Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-02
A STUFFED CHIMNEY.
1T RECEIVES A NOVEL AND DIS
ASTROUS CLEANING.
The Head of Washington Street House
hold Has Thrilling Experience-His
W;fe's Efficient Plan.

An odd case of chimney cleaning
occurred in the south part OF the city a
few Sundays ago, which. without en-
bellishment, proved to be a very inter
esting episode in domestic life. The
facts are these:
A family recently arrived from the
east purchased nice little home not a
thousand miles from Washington street
and Grand avenue, and moved into it..
At last they became settled in their new
home, and felt happy. The first Sun
day after the settlement was cold day,
for this country, and the newcomers
from lover the mountains felt the
need of little fire in their domicile.
In their nice parlor was chin
ney extending down three or four
feet below the ceiling, and into
the iue they had inserted the
pipe of their parlor stove. When fire
was started in the stove, however, it
was discovered that the chimney, which
had not been used for some time, was
choked with SCOT, so that the fire would
not burn. At this unexpected develop
ment, Mr.. Stopkins, the head of the
family, proceeded to take down the
stovepipe, put up step-ladder, and
climbing up to the flue, poked the Chin
ney with an iron rod. But he could not
reach the obstruction. lie then put
quantities of paper into the chimney
and ignited them, but found it impossi-
BILE to burn out the gorge of SCOT and
dirt that evidently existed somewhere
in the chimney above his reach. Stop
kins rushed out to the barn and brought
the longest ladder on the premises, in
tending to scale the roof and at
tack the enemy from above. But to his
dismay he found the ladder too short to
reach the roof OF two-story building.
What should be his next move he was
at loss to determine. He held consul
tation with Mrs. Stopkins. In such
dilemma it was meet and proper that he
should consult even "weak-minded
woman" They must have little fire
in their par]or. They were expecting
friends at any moment. Finally Mrs.
Stopkins suggested that possibly if a
pistol or gun were fired into the fue it
would 'start things little.'' The
mere suggestion was sufficient to start
Stopkins on the warpath. He at once
procured his revolver, assembled on the
step-ladder to the open fue, and, in
sertiDg the revolver into the chimney,
muzzle upward, with his wife and the
Stopkins children looking on with in
tense interest, he fired.
The effect was wonderful. The dam
broke instantaneously, and in less than
two seconds an overwhelming ava
lanche of brown and black SCOT poured
out through the fiue, completely cover
ing the head of the family, and, in fact,
the other members of it, filling the
room and dressing the entire
parlor furniture in robe
Of darkness. Stopkins jumped
to the floor as quick as possible, looking
more like chimney sweep than bus
mess man preparing to receive Sunday
visitors. The other members of the
family rushed blindly into the street,
yelling fire, murder and various other
things not printed in the regular pro-
gramme. Huge volumes of SCOT issued
from the open door. Stopkins howled
with rage: and in his eagerness to escape
from the house upset the center table,
broke a costly vase, smashed a mirror
and rolled down the steps into the yard,
holding his hands over his eyes, mutter-
ing something about the folly of acting
on "a fool woman's suggestion" To
further enhance the embarrassment of
the situation just then the expected
visitors arrived and swarm of people
returning from the church passed by
ali wondering whether the house was
on fire or Stopkins on staving old
drunk.
1t should be added that one OF Stop
kins's neighbors and friends 'riled"
him considerably the other day by say
ing: "Well, Stopkins, how does your
new house SCOT you?"
Use German family soap.