The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-14


table heat when the heat from a system
of pipes is often oppressive, and some
times stiiing? Because of the great diff
ference between the ways in which the
tire and the hot pipes dispense their
heat. The heat rays from All opon
fire pass directly through the air with
out much heating it; they heat any
solid object in their way, whether it be
the walls and furniture of the room or
the person of the sitter, but they leave
| the air itself cool until this is heated in
turn by radiation from tho walls. Tho
occupant Of the room does not have to
wait for this secondary radiation; he is
lmpartially and promptly warmed, like
any other solid object. in the room, by
the direct glow Of the fire, while the air
around him may remain comparatively
cool. 1t does not. III point of fact, get
to be quite as warm as the walls and
furniture, while by choosing a less or
greater distance from the fire, or by the
use of screens, you can adjust the heat
OF direct radiation exactly to your per-
sonal comfort.
This is not the case with any other
system Of heating. Warmed pipes, Il
stove at anything short of red heat, and
4 hot-air register directly heat the air
| itself, leaving the walls comparatively
cool. The room is full of hot air, which
you can not temper instantly to your
comfort as you can temper the radia-
ton OF the open fire, While the walls re-
main cooler than the air when these
heating appliances are used, and alb
Stract heat from the occupants of the
room instead of supplying heat to them,
as they do when warmed by the open
fire.
The chccrfulncss of the open ir re-
quires no eulogy. But the open fame,
whether Of wood, soft coal or hard coal,
is costly luxury. Soft coal is with us
one OF the most expensive kinds of fuel;
but it is worth remembering that one
good lump of it upon hard-coal fire
will iilf a room with cheerful flame for
hours.
For these reasons the open fire is the
most comfortable way OF heating. AS
to its virtue in producing ventilation,
an open fire "is powerful enough to
draw into the room all the air it wants,
and for thispurposc will use indiscrimin-
ately all openings, whether inlcts or
outlets, if necessary" If, as often hap
pens, when this is cold and the house is
not tightly built, the fire may easily cause
too much ventilation, SO that The feet
become chilled, and the temperature of
the room does not reach a comfortable
degree OF warmth. III such a case Il
register supplying warmed air from a
| furnace below is necessary supplement
to the open fires; Il similar cOmpcnsa-
ton is needed in large buildings where
hot pipes are used to warm the halls.
The open fire, indeed, is often, in our
| climate, luxury for single room,
rather than a sufficient me. us of heat
ing the house; but the open fire is a
great comfort. Other sources of heat
may uscfully supplement it; but no
| other, at whatever expense of money
and scientific cOntrivance, can take the
place oft. I have known more than
one builder of his own house who has
found out that it's winter comfort was
by no means wholly decided by the
height OF the thermometer
OF the heat furnished by an ordinary
open coal fire only ab0;;t Ole eighth i;
| utilized i'll room. This waste has led
| inventors to cOntrivc various means for
retaining a part of the heat that escapes
directly up the chimney. The principle
is to warm an ascending current OF air
in proximity to the fire, but not to an
excessive degree, and to discngage the
air near the top of the room. Galton
has devised one of the best Of these
contrivances, but it is little known in
this country. In any fireplace the
forms and materials employed make Il
good deal of difference with the amount
of heat saved. Brick and tiles are bet
ter than iron for the backing; the CRATE
should project II certain distance into
the room, and a projecting chimney
piece absorbS and radiates IL consider
able amount of heat. The fashion, now
going out, of concealing the mantcl-
piece with Il board, suitable trimmed
and decorated, was thus Il thrifty as
well us pretty one, the fringes and
other coverings of the false mantol.
picco serving to retain and distribute
the heat Of tho fire beneath.
The hob is an attachment that should
be found upon the CRATE Of every open
| fire. Any one can make a good hob in
five minutes. Take a piece Of stout
| wire onc-tifth of an inch in diameter
and twenty to twenty-four inches long,
bend it into the shape of Il long capital
u. five or six inches broad, put the
points Of this u between tho two upper
CRATE bars and bend down the loop OF it
until it stays level, and you will have q
convenient movable hob, and quite as
good Il one as can be bought. for money.
The hob and kettle are very scrviceablc
for evaporating water, according to
the plan ] have recommended for keep
ing the air moist. a hob thus makes
tho Crate fire in the parlor more health
full, while the tea-kettle simmering
IIpOn it adds its own element of dOnns-