Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-27
Open Fires.

virtues OF an open fire are these: By its
peculiar heat action it warns the air of
room less than its walls and less than
the occupants of the room, producing a
comfortable warmth 1t gives the most
thorough ventilation, and it is the most
cheerful a. well a. comfortable source
of heat. Its faults are its EXPENSIVE
ness. and the greater trouble required
in taking care of it.
Why does an open fire give a COM
Portable heat when the heat from svs-
tenn of pipes is often Oppressive. and
sometimes sitting? Because of the
great difference between the WAYS in
which the hire and the hot pipes dis
pense their heat The heat rays from
an open IRE pass directly through the
air without much heating! it; they heat
any soihl oblcct in their way, whether
IL D. The walls and furniture of the room
or the person of the sitter, but they
leave the air itself cool unit, this is
heated in turn by radiation from the
walls The occupant of the room does
not have 10 wait for this secondary radi-
ationi he is ,impartially and promptly
warmed, like. any other solid object in
the room, by the direct glow of the fire.
while the air around him. NAV remain
comParativeIYy cool. It docs not. in
point OF fact, gettajba quite as warm as
the walls and furniture, while bv cboos-
ing n less OF. greater distance from the
lire, orby the use. of screenSfyou can
adjust the heat of direct radiation ex-
actly to your personal comfort.
This Is not thei case 5witlf fafT rother
system of heatingf tWarmedi pines. a
stove at anything short of red heat. and
a hot-air register directly heat the lair
itself, leaving the walls comparatively
cool. The room is full of lptair. whichC
you can not temper .ihspntlyI to your-
comfort .aS YOU can teplppr the radia-
ton Of the open fire, yliile 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 'dowhen warmed by the open
fire. .r.'- HF
For these reasons the open fire is the
-ffostcomfortable WAY of heatfny.--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 this purpose will use indiscrimin-
Ptely all openings, whether inlets or
outlets, il necessary If. as often han
pens. when this is cold the house is not
tightly built. the fire may easily cause
too much ventilation, SD that the feet
become chilled, and the temperature of
the room does not reach comfortable
degree of warmth. In such a case
register supplying warmed air from
furnace below is 8 necessary supple
lment to the open fires; a similar. com
penSation Is needed in LARGE BUILDINGS
where hot pipes are used TO warm the
nails. The open fire, indeed, is often.
IN our. climate, Il luxury for a single
room, rather than sufficient means of
heatrng the house; bur tf1e opcr1- fire Is n
great comfort, Other sources of heat
may usefully supplement lit; but no
other, At whatever expense Of money
and scientific continuance. cantake the
place OF il. | have known nor, than
one builder Of his own house Who has
found out thatits winter comfort was bv
no means wholly decided by the height
OF the thermometer.
-Ihe cheerlulness of the open fire re-
quires no euloEy. But the open flame.
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 1t IS worth remembering that one
good lump of itupOn n harl-coal fire
VIII I'LL room with cheerful flame for.
hours. -'- - --.---- -
% Oh the heat furnished bv an ordinary
open coal fire only about one-eiohth Is
utilized in n room. This waste has led
inventors TO cOntrive various means for
retaining part of the heat thatescanes
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 disengare the
air near the top of the room. Gallon
has devised one Of the best of these
contrivanccs, but it is little known in
ms country. In any fireplace the |
"rmS AMI materials employed make a |
good deal OF difference with the amount |
oil heat saved. Brick and tiles are bet !
ter than iron for the backing; the crate |
should project certain distance into |
Inc room,t and projecting chimney |
piece absorbs and radiates a consider |
able amount of heat. The fashion. now
going ont, of oOncealing tho mantel- !
piece with board, suitably trimmed |
and decorated. was thus a thrifty as |
Wen as a pretty one, the fringes and |
other coverings of, the false manteI |
piece serving to retain and distribute |
the heat of the fire beneath.
Tho hob is an attachment that should I
be found upon the CRATE of every open
IRE Any one can make a good hob in
live minutes. Take piece Of stout wire /
9De-ilith of an inch in diameter and |
twenty tn twenty-folr inches long. bend |
II into the shape of a long capital u.
live or six inches broad, put the points /
qi this Q between the two UPPER crate
bars and bend down the loop OF 1t until !
u STAYS level. aud YOU viii have a con-
venient movable bob, and quite as good
2 one as eau be bought i for money.
The hob and kettle are very serviceable
Tor evaporatinf' water, according to
the plan | have recommended for keep
ing the air moist a hob thus makes
Ire CRATE fire in the parlor more
hcaltiffnl, whilethe tea-kettle simfnerin0
upon 1t addSits own element of domes7
nc comfort Titus Munson Coan, in
Harper's Wecklg. .,E