Birmingham state herald., 1896-08-04
KEEPING THE HOUSE COOL.
Exclude the Light and Ar During the
 Scorching Hours of the Day.

Exclude the Light and Air During the
 Scorching Hours of the Day.
 Philadelphia Public Ledger.
 However mild the first day of summer, July and August generally blast all hopes for cool season, and it is rare
 and exceptional Hear in which these months are not a fiery furnace of en- durance, so far as the weather is con cerned.
 The main question then for those who, from choice or nec ssity, remain in town, is to keep the house cool, so that when night comes some part of the dis comfort of the day may be forgot in sleep.
 No one needs to be told that the main element of success in the effort lies in the total exclusion of air as well as light during the scorching hours of the day. The breeze is very tempting whenever 1t comes, but 1t Is also very treacherouS and deceptive, for, in the long run, It is more heating than cooling, as it blows over streets where the thermometer is marking 90 in the shade.
 Of course we must have light and air, for if we remain in the house We must employ our time in 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 bsst generalship selects certain 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 shut ters 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 paror floor the only windows open should be those of the dining room-and these are sealed 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 substi- tuted for the fierce fires of the range. This depriyes the bath room of hot wa ter but 1t also prevents the heating of the house by the pipes winch run from the boiler to different rooms and hot baths are not advisable 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 roof. A trap door which can be set open Is al- most a necessity for this, but it must be Carefully watched if there are any empty houses in the row, lest by these means burglar should be tempted Into devious paths.
 A house that was considered intolera- bly hot was made more habitable by the
  who had 8 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 glare was excluded, and the hot air found a passage 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 ar ranged with a grating that it, too, could be left open at night, and in all cases it should be supplied with an awning 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 gun has ceased to beat upon the house-either directly or by re- fectlon--all these processes can be re- versed What is 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 until late, the upper stories, in fact, being left open until sunrise the next morning an- nounces the battle once more.