The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-18

q that9it will draw properly is a
- very delicate piece Of work, and
with the greatest Of care is often not
success, so often, in fact, and the
pathetic tales Of smoking chimneys SO
frequent, that a company has been
formed whose one object is that of
remedying these evils, says Martha
Cutter in Harper Bazaar. They under
take to guarantee that they will make
any fireplace, no matter how mysteri-
Gus the, cause Of its ailment, draw per-
fectly. There are many possible causes
for trouble; the opening into the room
may be too high or too shallow or posi-
bly, too deep. The, throat may be too
wide, the flue not high enough, or
crooked so that the draft is not good,
and to still further complicate the pos
sibilities there may be a high building
or even a hill near by which will cause
down-draught. A hill a mile away
from the house has been said to be the
cause of more than one. When one
considers all of these difficulties it
seems a wonder that we have any sue
cessful fireplaces at all. One surely can
but it has been found possible to either
build a small arch over the chimney or
to construct the top of the fue in such
a way that this difficulty may be over
come. The few essentials in the con-
struction expressed In general terms are
these. The back Of the fireplace must
slant in, forming hood over the open
ing; the throat Of the fue must be mar
row and in proportion to the size of
the opening, while there is a little shelf
at the back of the throat and at the
base of the f1ue which will catch down
drafts and turn them back. The hue
I.oHHa .r+,,N S<rl+
straight as possible from that point up,
and its length must be dependent upon
the other conditions.
The backs of fire openings are built
of brick, iron, soapstone, or tiles. The
iron radiates the beat much the best of
the four. Both the soapstone and the
brick are good, but the tiles are apt
to burn out quickly. The mantelpieces
themselves are Of many types, from
those Of deliberately carved Flemish oak
transported bodily from the other side,
and their copies thru the simple colo
NAL, types, and their adaptations and
ordinations to those Of moulded brick
and Of rough stone. The guiding prin.
mony with the architecture and fur:
nishings. It sometimes happens that
| a beautiful old mantelpiece is selected
| for its own charms alone, much as one
would select picture or vase, and
| then transported bodily and put in
! place. Perchance a colonial mantel is
| found in room with weathered-oak
woodwork and furnishing, or stone
mantel with colonial surroundings
There is a fitting place for each type
and in every case the proportions
must be studied, the lines and decora
tion must be as simple as possible, ant
| com n1ptn harmony m11St ha maintained
both in material and in character.
The shelf of the mantelpiece Of to
day is, fortunately, not as much abused
| as in those just past. Draperies are re
sorted to only as an absolute necessity
| Some mantels, not our own crimes, bu
those Of our forebears, for instanc,
! those Of imitation gray or black mar
| bic, must be concealed to be endured
but in the case Of that tragic necessity
only plain simple scarfs are used which
/ will be as inconspicuous as possible, O.
4 perchance, if we are fortunate enough
1 to possess it, long piece of orienta
! embroidery which is beautiful in itsel
and full of character so that it vii
add color and distinction to the room.
i AS for mantel ornaments, they are
1 few and simple as possible, full Of char
acter and beauty, and entirely in ha1
nlony with one another and with ythei
surroundings. One may possibly be FOL
i given for not adapting IS ornament
Ito the style of an elaborate jigsaw crea
4 adaptation may be made as gently a
possible The old rule for bric-aSbra
! always holds good. Each piece mus
i be more beautiful than the place
Occupies or it is inexcusable. The &c