Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1886-10-07
THE POETIC FIREPLACE.

snort history Of the Progress Made la
Heating and Neniiistiug Appliances.
warm and pure air are equally. ~
important factors in our.lives n rood
food. and although even the least civ
ilized OF people have managed nv some
means TO keep their dwellings warm.
1t was not until comparatively recent
times that any attention was given to
systematic heating and perfect vcntil-
alton. The dwelling. aS means of
protection against the weather. NAV be
regarded To some extent as an enlarged
garment, and indeed the difference be-
tween loose mantle and the tent of "A
nomad l. not very great. In order to
add To the comfort which any shelter
provides, man has sought from the
earliest times TO obtain some adequate
method of heating his domicile. His
efforts in this direction were for "A long
period confined To building "A fire of
wood upon the naked earth. In the
Oldest dwellings of which we have any
knowledge the fire was made upon "A
hearth of stone, u the ruins OF the lax g
jewellers show. Then in the DAYS of
the ancient Hebrews and Egyptians a
rude lire apparatus was in use. which
served after a fashion the purposes of
their factories and foundres. Still
stoves and chimneys and CRATES were
not known until centuries later. for not
untli the beginning OF the middle ages
ana the smoke catcher of the an
cleniS give place To something better
Charcoal was the ordinary fuel, and
turf was also used. the evidence
OF which has been found at Pom
pen ana ut other eNhumed places. The
hrst mention of hard coal is made i'm A.
ID. 500, Tor at that time history tells us
of combuStible mineral which the
smiths of Greece employed for their
llres. Not until the twelfth century
however. was the chimney i'm general
use throughout Europe. According TO
lomlinSon and Turner. in their work
OF heating and ventilating i'm England.
down to the time Of William the. Con.
querOr. the inhabitants of Britain
dwell an straw matched huts parti-
toned into two rooms, in order that
near the family of the master the SER
wants might be- sheltered. Ia the mid
die OF the front and principal room was
mammoth common hearth. over
which in the roof was q little tower TO
make draught that should carry of
the smoke. Long after this came a
primitive sort of Hue. which cieveloped
later into the old-fashiomed chimney
corner Of our far-ofl' yrandfatbers.
whose enormous capacity embraced a
whole family and supplied them with
cheering warmth. And this kind of
fireplace and chimney continued in
Z vogue, with no improy cmcnt in its
technical construction, until the latter
part of the last century. when tw,,
Americans. Benjamin Franklin and
Count RumfOrd. began busvin0 them
selves with the heating question.
lin separated the Fireplace from,
the chimney, and led the draught after
= short ascent downward again. i'm or
der that u might pass through pipe
beneath the hoOr. and again through
the chimney into the outer air. This
SORT 81 stove ha- always been called
the Franklin or PENNSYLVANIA stove. -
kumford allowed the characteristic nc
cuiiaritleS Ot the place 10 remain.
but brought IL further forward into In.
room, narrowing the chimney At the
height OF the fireplace opening 10 go
small u size that only q slender nue
was loft 10 carry on the smoke Then
damper- were invented and other ina
provcments made until open fire-placns
Oi Tie presei day are well adapted 10
the purpose for which they are de-
signed 10 far a. GOOD ventilation il
concerned although their heating ca
pacity Is very small. because the hot
air for the most part escapes through
the chimney Therefore. for cold
weather A. every body knows. the open
Fireplace IS not adapted II +, apt 10
warm one side 81 the body only. while
the other side frccIc-s IN only .oue
arrangement could bc devised whereby
this objection might bc overcome and
the impcriectiou- of the crate fire be- rec
tilted. how much IL would be- preferred
bycgrry body for a. free. bright flames.
which she'd htful and magical HObt
ughought ihc room, rendering n
more 'iiSsbic aud -ufu-inp In with q
poetic charm while their fantastic
charm BE- observed But until mar
time comes and fuel is far cheaper
those who would like crate fires must
Tain content themselves with stoves
that are moro practical. IL less poetic.
~ D. COU'Werci0i ddrcyTjscr.
s
The longest drought that ever ,c.
cured in this country is said 90 have
taken place in 1862. When no rain fell
nom the first of NAV Ca mo Gr.t -