the Investigations made in France. that
both forms of iron, heated to rtdnrs~,
allowed the }crmeation Of gases, and
Roberts has also recently proved that
wrought iron. III their septt, presents no
difference from cast iron in thi, respect.
The following statements regarding this
point, and the great t,lacy of the views
often expressed concerning the permeabl-
itv of gases through or furnaces. are val
liable rs expressing the opinions of >cicn-
lists who have made Il special study of
this subject DR.. Hayes. State Assaver OF
Massachusetts, saws: Il have heated cast
iron, containing carbonic OXIDE. to rcdnc>>
for three months, night and day, without
any of the gas permeatin@ The metal. The
experiments of DcviIIc and Troost do not
apply to tie condition of furnaces in use
poses has increased II hundred foli in
France since these Investigations were
made. ANY scientific chemist ofeXpericnct
must consider the eXpositious made in IA
vor of wrought iron much in the same light
rs II marc'> nest.
L. +. Babcock. Professor of Chem istry
in Mass ch,l>ctts College of Pharmacy
SAYS: The cNtravagant statements whicl
| h I j.,
regard to the dangers from the use OF cast
iron in the construction of furnaces are
wholly without foundation. There is nc
advantage in wrought over cast iron fol
this purpose Oar furnaces too often emf
dangerous gases, but it is not the cast ron
pcrmeatcd by these gases at every pore
that is in fault; it is the imperfect hampers
the dust in the air, the opening of tn,
Joints in the furnace. let us hope we may
hear no more of this great scare about
poisonous gases coming through the pore:
of cast iron in II furnace pot an inch thick ;
Gen. NORM, in reporting the results of the
tests made by the commission appoint e,
in 1869 by the Academy Of Sciences, after
describing the experiments which indicat
ed Il slight permeability of gases to boil
notifications of iron, states " The result.
. llttCttlct dDONc .tit IlO'tuNCu oIlS W utI
the metal is brought to Il red heat. Th,
most immediate effects are those due tt
the direct radiation of the surfaces, and il
this respect there is no difference between
wrought and cast iron 1t should be ad
ded that in the experiments made in France
a soft coal, yielding more gaseous product:
than anthracite, was used. Anthracite
which is almost universally used for heat
inc purposes in this section Of the country
resembles to the greatest degree pare car
bon, and if its combustion is properly man
aged, and the gases evolved allowed tC
reach the highest point of oxidation. is thu
most convenient and economical fuel with
in our reach. A word concerning the 9th
er methods sometimes employed by II:
may be in place here. In CRATE fires th'
chief disadvantages are bat little radiatine
surface is afforded, and the loss of heat at
tending their use is very large. Ganot af
firms that only IS per cent, of the hea
evolved by the combustion of coke OF Goa
in fire places is utilized, and but 6 pc
cent. when wood is used Heating b,
means of steam OF hot water is certainl,
free from any objections that can be ad
vanced to CRATES and furnaces. bat the
great expense consequent on the use o
these agents is, at least. at present, an in
surmountable barrier to their genera
adoption.
Hot air furnaces, then, appear to be tn
only practical means Of household warm
ing, and if furnaces having the least poss
BILE number of joints arc used, and prope