The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-10
Why Chinnncys smoke.

MANY persons object to open fire.
places for burning wood or soft coal ON
account Of their liability to ii.l with
.u,.,. the loo4a, tua' ave u,endcd to
warm & writer i'm u uaper devoted TO
the construction Of houses. in discuss
inc the question ..Why DO Our Chin
news smoker" Says:
A, matter of fact thcY never do--lt
is the wood that smokes We make
this statement not bv WAY of facetious-
Ness but to bring the discussion 10 a
strictly scientific basis. Since the new
birth of the open wood fire. the old
question of how to coax the smoke to
90 straight up the chimney-Hue. at all
times aud under all circumstances, has
come again to the hQnt, and the OLD
controversy as to the relative magnl-
tude of two stupendous but familiar
domestic evils is liable to be revived.
II is not our purpose TO give here ana
now all the infallible rules by which
one of these and doubtless the minor
can be cured, or, better still, prevent
ed. but simply TO refer TO one OF the
common reasons why smoke from 2 hre
ga no hearth falls out INTO the room
occasionally if not constantly, instead
Of going up to the skies, where 1t be-
longs Having stated that ohimneys
never smoke il may be wei to observe
that they never ''draw q her. What
ever goes up the chimnev-from Ihom-
rs Hood ; chimney-sweep to the steam
from the kettle nose Is poked up from
behind OF course, this amounts to
Ine sauae thing practically as being
drawn up. but it is Well TO remember
that the same pushing force will Just as
readily lift air, shavings. ashes, steam,
or anything else that comes in its way
as smoke The point, therefore, is to
so arrange the throat of the chimney
that the smoke shall be caught first,
and like proud Korah's troop, be swal-
lowed up before it has chance 70 spill
over into the room aEd before some
thing els can be crowded into its
place Left to its own devices, it would
fall out Of the fireplace and run over
the floor like water rs the AR IN the
room happens to be usually cooler and,
therefore, heavier tn n that in the tire
place, it forces the latter upward and
the smoke with it. Now, the tendency
Of the smoke, As soon as 1t Is lifted
against the back wall of the fireplace,
is to fall forward, and this tendency Is
favored by the curving back against
which ii ascends. There is no obiee-
ton to this curve, which seems to keeT
the smoke within bounds, and 1t doubt
less raiiates more heat than if it stood
/. erect, but the one point that should bt
insisted upon is that the face of this
curve along which the smoke rises
should strike, if II were continued
(Which it is not, being cut off by tht
broad throat of the fuel, several inch
es above the Intel AT The top OF shs
fireplace opening. The smoke is thei
fairly caught in the ascending eurren
of warm air and carried up and away
A smoking Fireplace may often b
cured without any change of fiue o
chimney by simply bringing down th
top either with a row OF bricks or tiles
or by piece of metal fitted in betweei
the Jams. And this cure is effected no
because the fire. place was originally to
large or too shallow 70 ..draw, bu
because the proper provision had nc
been made for ensrapping the smok
and turning it into the rising stream
warm air.