The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-08
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

In these days Of modern convenienceS it's hard to realize that not only did the chimneys of antiquity consist of a hole in the roof, but that none of the Roman ruins show chimneys like ours. But like everything else, when you try to run down the simplest kind of a thing in history. you butt into a con- Roman architects were acquainted with the construction of chimneys such as we have is matter of dispute.
 Nevertheless none are to be found | in the restored buildings in Hercu- laneum and Pompeii,-as I can testify to myself. for on my visit to these ex- cavated cities the houses were chim- neyless-that is. the homes. I am l aware that an ancient mosaic found in Algeirs, and representing Roman country mansion. shows chimney stacks projecting above the roof
 I am ready to admit that there is ground for believing that public baths I and probably kitchens were provided with chimneys, but Roman architects complained that their decorations were smoked up, and 1t is known that the wealthy citizens of Rome used caro- | fully dried wood, which would burn | without smoke.
 Climate. no doubt had much to do with the lack of ingenuity on the part of Egyptians, Romans and Greeks in their homes through the use of chim- noys, but we who live in congested cities in the twentieth century. while solving the problem in our private dwellings. have been unable as yet to rid ourselves of the smoke nuisance when we go out into the streets, for clouds of it almost obscure the sun. Up to the twelfth century rooms were warmed entirely by hypocaust. or with braziers, or by fires on the hearth, the smoke finding its way up into a lantern in the roof. The earliest chim-
 ney piece known is that in Kings House ,d Ct OoUthoIlPtoifS WltH ANOIu III the joints carrying a segmental arch, which is attributed to the first half of
 the twelfth century; but the modern chimney was first used in Europe in
 the fourteenth century,
 Originally the term included the fire. place as well as the chimney. At Roch-
 ester Castle (1130) and Harrington Essex, there were no external chimney shafts, and the flue was carried through the wall at some height above the fire
 place. In the early examples the chim-
 hey shaft was circular, with one flue orly, and was terminated with a coni- ings in the side. This treatment is
 shown at Sherborne Abbey GA. D. 13Oo), and these side apertures were treated decoratively.
 It seems strange to think that smoke
 was ever permitted to find its way out
 of chimneys save through the top. but
 it took some time for the architects to
 arrive at such contrivance, as is l known from the fact that one of the
 oldest accounts of chimneys places il in Venice in 1347, and in this city. which
 one of our great Americans, General Grant is reported to have said would
 be nice place in which to live if the
 canals were only drained. As rule the
 sn oke comes out on the sides and not
 through the tops. in the older buildings
 It was, however, not until the fif-
 teenth century that the smoke got ar opportunity to ascend heavenward with
 out hindrance. I am just trying to pic
 ture in my mind, not only the architec-
 tural difficulties, but just the amount of profanity that would be provoked il in these days of skyscrapers, volumes ) of smoke were permitted to pour out
 from each floor. Tenants would always
 be in rows and space woud be let with a view to prevailing winds. It is such
 a provocative subject that I'm going to drop it even out of my thoughts.
 I am purposely refraining from get
 ting sentimental in this story over the domestic side of what the chimney , piece has been to the family, and am doing my best to treat chimneys pure land simple as carriers of smoke through upright structures of stone , brick or any material used in their
 construction. It was not until the lat
 ter part of the fifteenth century tha, mere than one flue was carried up in l the same shaft. There are a few ex- amples of the clustered shaft in stone
 but as rule they are contemporaneous
 ith the use of brick.
 Here would be a good chance to gel in lot of good stuff about the trans.
 formation in architecture which came through the use of brick, but I'll resist the temptation, and yet 1t is mighty
 tempting. The most noted of the early
 brick chimney shafts are the fine speci'
 mems at Hampton Court richly decor
 ated with chevrons and other geomet rical patterns. In the fifteenth ant sixteenth centuries in France the chim ney shaft was recognized as an i'm portant architectural feature, and wal of consideble elevation in consequence, of the great height of the roofs.
 But I am getting out of my class il
 treating chimneys from an ornamenta standpoint. and yet European citie and landed estates would lose lot O p.cturesqueness if they were left ou of the landscape. In the chateau O , Meilant (1503) the chimney shafts ar . decorated with angle buttresses, niche
 ana canopies, in the late Flamboyan
 style. and at Chambord and Blois the
 are carved with pilasters and niche with paneling above, carved with tn Salamander and other armorial devices ' There are some fine fifteenth centur r specimens at Strasbourg.