The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-11-17
ABSOLUTELY SAFE.

GenQent or the Smead warming anC
Nentilating Co., who has been over
seeing the putting in of the new fur
naces at the Normal school for 1.-THE
past month, left last night for Vino
ma to be present at the starting OF
the new furnaces at the Normal
school at that place. He will return
in few days, as he has two weeks
more work in this city before the fur
naces will be ready to start. Before
leaving he detailed to FREE PRESS
reporter the provisions made to pre-.
vent the Normal school building from
taking fire from the furnaces or the
hot air sent from them through the
building. So absolute sand complete
is the protection against. fire that the
public may be interested at this time
in knowing some of the details.
The twenty-six furnaces to be used
in heating the entire building when
completed are banked together by
twos and threes. so practically there
are butIeight or ten separate heat.
heating plants. One of these banks
will be sufficient to illustrate the gen.
eral plan. Over tie entire bank is
placed heavy steel plate. Then
comes an air space of some inches, and
another steel plate. Above this is
three inches of sand. The heat can
not penetrate this cushion, yet the
joists of the ceiling above are not
lathed and plastered, but Left uncov-
cred to the view of the janitor. Where
the hot air fiues pass this cushion is a
box, around which is brickwork-
three courses of brick. and four
courses of mortar. Each hot air fiue
is made of solid brick work to the
point where the air enters the room
to be heated. No woodwork comes
within a foot or sixteen inches Of the
flue, so that charring of woodwork
is impossible. The brick-work is laid
by experienced men with the greatest
care. The fiues cannot be closed, so
as to overhead the walls by accumu-
lated heat.
Said Mr.. Rogers: "This talk .about
there being any danger of 1.-The build
ing catching fire from the furnaces is
the greatest nonsense. l should have
been glad to show around any inquir-
er, but no one has ever asked me a
question about the furnaces. When
they are completed, / shall invite the
newspaper men and all others inter-
ested to inspect the furnaces and |
will explain ktheir absolute safety.
There is not the slightest possibility
of any woodwork taking fire. from the
furnaces, and whoever says there is,
talks upon subject upon which he
knows nothing.
'The hot air. system is.muchssafer
than Steam heating. Nine fires out
of ten that start from the heating
plant occur iD steam heated buildings.
The woodwork or carpets next to the
steam pipes become charred, dust set
ties there, and spontaneous combus-
tion takes place. Only the other day
this occurred at Albert Lea, and re.
Gently at Vermillion. During all the
years that the company has been do
ing business, not a fire has occurred
due to the plant. In St. Paul TWEEN
ty-six schools have our system, and it
has been generally adopted in schools
over the country, and is much pre-
ferred to steam and is much safer.
Eight years ago somesof the fur
naces in sthe building here were not
properly putin, but all of the sold fur
naceS have been taken down and over
hauled and now the same provisions
for safety have been thrown around
them as with the new furnaces. Moth
ing has been done without my own
personal supervision. / did the same
thing at Winona, as L want these
schools to have absolutely model heat
ing plants. At OTHER places | allow
the work to be done by agents. When
everything is done, | will show the
people of Mlnkato that there is not
even the remOtest possibility Of any
danger from the furnaces. | want
them to come and see for themselves,
for L do not want any groundless fears
to be lurking IN the minds of any. If
the building ever takes fire it will be
from some other cause than the fur
naces. If those who have started the
false reports about these furnaces had
taken the trouble to ask few ques-
tions or to inspect intelligently that
which they criticised so foolishly they
would not have done what they have.
| have no fears as to the impartial
judgment of your citizens upon the
matter, rendered after an examina-
tion of the premises"