Palisadian., 1922-11-18
STOP CHIMNEYS
FROM SMOKING
United States Government Seeks
to Encourage Proper Con- y
struction of FIues.
LONG Been UNSOLVED PROBLEM
For Generations Engineers Have Been
Trying to Find Out Why One Chin
ney Smokes and Another, Just
Like 1t, Does Mott

WashingtOn-Uncle Sam is trying
to stop chimneys from smoking at the
wrong end. He would provide model
to make drawing chimneys."
An investigation has disclosed that
in every community there are good
chimneys and bad chimneys. The good
ones draw and the bad ones do not.
Ever since the first halfdoZen CHM
neys were built there have been COM
plants against smoking chimneys,
chimneys that filled houses with
smoke from the fireplace instead Of
carrying it off skyward.
For generations engineers have tried
to solve the problem of the smoking
chimney, but have never met with a
full measure of success. One prOmi
net Southern engineer, who helped to
develop the cotton milling industry in
the South. devoted money and time to
studying the question "Why do some
chimneys built at the same time, cut
of the same sort of material, and by
the same people smoke and others do
not?" He had small boys go through
hundreds of chimneys and take meas
urements gall along the way of the
ones that did or did not smoke, and
then he drew plan for what he
thought was an ideal chimney, but it
failed to produce the desired results.
This engineer admitted his defeat in
pamphlet giving the history of his eff
forts. Now the Department of Agri-
culture will try its hand on the ancient
family worry.
Pulls Hat OFF Head
Experts on the subject of chimney
construction tell Of certain masOns
who built chimneys that would draw
the hat off of your head if you got
near the fireplace. One instance Is
told in which pine bark hat in re-
construction days in the South was
pulled from a mans head and up and
out of a new chimney
"The prime function of chimney"
A. NJ. Daniel, assistant mechanical en-
gineer, division of agricultural engi-
asserts, "is to produce draft that will
cause sufficient combustion and carry
off the resulting smoke; incidentally
it assists ventilation. Many unsatis-
factory heating plants and much ex-
cessive fuel consumption are due to
improperly constructed chimneys,
which are the rule rather than the ex-
ception. Although many of these are
more inefficient than dangerous, yet
reports of the national board Of fire
underwriters show that larger num-
ber of fires are caused by defective
chimney construction than by anything
else. The annual loss resulting from
such fires is greater than the fire loss
from any other cause. Poor chimney
construction is responsible for smoke
pollution of the air, waste of fuel and
poor heating"
Government experts report that
''the draft depends entirely upon the
chimney fiue. The better the flue the
more satisfactory and efficient will be
the operation of the entire heating ap-
paratus. The strength or intensity Of
the. draft is dependent mainly upon
the tightness, size and height of tho
chimney flue."
Gives Scientific Reasons.
Mr. Daniels has prepared an elab-
crate statement on the subject Of
drawing chimneys." He goes into the
scientific reasons for the lack of prop
er draft. He asserts that a "round
fiue Is the most desirable because 1t
offers less resistance to the spirally
ascending column of smoke and
gases"
1t has been found that Large trees
located near chimney tops may defect
wind currents down the chimney. This
may be avoided by placing the chin
ney on the opposite side of the build
ing"
1.-THE best location for the chimney
| is near the center of the building, for
when so located its four walls are kept
warm; cold winds cannot chill 1t and
cause it to draw poorly" Mr. Daniels
asserts.
The department explains that the
purpose in collecting this information
about chimneys is ito give the house
holder and prospective builder, and
especially the farmer or other rural
resident who builds or superintends
the building of his own home, a work
ing knowledge of the principles to be
observed In planning and building
these important parts Of the house,
which, If they are observed, will go a
long way to promote the comfort Of
the home and insure the safety Of the
property"