Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-07-11
OFFICIAL PAPER OF COUNTY
WHEN 1T WAS REALLY COLD.

WHEN 1T WAS REALLY Cold
lak Fssse to Pens and Boys to Wet
Lapstones In Those Days.
The ancient art Of keeping warm In
clustering winter weather was crude
~ practiced by the forefathers or
Judge Sewell would not have COM
planned that he was slow in recording
events in his diary because his Ink
froze upon his pen. Nor would the
colonial shoemakers have many times
decided that 1t was too cold to make
shoes, but just right to so hunting.
The test OF temperature was made by
allowing an apprentice to sit on wet
lapstone.iuIf he was frozen to 1t the
weather was considered too cold to
work.
Indeed, just how the people of the
cold parts of this country got any COM
fort during the severe winter days Is
not apparent to the eyes of today that
have looked upon the simple and curl
Gus heat producers of early times. A
rare collection Of these ancient FIRE
places, andirons, stoves and other pro-
motors of mercurial rises Is preserved
today in the Essex institute in Salem,
Mass, together with much interesting
information thereon.
One Of these curlos Is a fireback from
the ancestral home of Colonel Timothy
Pickering, Washington's friend and
secretary of war. 1t is Of slate and
Jocks like a gravestone. 1t was carved
with the Pickering family crest. 1t
was placed In the back Of the fireplace,
% that the burning logs would not set
FIRE to the house.
These old fashioned f1replaces were
huge affairs. Children could sit In
their corners and watch the sparks
chase each other toward the stars The
nreplaces and chimneys were first lined
with mud, so that they would not burn
but later they were made of brick
It is q common remark that In trying
to get warm at such the faces Of PEG
pie were roasted from the heat, while
their backs froze in the drafts from the
cracks In the windows and doors.
But the early forefathers were q
hardy race and endured the cold won
derfully. The Puritans Of Salem re-
fused to heat their meeting houses, de
claring that warmth therein was q
snake of ye willy and wicked Satan
The sturdy Puritan sires and theil
sons kicked their heels together when
the cold stopped the circulation Of theil
blood, and the preachers often patient
" paused In their two hours dis.
courses to wait for everybody to be
come warm and stop kicking.
Women carried little foot stoves t.
church. These were perforated til
boxes about foot square, into whicl
hot embers from the family hearh
were placed, and the hot stove wal
then taken to meeting along with thu
Bible.
Coal was known as early as 1887 II
this country, and 1t was called "iror
7 stone" But wood was far cheaper
and more convenient and was mos
used. Peat was also utilized, as !
eould be obtained from many bogs.
Stoves were introduced as early q
1862, and In that year the genera
court OF Massachusetts granted to Johl
Clark 10 shillings for every famil,
using his valuable invention, stove
for period of three years, and thi
grant was subsequently extended 70
period Of Clarls's lifetime, the genera
court being deeply grateful for the CON
fort derived from his invention.
The first open front coal stoves wer
designed by Benjamin franklin AM
were cast by James Byres & Co. II
Springfield. Mass. in 1887. FRANKLIN
probably got his idea from the German
I stoves used in Pennsylvania. Thes
had q hot air drum, which extended t
the second story and warmed that PAL
OF the house. but the doors of many G
them were outside the house, so that
was necessary. to go outdoors to fee
them with fuel Franklin's inventio
marked the beginning of stoves fo
burning coal and wood which are
general use today.
These early stoves were as grea
Blessings to the forefathers as al
steam heaters today. Even the poet
sung Of their virtues, referring to thel
a. stoves which autumn Of wintt
{ could make"
But today the practical man wan
summer Of winter made, and the va,
ous simple devices Of the forefathers
the flrebacks, andirons, open fireplace
and crude stoves--have been thrown 1
to the junk heap or into the museu
70 make way for the modern hot a
and steam heaters Boston Globe.
III Yery:Low Rates
to st. Paul and Minneapolis and RI
turn via Chicago Great Western Raj
way.
Tickets on sale daily to Sept. 3Otf
Final return limit Oct. 3lst. Ais
equally low rates to Minnesota, Mort
Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and w!
Oming points. For further inform;
ton apply to any Great Wester
Agent or j. P. Elmer, G.. P. A., s
Paul, MINI. sept30.
Low Rates to Portland. Oregon, via Chic
go Great Western Railway.
Tickets on sale frequently beginnin
May 23rd till Sept. 29th. Also yer
low rates to Seattle, Tacoma, Bellinl
ham and Everett, WASH, Vtctori
and Vancouver, B. O., and San Frar
cisco, Los Angeles and San Diego
rYa1 Tor 1nru 40 roc ac<a, = eo1o - :,