Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-16
SAVING GAS BILLS.
An Appliance for the Crate That
Produces Lots of Heat
AND SAVES THE PRECIOUS FLUID.
Anyone Can Make it and the Materials Cost
Only About 81 %.
1T MAKES A PRETTY FIRE, BESIDES
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. ,

Ever since the peculiar shaped things that
| go by the name OF "meters" have adorned
our cellars and lied about the amount of gas
that has been consumed, the question of how
to get the greatest amount of heat for the
least amount of gas has been one of the most
serious that the average householder has
had to wrestle with. Inventors have
been working on this problem for months,
and that much progress has been made is
undoubtedly true, but tour of the stores
develops the fact that while there are opli-
ances that get fairly satisfactory results, yet
the expense is so great that they are out of
the reach of good share of the people.
While talking with stove dealer on this
subject, well-known business man living
in the East End remarked: "What you
want is something that can be put in an
ordinary crate by any person, that shall
give results as good, or nearly as good, as is
secured by these improved but high-priced
stoves. and will not cost over dollar or
dollar and half"
''That is what we have been looking after,
but we are satisfied that it can't be done"
remarked the dealer.
II have done just that thing, and if you
will drop into my house any evening will
show you how it is done"
A SIMPLE SOLUTION.
The invitation was accepted, and that
evening as we sat in the cosy home of the
speaker, in the East End, he told how he
solved the question, while the pretty fire
that he was describing sparkled and
twinkled before u.s.
'The device is no! patented, so far as I
know" said he; Sin fact it is practically
my own idea. You see I took out all the
frebrick and the CRATE and put in their
places just enough pieces of bricks at
each end to support the burner in the
usual place, putting in front of the
brick the ordinary ash pan front, or, if
strict economy is the idea, piece of COM
mon sheet iron, cut to fit, will cost only 10
cents, and when painted with cents worth
OF asphaltum varnish it will make neat
finish. Any burner can be used, but one
with the largest surface and the greatest
number of small holes in it will give the
best results,
"Then cut pasteboard pattern so that it
would fit loosely the inside of my fireplace.
the bottom edge of the board resting on the
brick back of the burner and the top edge
resting against the CRATE front, the paste
board filling the entire opening of the fire.
place, except about three inches at the top,
leaving just enough space there to allow the
products Of com bustlon TO go up the Chin
ney. The pasteboard rested at an angle of
about 700.
THE ONLY MONEY EXPENDITURE.
"This pattern took to dealer in asbestos
materials and had him cut piece Of lust
the same size from an ordinary halfinch
asbestos board, and got pound and half
of three-eighth inch asbestos packing, which
is composed of three small strands Of small
cord lightly twisted together. This cost me
altogether 81 %, and outside of my time is
the entire cost of my improvement.
"After fitting the sheet of asbestos board
into the fireplace ir the same manner that
had the pasteboard, 1 marked the part of it
that was directly over the burner, and, tax
ing it out, punched four rows OF holes across
the board, the holes being about an inch
apart each way. Cutting the packing cord to
suitable lengths, I inserted the ends through
the holes and tied knots in them to prevent
their being pulled out. Then by untwisting
the cords had a fringe composed of about
800 small strands of a cord that fire would
not have any effect on. Adjusting the board
with its mass OF hanging twlne to its proper
place in the fire place 1 then cut off each
strand as it hung down so that it would lust
touch the burner. The result you can see
for yourself"
A MASS OF HEATED STRANDS.
The result was certainly most pleasing
one. The instant the gas was lighted each
hanging strand became quivering thing of
life, a portion at least and sometimes all of
it being red hot, radiating its quota of heat.
while the white asbestos board that formed
the back of the fireplace reflected the heat
out into the room.
"What is the effect on your gas bill?"
asked.
81 have no way of comparing it with
former seasons as I put this in as soon as
nv meter was put in, but this much I do
know: I have three stoves and three CRATES;
last year we used all the fire we wanted, and
our gas hill from September q, 1889, to Sep
tember 16, 1890. was $27 20. The burner in this
crate is IS inches long, and the hole in the
mixer is only 3-32 of an inch in diameter,
yet if 1 would turn the gas on full head you
would not be able to stay in the room Is
minutes.
A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION.
"Just hold the thermometer down there
near the floor and about five feet from the
fire and will turn the gas on and you can
see for yourself"
1 did as requested, but at the end of five
minutes begged of, as my face was nearly
blistered, while the thermometer registered
1850, which was the limit of its capacity.
In answer to an inquiry, it was learned that
the asbestos board and strand were practi-
cally indestructable, the fireplace that
we were examining having been in
use daily all last winter and
was as good as ever. Allowing
the claims of the owner, which appeared to
agree with the facts. the arrangement is at
least step towards the practical solution of
the question of a cheap and at the same