The Worthington advance., 1896-09-10
KEEP THE HOUSE COOL

KEEP THE HOUSE COOL
Exclude the Light and Air During tho
scorchlng Hours Of tho Day.
However mild the first day of summer,
July and August generally blast all
hopes for a cool season, and it is rare
and exceptional year in which these
months are not fiery furnace Of en-
lurance, SO far as the weather is con-
cerned.
The main question then for those
who, from choice or necessity remain
in town, is how to keep the house cool,
so that when night comes some part
of the discomfort of the day may be for
got in sleep.
No one needs to be told that the main
element of success in this effort lies
in the total exclusion of air as well as
light during the scorcl1ing hours of the
day. The breeze is very tempting when
ever it comes, but it is also very treach.
erous and deceptive, for, in the long
run, it is more heating than cooling,
as it blows over streets where the Their
mometer is marking 30 in the shade.
Of course, we must have light and air,
for if we remain in the house we must
employ our time in q thousand and one
ways which require both, but the out
side heat is the foe to fight, and it enters
by every crack large enough for an
atom. The best generalship selects Ger
tain rooms to be kept open enough to
live in, those of the second story being
usually preferred.
AS soon as the light grows strong in
the morning all the other windows of
the house should be fastened tight, the
shutters bolted, the sashes in place and
even the dark shades lowered SO as to
exclude as nearly as possible the rays
Of day.
In the second story the shutters should
be bowed in and the rooms made as
dark as feasible, while on the parlor
Aoor the only windows open should be
those of the dining-room-and these
are fastened tight between the hours
for meals
The cook needs light and air to make
her hot kitchen still hotter, but the
work is rendered more tolerable if a
large gas stove or an "Aladdin's oven''
is substituted for the fierce fires of
the range. This deprives the bath
room of hot water, but it also prevents
the heating of the house by the pipes
which run from the boiler to different
L@k baths not odviSa.
BILE in hot weather.
A very important factor in keeping
the rooms cool is the power to get rid
of heated air, which rises toward the
1oof. A trap door which can be set
open is almost a necessity for this, but
it must be carefully watched if there
are any empty houses in the row, lest
by these means a burglar should be
tempted into devious paths.
A house that was considered into]er-
ably hot was made more habitable by
lhe audacious extravaganza of its owner
who had long, narrow window cut
in the wall near the roof at the head Of
the last flight of steps. The window
was supplied with a grating and with
Slated shutters, so that all air was ex-
cluded, and the hot air found a pas
sage from the hall to the outside, while
burglar-proof grating made it possible
to leave the window open all night
The front door might readily be SO
arranged with grating that it, too,
could be left open at night, and in all
cases it should be supplied with an avn
ing to prevent the intense glare of the
marble steps and the pavement, and at
the same time, to afford shade to the
visitor and tradesman who must wait
there till the bell is answered.
AS soon as the sun has ceased to beat
upon the house-either directly or by
refection-all these processes can be
reversed. What, js needed then is air,
which, however heated, is sure to lose
a degree or two of it's temper as night
comes on. All windows then should
be thrown wide open and remain so un-
til late, the upper stories, in fact, be-
ing left open until sunrise next morn
ing announces the battle once more
Philadelphia Ledger.