The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-04
CHIMNEYS In BAD ORDER
MOST OF THEM IN THIS CITY WILL
HAVE TO BE RECONSTRUCTED.
Their Long Use for Natural Gas VIII
Make 1t Necessary to Rebuild Most
of Them This Winter.

The discontinua1ce of gas by the Indi-
annapolis Gas Company and the unpromis-
ing condition of the supply which the Con-
sumers' company will have this winter were
not in the minds of many yesterday. when
the temperature lowered about 80. How
ever, some men-of-the-house, who remem-
bered that the anthracite strike may
suit in high prices for hard fuel this win
ter, went step further and sought the
blazing attics to learn the condition Of their
chimney fiues. The men who did this were
not numerous, but those who did will
probably feel more secure against fire next
winter.
The connection between the two is the
fact that natural gas has a peculiarly de-
structive character in chimney 1ues. Being
used to gas for fifteen years. and not be-
fore having been face to face with a hard
winter and coal fires, the public seems TO
have forgotten that many fiues that an
swer the purpose of natural gas fires will
not do for coal. Many fues are too small;
others are old and the gas heat has dis
integrated the morter and made them weak
and dangerous. Fire Chief Coots says that
there will be many fires this winter from
defective f1ues unless the owners now be-
think themselves and nave thelr hueS made
adequate and safe. The building ordinance
requires all iues to be cased with tiling
and many of the newer houses comply lit
orally with the law. But there are many
contractors, the chief says, who put tiling
only at fiue holes, and thus they un-
safe as if no casing was used at all. Also
many Of the chimneys were erected before
this requirement was enacted into law and
the chimneys, serviceable for natural gas
use, are now really dangerous and should
| be rebuilt or repaired, as may be neces-
| sary. The chief says householders can
| not be too particular about these details,
| as these fires may bring about a hundred
/ times the loss that the expense of inspec-
| tion would be.
One man who had his flue inspected Sat-
| urday said he asked the brickmason who
| inspected it If he found many defective to
| a dangerous degree. He was astonished to
! hear the brickmason say that out of nearly
| five hundred chimneyS he had examined
| 80 per cent. were in a greater or less condi-
| ton of danger. At that rate there are
10000 chimneys in the city that need in
| spection and of these over 5000 need re-
| pair or reconstruction. Many of the Chin
| neys lack sufficient height as well as in
ternal dimension, to serve all the uses of
! coal fuel
81 don't believe there is so much danger
of fire from defective f1ues," said p. G. Ru-
| bush architect, "as most of the houses
built since the passage of the building ordi-
| nance many years ago have flues that are
cased The flues that are not cased are old
ones, and in these the natural gas heat has
| gradually eaten out the mortar and caused
cracks that will, no doubt involve danger
! But the result of the change from gas To
than anything else, because gas fues are
much smaller than coal hues and, conse-
| quently, when used with coal fires will af-
| ford insufficient draught."