Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-12-18
THE FAMILY'S FRIEND.
HOW the People of Different A.t
II HEsa.-


about stoves as means of warmth,
appears in the Boston Globe of re-
cent date:
Stove is derived from the Saxon
word stofa. One Of these sources of dc
meStic infelieity. however modified
its form, in merely fire place inclosed
on all sides, the air entering from
below and carried off, as in com
mon CRATE, by vent. The general
principles IS first, to employ the fuel
In the most advantageous manner for
heating the external part of the stove,
and secondly to keep within the room
as much of the air SO warmed as is
consistent. with wholesomeness and
cleanliness.
A fixed stove (stuba) was used in
the time of the Roman empire for heat
ing baths, and in Germany and
Scandinavia for baths and kot houses.
In the middle ages they were general
ly constructed of brick or tiles, some
times of slate or steadaite (soapstone),
and used for warming dwellings.
They We're huge structures, sometimes
occupying the whole side of room,
and In Scandinavia their broad, flat
surface was the sleeping placesof the
household. The fire was kindled al
the bottom, and the smoke and heat
passed Through various hues before
reaching the chimney. These stoves
were economical of fuel, a matter of
much Importance ia some parts of
Europe. In the homes OF the rich
they were sometimes faced with por-
celain or highly ornamented tiles.
Many will remember, no doubt, a
porcelain stove of this description ex-
hibited, in the Swedish department at
the Centennial exposition in 1876.
Tney have ovens and fues for cooking
and need to be repiendished with fuel
but once in "a hours.
One of the first attempts at making
stove of iron was that of Cardinal
Polignac in France, early in the
eighteenth century. The Polignac
fireplaces, so called, were constructed
with hollow backs, hearths, and iron
jambs, to economic the heat. In 1716
DR.. Desaugliers, of London, modified
these fireplaces to use them for coal
instead of wood. But neither these
nor the Holland stoves ever became
popular in England, owing to the
strong prejudice in favor of open
fires
DR.. Franklin'S stove, invented III
1745, was a great improvement On ali
that had preceded it. The principle
of its action was the same as that of
right stoves introduced many years
later. Indeed, it would have been air
tight had it been possible at that time
to make the castings sufficiently close
fitting. About 1775 Franklin invent
ed several other stoves, among them
two for the burning of bituminous
coal. One of these had a downward
draught, and consumed its own
smoke; the other had the basket CRATE
or cage, with movable bars at the top
and bottom, which, after being filled
and kindled at the top, could be in
verted, and SO made to burn al the
base. Between 1885 and 1895 Benja
min Thompson Count Rumford) de
vised several improvements in stoves,
ovens, etc, all intended TO economic
fuel and heat
Previous to 1925 the use of stoves,
generally of the box pattern and of
very rude construction, was confined
to the stores, hotels, bar-rooms, school
houses, and churches in the cities and
larger towns. Country churches were
not usually warmed, but the older
women carried their foot-Stoves and
the men protected their feet with
stout leather overshoes known as
"boxes." In the residences OF some of
the more wealthy city families cannal
and other English coal, generally re
ferred to at the time as ''ses coal, !"
was burned in imported CRATES or in
Rum ford stoves lined with friedrich.
A large number used the Franklin
stove as open fireplace, burning wood
in it. The rest of the world used the
capacious, olC'ashioned fireplace.
The cheapness Of fuel, the cheerful
ness of an open fireplace, and the great
weight and rough construction of the
stoves of those days, made the latter
in but little demand. After the open
ing of the Erie and Champlain canals,
the introduction Of river steamboats,
and beginning of railroad travel, the
facilities for transporting heavy goods
were so much increased that the
manufacture of stoves soon became a
leading industry. These we're wood
stoves, but anthracite coal, which was
gradually coming inte use wherever a
high degree of heat was required and
a strong draught possible, was destin-
ed to create revolution In the busi-
ness.
The first attempts were failures, and
it was not until 1888, when Jordan L.
Mott demonstr ated that an anthracite
fire could be made from nut and pea
sized Goals, and established several
other facts concerning the laws of
combustion, that anthracite coal
stoves became salable. The first cook
ing stoves manufactured in Albany
were OF the old ten plate oval pattern,
the oven above the fire. A description
of The inventions and Improvements
in stoves since then would fill volumes.
1t il doubtful, nevertheless, il any
one Of them can compare in cheerful
ness or healthfullness with the old
fachioned, capacious wooS-ire places
of our grand daddies.