Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-04-26

The cheerfulness of the open fire re.
quires no eulogy. 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 it is worth remembering that one
good lump of it upon a hard-coal fire
will fill 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 this purpose will use indiscrimin-
ately all openings, whether inlets or
outlets, if necessary If. as often hap
pens. when this is cold 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 comfortable
degree of warmth. In such case a
register supplying warmed air from
furnace below is a necessary supple
ment to the open fires; similar COM
pensation 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 sufficient means of
heating the house; but the open fire is a
great comfort. Other sources of heat
may usefully supplement it; but no
other, at whatever expense of money
and scientific contrivance, can take the
nIo Of I l. hO
one builder of his own house who has
found out that its 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 about one-eighth is
utilized in room. This waste has led
inventors to cOntrive various means for
retaining 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 disengage the
air near the top of the room. Gallon
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
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 certain distance into
the room, and a projecting chimney
piece absorbs and radiates q consider
able amount of heat. The fashion, now
going out, of concealing the mantel-
piece with board, suitably trimmed
and decorated, was thus a thrifty as
well as Il pretty one. the fringec and
other coverings of the fal;e nlantel.
piece serving to retain and distribute
the heat of the fire beneath.
The hob is an attachment that should
be found upon the CRATE of every open
fire. Any one can make good ho'> in
five minutes. Take piece of stout W re
One-fifth Of an inch in diameter ard
twenty to twenty-four inches long. bend
it into the shape of a long capital Z.
five or six inches broad, put the points
of this q between the two upper grat-e
bars and bend down the loop of it until
it stays level, and you will have cor
venient movable hob, and quite as good
a one as can be bought for money.
The hob and kettle are very serviceal:le
for evaporating water, according 70
the plan l have recommended for keep
ing the air moist. n hob thus max. IS
the CRATE fire in the parlor mole
healthful, while the tea-kettle simmerin,y
upon it adds its own element of dOme--
tic comfort. Titus .NtnsOn I0on, I:
Ho1per's Weekly.
Brown struck an icy place in tn