The Bossier banner., 1892-04-14
TO MAKE A FIRE.
Even This Homely Subject May be Treated
scientifically.

Even This Homely Subject May be Treated
scientifically.
The amount of heat that Is wasted in
the average cook-stove is probably sut-
fcient to do as much work as that done |
by the heat retained. Twenty-Five
pounds of coal is amply sufficient to run
any family cook-stove of ordinary dl-
mensions for day,'yet by failing to
shut the drafts at the proper time, three
or four times this amount of coal may
be easily burned, and that without Civ
ing any increased amount of service.
Strange as it may seem, the work.
woman of the kitchen seldom looks |
upon her stove as the steam engineer |
looks upon his engine-as something to |
be run on absolutely systematic princi-
pies 1t is true that the engine has a
certain way of averaging itself when it
is run hap-hazard. which the kitchen
stove has not. Even should the kitchen
stove uniformly explode when run by a
madmans method, it is not likely that
it would impress any very serious les
son. Even now, when newspapers have
for years chronicled the danger and de-
struction that follow the use of kero-
sene in l<indling the stove fire, its use is
still common thing. The charwoman
| prefers to run the risk of possible ex-
| plosion, rather than to undergo the
trouble of kindling up her fire in
the proper manner; or possibly she
can not realize the danger she
undergoes, and does not understand
how to make up fire in the proper
manner. 1t seems next to impossible
to teach the average servant how to
treat her stove drafts. AS a matter OF
fact, many otherwise intelligent house
keepers fail to understand these drafts
or the philosophy of making fire. 1t
seems to us that every school course In
natural philosophy should include les
sons in this most essential thing. AS 1t
is, there are experiments with flre IN
innumerable cases, but there are none
practically applied to the treatment or
kitchen fires. This matter should and
could very easily be put before class
SO that the veriest dullard would readl-
ly understand it. The writer knew
case where a valuable stove was sold
for trifiing sum because it smoked,
when the most trivial inspection OF 1t
showed that no trouble existed except
that the principal draft was scaled uE
with SCOT The stove has been IN act
ual and excellent service ever since thu:
inspection.
T After the fire has thoroughly kindlet
I'D and the Goals have become bright or
. top the damper over the oven and al
), the drafts in the doors below the hr
should be closed. Unless very hot mr.
= is needed the damper in the stove pip
: may be opened to throw in little drat
l. of cold air and prevent the heat fror
ascending the pipe This is chec
!. damper to the heat, and no rule OF un
- versal application can be given, as II
: location varies in different stoves In
dampers over the oven and below I'd
t.e are about the same in all stoves. A
we said before, these dampers shoul
y be closed before the fire is used. 1t onl
. iniures fire to use it while it Is kline
- ling up. In a few minutes after the III
: has kindled up and these dampe
y, closed the oven should be hot enoue
and the top of the stove should be h
~ enough to cook anything without Ia
" ing off the cover. A kettle may be
in without materially disturbing Il
:" fire. providing it fits tight to the sto
Il, hole. AS soon as the meal is cooked
~ the drafts that check the fire should
:. opened and the others remain tlg
= shut. Especially should the little do
in front of the fire. which throws drs
IL of cold air over it, be opened. The
- is not for use now, unless it is for We
- slow baking in the oven, such as IT
cake, Indian pudding and other o
'k- fashioned dishes require. 1t does I
H. require the addition of fresh coal
lie will last in this way for mum Der
lily hours. and when fresh, hot fire is
rs ouired in working order for the M
es- meal it will be necessary to rake t
an fire down simply to clear out all
'as ashes, lay few pieces of wood on
lN glowing embers and fill in coal' ~