Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-07

hold. For nothing In SO
cheerful. SO comfortable and so beauti-
full to look upon as a fire OF logs crack
ling on the hearth. or of glowing Goals
burning in a crate.
There are some women and some men,
as we'll, who think they do not know
how to light fire; So IL they want to
be warm or want to be cheerful or want
to watch the cracking fire, they must
needs wait for some one more skillful
than they to build it.
doubtless there are some persons who
cannot build a fire, just AZ there are
some who cannot make geraniums grow
and some others whose cakes always fall
in the baking. But most persons. IL they
will take the trouble to learn thing or
so about the chimney where they are
building a fire, and about the ways of
fires in general, will find themselves able
to master the art Of fire-making.
Every one knows, OF course, that a
draft is one of the first essentials for a
good fire; dry fuel is another So see
to 1t that you have them both at hand
Even a poor chimney can be made to
harbor a good fire. II its drawing powers
are not good. cuddle and coax the fire
past the smoking stage. Don't burn an
atwood fire. but establish glowing
bed Of Goals. and rest assured that the
poor draft will prove sufficiently strong
to carry of the coal gas and the little
smoke that the coal gives of.
when the fire 10 first built because the
chimney IL cold and damp. II you are
sure that there Is a substantial layer Of
freproof construction between tho Chin
ney and any framework about the house,
light a crumpled sheet of Newspaper and
thrust 1t as far up the chimney as You
can reach. Light half q dozen of these
IN succession and you will have the
chimney warm enough to start smoke
On a damp day this same newspaper
warming process might be used to adj
vantage, as much moisture and damp
/ ness collect IN the chimney IN fogs and
rains
There must always be room for air to
circulate under and behind the fire. II
you have andirons, your task IL simple.
| Simply place the logs so that room is
the andirons hold them high enough to
| let the air circulate under them. If there
are no andironS and no coal baSket-a
| very good fire of logs can be built In
coal baSket-lay two stout sticks like
| andirons and build the fire on these.
81
Have plenty OF .kindnng-paper, shaw
mEs. excelsior, dry sticks, pine knots or
| chips-and let this get we'll lighted be-
fore you pile on logs or coal.
Here is an English recipe for lighting
a coal f1re-and the English. who use
coal to the exclusion of wood, should be
authorities on the subject. Put some
cinders in the bottom of the CRATE.
These insure circulation of air, for they
are porous, and do not cake down. Over
them put a couple of sheets of news
paper, crumpled loosely, and lay ten
sticks Of dry wood on the paper. Put the
fire we'll back in the CRATE. but allow
room behind 1t for circulation of air.
When it is cracking, put on a shovelful
OF coal. and repeat this process until the
crate is sufficiently filled with fire.
Another English method of fire light
ing is to light the fire from the top and
let 1t burn downward-which at first
sounds something like scooping up
water with a sieve. This is how it is
done: Put a layer of cinders I'm the
bottom of the CRATE and cover these
with a good bed of coal. Then lay dry
sticks-a dozen or so-loosely over the
Goals. Put on q shOvelful of coal ana
then put half q dozen sheets of crumpled
paper on top. Light the paper ana
watch the fire burn downward.