St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-01-14
Mr.. AND MRS. BOWSER.
Some Useful Suggestions Concerning til
Management of Coai-Stoves.


way, but when Mr.. Bowscr was build
ing the house he got an idea that fur
mace heat warped all the woodwork,
and that steam was Il dangerous and
sinister enemy. y few days ago, when
it was time TO put up base burners, he
said to me:
Mrs. Bowser do you know what
makes hcat?'
Coal and wood, | suppose"
Has combustion any thing to do
with it?''
Il suppose so.'
Don't you know so? If not, why
don't You find out? There is no eX-
cusc for ignorance in this day of the
world. If combustion causes heat
what naturally follows?'
1T naturally follows tlrat it does"
Eyes, and it naturally follows that
you don't know enough to come in
when it rains! was going to talk to
you about the purchase of a coal stove
two or three of them, but it would
be useless Some minds can't com.
prehcnd any thing beyond an old
crazy quilt and bias-eyed baby!"
Il know 4 coal stove when see it,
Mr.. Bowser!'
ooh! YOU do? What is the prin.
ciple-the great fundamental prime iple
of base-burner?'
"Why, you put in the coal, and the
fire heats the room.
I'm! Very smart! What causes
the coal to burn?''
"Thc fire. )"
Mrs. Bowser!n he said in his most
solemn manner, ''it was a good thing
you married me! If You hadn't you
would never have known sand. ,ile
from circus. Don't you know-that
is, can't | make you comprehend
that there must be draughts, flues,
checks, over currents. UNDER currents,
com bustion, anti-combustion, cogs.
ratchets. shakers, dumps and dozen
other things about base burner,
such a base burner as we want? If we
have perfect combustion what fol-
lows?"
"We-we are glad"
ooh, we are! Well, it's no use to
waste further words on you! If you
we're widow you'd rush off and buy
the first base burner you set eyes on,
and you'd never give thought as to
whether 1t consumed three or thirteen
tons of coal for the winter. l shall
purchase such stoves as see tit.''
They came up in day or two, three
of 'en1. One WAS for the sitting-room,
another for the hall. and the third was
to 60 upstairs. A man came along to
put them up and start the fires. lie
showed me about the hampers and
checks, and when Mr.. Bowser come
home every thing was bright and
cheerful, and the stoves had not given
| me moments uneasiness.
WHO started these firesp" demand
ed Mr. Bowser, almost before he had
crossed the threshold.
why, the man who put up the
Stoves
He did, ehp And what does he
know about starting a fire in a coal
stove, I'd like to know? He ought to
be discharged for his assurance.
s.He seemed to know all about it. "
We'll, seeming to know and know
ing are two very different things. It's
a good thing l arrived as / did. or the
house would have been blown up or
burned down. Let me at this stove y
And he began showing and pullin
at doors and checks and hampers in
the sitting-room stove, and then went
the rounds of the house.
.sThe combustion was scarcely ten
per cent" he observed as he went
back to the sitting-room, while the
waste of fuel was fully ninety. Didn't
you notice the imperfect circulation OF
the hot air CURRENT"
mo. DEAR
That's because you never notice
any thing until you hit it with your
nose! I have got every thing nicely
regulated now, and want to see il
you haven't got brains enough to-
mir. Bowser, the gas is leaking
Can't you smell it ?'' interrupted
1T must be- he replied, as he
shifted around, and he at once made
a tour of the house. Before he got
back had to open the door, and baby
was deathly sick.
From seven until ten o'clock that
evening Mr. Bowser was engaged IN
pouring coal into the feeders. dump
ing it out of the fire-pots and scatter
ing it all over the house, and we frnal-
" went to bed in the cold. He de-
| clared that the chimneys we've choked
up, the stoves constructed on wrong
prin ciples, and the coal full OF slate.
and when he left the house In the
morning it was with the assertion:
..rl send boiler-maker up hear tt
look those Internal things over
don't believe the fues arelarge enough
to furnish the proper pressure.
When he had departed. cook and |
soon lad every fire alight and burn
ing nicely, and we hadn't touched the
stoves again. when NJ Bowser came
up to dinner. H G made an inspection
Of each stove, came back TO the sitting
sI<< D.