The Northern Pacific farmer., 1882-09-21
Gas Stoves and Oil Stoves.

1t is well-known fact that an individ-
ual confined in small, air.tght cham
Der would soon die, poisoned by his own
breath. The reason is that the oxygen
(meaning acid maker), the only stimu-
lating and vitalizing constituent of pure
air, and without Which life cannot con-
tinue, if largely exhausted by respira-
ton and its place taken by another gas.
the carbonic acid gas, which is SO de-
structive of life that no animal can exist
in it beyond few minutes. Man, and
all animals, take in, by breathing, the
oxygen, which is part of pure air, and
it is absorbed into the blood through the
lungs, and distributed to all parts of tho
body by the circulation Of the blood.
But oxygen, while it gives vitality and
force to the body, also, while accom-
plishing that purpose, helps make car
bonic acid gas, the destroyer Of life. The
oxygen meets everywhere the worn
out material Of the body and burns it.
This worn out material is kind of fuel,
which the oxygen consumes, or, IN 9TH
or words, decomposes and then co,n
bines with one of the constituents Of the
fuel (carbon) and the product is watcry
capor and carbonic acid gas carbon and
of the body while breathing, and the
oxygen taken in, and thus, if there isa
deficiency of pure air, the poisoned sir
accumulate3 and the individual suffers
from the delaterious effects of the car
bOnlc gas to a greater or less degree, in
proposition to the confinement Of the a'r
in which he is placed 1t is known that
there is no surer mode of destroying
life than that by burning charcoal in i
closed room. Charcoal is nearly pure
carbon. By starting the process of com
bustion with a match, the combination
of the charcoal (carbon and the oxygen
(acid) of the air goes
on with the production of vol
umes of somewhat heavy, tasteless and
invisible (carbonic acldD gas, which will
destroy life when it forms tenth part
or much less of the breathing medium.
and so also of all the oils The product
Of burning oil, or fluid derived from oil,
is nearly the same as in the process nf
breathing, or in the combustion Of char
coal; that is, almost wholly watecy yapor
and the poisonous carbonic gas. It will
be understood then wherein the danger
lies in the use of gas stoves and oil stoves
for cooking or heating. These stoves
are great convenience and comfort.
They are a.so economical. For the p1r-
pose of moderate cooking they are to b,
recommended; but with proviso. The
proviso is that there must be
complete ventilation; unobstructed
ingress and egress of atmospheric
gas, kerosene Oil or any Of its products,
or any other oils, results in the prodnc-
ton Of the deadly carbonic acid gas, and
the greater the quantity consumed the
greater the danger, other circumstances
being equal, where attention is not paid
to ventilation. When using either, there
fore, have the windows or the door aar
They are then as safe as any stove for
cooking. For warming rooms it is obyi-
Gus that neither gas nor oil stoves can be
recommended. With complete ventila-
ton, which is an absolute necessity to
assure safety, the requisite warmth would
scarcely DC secured with the desired
comfort and economy.
Let no one be deceived by the asslr-
ance of any dealers that in their stoves
the smoke is all consumed. They may
assert that the absence Of smell is the
proof of The consumption of all harmful
products, but such assertions can have
10 fundamental in fact.