The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-13
Something About the
Stoves Of Former Days.
Spider That Kept Time to
Singing Of'a Quartet.
A Curious and Valuable Attachment
for the Typewriter.

In this searching and biting weather it
makes one feel more comfortable TO think or
talk about stoves. even though IL is not pos
sibls to sit beside one and cast ones toes.
There are many persons yet living in these
plantations who can remember the time when
a stove was good deal o, a curiosity-a lux
ury, in fact. TO bo enjoyed only by those
whom Dame Fortune had smiled upon. In
deed, previous TO 1895 the stove was too much
u luxury to admit of its general use in this
ountry Many schoolhouses were supplied
with them, but thoy were not introduced in
the churches in any number for some years
afterward Benjamin Franklin, among his
many other achievements. was the inventor OF
the stove which Is still called by his name.
This was in I745. but IL was many decades.
however, before the stove attained any popu.
varity in this country. Numbers of speci.
mems of IL are in uso in old residences, par tic
ulnrly in the East and South. Ii Is hardly
more than knee high with an open front. Its
duo generally sits horizontally, connecting
with chimney close at hand. In almost
eyery case IL will be found that this Ii tile
sove Is the successor of n fire place; its opc=
tscc, allowing "A view of the wood fire, pre-
erved q portion of the fire places hearty
heer
The benefit offered by .thc stove was in the
matter of the &c 1nomy of fuel. The heat was
distributed into air boxes having access TO n
considerable radating surface before IL was
finally turned into the fue. But, notwith-
standing the stoves practical advantages, it
came into use slowly Wood was plentiful and
cheap. and the glow and cheer of the fireplace
had taken "A stronghold on.peope $ affections.
8 ose, were expensive, moreover, and OF n
weight and bulk that made them cumbersome
objects TO ship and handle. One OF the chief
drawbacks TO stove intendoi only for hent-
ng was the extent TO which that function
vas performed by the cook stove. Count
Rumford in ls9S introduced the use of fire
brick which. becoming heated, causes radia.
ticn o be steady and constant The date Of
that appliance marked the beginning OF tho
disuso of the fireplace for culinary purposes.
The little cubical box" stove, the earliest
American cook stove TO como into general use,
kept the temperature Of kitchen at height |
sufficient for the comfort of the chilliost. |
With this main heat supply and a supplement
tary equipment OF hreplaces to take the chill !
of" from bedrooms the farm house was |
abundantly prepared TO meet. the winte. lgales. |
Up to 1852 stove castings were made d- |
rccily from the irouore mt the blast furnaces, |
bui in that year important improvements
were made in the process Of casting and the
experiment. was tried of making stove cast
inSs from pig iron. In spite of contrary pre-
dietions. the experiment was success. The
entire new process was taken up by Jordan
j.. Mott OF New York. Through his activity
and that Of Joel Rathbone. Albany received
IN. beginnings of its present Importance in
stove manufacture. With the decreased ex-
pense OF stoves. and the new possibilities OF
smoothncss and lightness, the popularity OF
stovrs took decided step in advance. Then
quickly followed the general introduction OF
coal as q fuel, which led TO still further i'm
prnvements IN stoves, the manufacture OF
which became and still remains an important
industry Of Providence
Many interesting stories have been told |
about the spider, but few, II any, OF them are
more curious than one that comes from "a
western town which BOASTS n male quartet
known Ms the Apollo. Recently while the
quartet was rehyarsipg large spider came
slowly down h silken thread to about the
height Of the singers shoulders, where he
hung suspended for few minutes. then be-
gan 10 move up and down in front OF the
music rack. The second tenor, who was lead
ing the sir, soon noticed that the movements
Of the spider corresponded with the variations
Of his voice, mp and down the scale aud in
perfect time. They then began n series of ex.
psriments. and found that the spider would
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