The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-04-11
LIFE A CENTURY AGO.
Discomforts Our Ancestors Had to
Endure.
without Stoves or Coal, Gas, Matches or
Carpets, Their Trials We're Heavy In
Severe Winter Weather-Modern
Comforts and Conveniencss.

round them, with almost wonderful
means to meet every emergency, do
not realize the contingencies of climate
and weather which their ancestors, a
hundred years ago, were annually
called upon to meet, and, we may say,
to suffer and endure. Home-life in
New England hundred years ago. to
say the least of it, as compared with
the present time, was a wonderful ex-
perience. At that time, and even for
some years later, the people We're with
out stoves and knew nothing of the use
OF coal. The Franklin fireplace, approx
imating toward the stove, for the use of
wood, was invented by DR., Franklin in
the year l745. He had given much at
tention to the subject OF warming
rooms and apartments, and this iron
fireplace was thought to be a great
improvement upon the ordinary brick
fireplace. Count Rumford also made
some improvements in the matter, and
in I'LL DR.. Franklin, then in London,
completed and used u design for burn
ing bituminous coal and consum-
ing the smoke. Some years later
Count Rumford mnde some val
liable improvements and sug-
gcstions in the matter OF cooking
stoves, and in a few years cooking
stoves in great variety came into gem
eral use. In thousands of cases, at tho
present time, the numerous cooking
stoves Of years ago have given place
TO the cooking range for kitchen use,
IN which all kinds of cooking is done
with great facility and convenience
with the use of coal. For warming pur-
poses, day and night alike. the stove,
however enlarged and improved, now
gives place very extensively to the
furnace in the cellar. by which all the
rooms in the house are kept warm and
comfortable by continuous coal fire.
These are things of invaluable use
and benefit, relieving winter of its
trials and discomforts. to which the
people Of hundred years ago were SO
severely exposed. In addition to all
these, in thousands of cases in the
cities and larger towns OF the common
wealth, the use OF double windows has
been adopted oskeep out the cold air
and make the dwelling-houses still
more comfortable in very cold weather
So that, in point of fact, excepting in
the interior towns. brick fireplaces
and wood fuel are but little used in the
cities and populons towns.
As a general thing, at the time OF
which we speak, only one room in the
house was kept warm during the day
time, and this was in many cases the
kitchen, where the cooking was done.
In case of sickness fire might occa-
sionally be made in sleeping-room;
but otherwise the sleeping-rooms were
OF the temperature of the atmosphere,
and in winter weather often below
zero. OF this, it is said, "the men and
women a hundred years ago undressed
and went to their beds in tempera-
ture colder than that of our barns aud
woodsheds. and they never COM
planned" This was the case less than
fifty years ago, when It was common
thing to have the waVer in the bed
room freeze every night, and the occu'
pants were obliged to dress themselves
each morning ina freezing tempera'
ture during the winter
In the matter of lighting rooms,
apartments, public houses, etc. tallow
candles succeeded pine knots. until
lamps and whale oil were introduced
these last within the remembrance
Of the present generation. and candles
of superior make are still very largely
used, together with kerosene oil lamps
in great variety. Gas from coal ar
pears to have been first discovered ant
used by Mr.. William Murdoch, fore
man of Bolt & Watt, engineers OF Bir
mingham, England. about the veal
1900. He may be said to have disoov'
cred the combustible, and, whenshii
DAVIS work was over, devoted him
self to experiments on the nature
and use OF coal gas Among othe
things he contrived lantern with |
bladder filed with gas attached to it
which no used 70 light himself abou
the streets and lanes at night, YER!
much 10 the amazcment OF the people
10 see lamp without wick. Th
hrst shop lighted with gas In Londo'
was that OF Mr.. Ackermau In tb
Strand In 1910, and It is said that
.ody OF rauk was 80 delighted with th