Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19

ward into the room. These defects rem
edied there was no more trouble. In some
locations. n the throat Is not closed In
the summer time, mosquitoes and other in
sects come down the fue and into the
room. A damper in the fireplace throat Is
desirable TO regulate the draught, but Il
should be made to open the full length
Of the throat. The back OF the fireplace
should slant forward commencing with the
sixth course Of bricks from the floor to
reflect heat into the room. thus also pro-
viding a shelf in the throat, which is con-
sidered quite advisable. There Is some
times a downward current Of air i'm the
upper flue, which, II allowed to go down,
unobstructed would continue on into the
room. 1t is this construction which causes
a fireplace to puff smoke into the room
when a fire is first started. and 1t con.
tinues 10 do this until the upper currents
in the flue are warmed and reversed. But
II a shelf Is provided as described the cur
rent is DETECTED upward. This is the safest
way, although it is a fact that fireplsces
are sometimes built otherwise and give
satisfaction.
Circular flues are best for fireplaces,
preferably one Of tile. twelve inches in
diameter. Flues of brick should be at
least eight by twelve inches and have
walls six inches thick 0our-inch wall with
a two-inch lining of brick on edge). A
good height for a fireplace opening is
twenty-five inches. The hearth should
never be carried on the joist (as Is some
times done), for in this manner a fire is
only a matter of time. Wide flreplaces
for burning cordwood should be at least
four feet six inches wide and thirty inches
high. These large fireplaces, while GER
taihly picturesque, are unnecessary from a
practical standpoint, II mere heat is de-
sired, and are very expensive to build and
use.
In General-When the room is wainscoted
keep wainscoting on a line with msntel
shelf unless the shelf is very high and
the wainscoting quite low. II there are
built-in bookcases on either side, apply the
same principle. The cornice or other
mouldings around the top Of the chimney
breast should be the same as carried
around the room. The brick facing should
be built up as a part Of the fireplace
when the balance Of IL is being set by
the mason. The facing should always be
Of incombustible material and 1t should
not be less than eight inches wide from
the lISpldCe OptnllB 10 the ntdISSl WOOu-
work all around 1t. II Is best to support
the arch above the fireplace opening with
a flat iron bar about three inches wide
and one-quarter of an inch thick, slightly
cambered and anchored at each end. And
irons and all other fireplace hardware
should be of dark metal. A dark, dull iron
or bower barff finish is the best. The
lining of the fireplace should be of fine
=
the Goals is also advisable. The hearth in
front of the fireplace should be its full
width and extend out into the room from
eighteen to thirty inches. Brick mortar
joints should be three-sixteenths Of an
inch thick and beaded. For tile use one
sixteenth inch joints. The projection of a
mantel shelf should not be less than eight
inches or more than sixteen inches. The
dimensions Of a fireplace vary with the
design, but are usually thirty to forty
eight inches wide Inside measurements)
eighteen to tweRty-four inches deep and
twenty-four to thirty-six inches high. In
large club rooms, hotel parlors, etc, they
can greatly exceed these maximum dimen-
sions, while a bed room coal CRATE can be
made smaller.
The writer cannot too earnestly impress
upon his readers the Importance of watch.
ing the construction of chimneys, fire.
places, hearth, etc. 1t involves small ex.
pense to have them right.