The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-04
STORY OF THE STOVE,
What Has Been Done In the Way of
It's Evolution.
Fronl the Caicaoo Inter Ocean

From the Caica0o Inter Ocean.
1.-THE stove comes through evolution. Il
was late development, but its progress aud
transformations have been rapid enough
since the first real stove emerged from the
chrysal1s fire-box.
"a modern stove no more resembles those
which our grandmothers used, If they were
so fortunate as to possess what was then
very rare. than grand piano does harpsi-
chord or spinet.
American ingenuity has done more to
develop the civilization of comfort than the
combined mechanical talent OF the rest of
the world. 1t has not stopped with stoves.
II has taken the clumsy German iron box,
always rudely ornamented with the Han
overian horse, the charcoal burner of the
French, and the old stove common to Eng
land and this country, which persisted In
smoking around the lids, and wouldn't draw
unless the damper was turned, when It
wouldn't bake, and it has made of these a
thing useful and artistic, the modern stove.
1t has been complex problem"
This was the story of the above as told by
an authority on stoves, a practical business
man, who believes that the modern world
owes the ancient nothing, and who holds to
an expensive system Of evolution as his phi-
losophy. He had no faith in the words,
was doubly sure that they would not
apply to the modern stove. He was in part
right. Our English and German and Irish
ancestors from the north of Europe didn't
know so much about stoves 100 years ago as
they do to-day; there has been a wonderful
development; but they did make stoves
and stoves in some respects very similar to
those now in use, as far back as !, 800 years
ago. They were not exactly like the stoves
n fn-daNy hrf fhav had faof ,1ra NKThi nh
have been adopted recently.
Under the lava and ashes which over
whelmed Pompeii the Roman kitchen was
just as well preserved as the Atrium, and
the stove Of that date was as safely kept
packed in the scori9 of old Vesuvius as the
statue Of Apollo.
There were some curious things about
those old Pompeiian stoves. At the BAKERS
there was an oven, or range, in which one
pound loaves, stamped with tie kind of flour
used, were baked by the dozen. They went
in dough on one side and came out neatly
polished loaves on the other. There was an
arrangement by which a liquid was auto
mattcally dropped upon the surface of the
loaf while baking b give the crust the
much-prized glossy. shining surface Then
there was the triple fue. too, connected
with those ovens, for the smoke and gases,
which modern stove manufacturers adver-
tise
In the private kitchen was an ample as
sortment of culinary wares. These were
polished metal instruments of every descrip-
ton and purpose. Little charcoal stoves
were in use there as we'll as in some portions
of Europe now, and in addition TO heaters
there were variety of urns more compli-
Gated than those of the present time and
serving the purpose of the boiler and warm
oven attachments of to-day.
The Pompeiian stove was on evolution of
itself. 1t was the outcome of a high state
of Roman civilization. It preceded the
modern stove, coming from the same COM
mon fre-box.
For cooking purposes all the Chirioahua
wants is little bundle of twigs, the smaller
the better, as there is little smoke 20 dis
cover him to an enemy, and the few charred
remnants are passed unnoticed By pur-
suing force. The Japanese has his fire-box.
There isn't much heat in it, but the whole
family gather about it, and by combining
what little heat there is within narrow
space u slight degree Of warmth is OBJ
tanned.
In colonial days our ancestors cooked in
tireplaces, and kept themselves warm by
piling on huge logs In the open grate, but
Is per cent. of the heat went up the flue, and
the room was never warmed except in a
small segment of circle Immediately about
the fireplace. The old-fishioned crane
sounds very poetical, but it had a way of
making a vast amount Of work for the busy
housewife, and the pots and kettles would
still persist In being black despite the fire.
quent and persistent scouringS to which
they were subjected.
The stove came as the great remedy for
these domestic ills. 1t came to stay and to
be improved upon.