Withy.— On Sanitation and Ventilation. 475 



as the Arnot or Sherringham, fixed into the chimney just 

 below the cornice. These should not be put through the 

 outer wall, because in such a position they are exposed to 

 direct currents of air. I am unable to suggest any other plan 

 that is worth trying, but wish to emphasize the statement 

 already made that, unless some provision has been made for 

 carrying off the warm air, there is very little good in spending 

 money for the purpose of admitting cool air. 



Next as to the admission of ^ure and cool air : The restric- 

 tion under which this must be done is that no draught must be 

 produced. The most urgent demand for air is that made by 

 a fire : it must have a sufficient supply or it will burn dead 

 and emit smoke into the room : if it gets no supply it will go 

 .out as soon as it has exhausted that which was contained in 

 the room. As every operation is conducted by nature in the 

 easiest available way, the demand of a fire for air, being made 

 near the floor, is most easily supplied from the space under 

 the doors or French casements. The result is that a draught 

 is created round the feet and ankles of those who are sitting 

 round the fire in the hope of obtaining warmth. A very simple 

 arrangement will prevent this. Through the floor, just inside 

 the rim of a fender which has no bottom plate, let a number 

 of holes be bored into the space between two joists. Nail some 

 perforated zinc or copper over these holes to prevent sparks 

 from entering. Break through the wall between the two joists 

 and fix a large grating in the hole. You will then get a 

 copious supply of fresh air to the fire from openings so placed 

 that the current from them will not pass your feet. But there 

 is another advantage which is not so obvious. It is this : 

 that a fire supplied in this way is more effective in warming 

 the air of a room. Most of the heat derived from an ordi- 

 nary fireplace is radiated heat — heat which shines out into the 

 room and thus warms the persons, the furniture, and the air 

 which it contains. But I have shown that the air which 

 ordinarily supplies a fire is drawn across the room from points 

 at some distance. It is therefore obvious that the air in front 

 of the fire, which has already received some of the radiated 

 heat, is constantly travelling towards the fire, and passing 

 up the chimney, whilst its place is being supplied by another 

 lot of cold air from the doors, &c. This process acts con- 

 tinuously to curtail the zone of the fire's warming influence. 

 Now look at the contrast presented by the improved method. 

 Under it the fire draws its supply of air from the outside 

 through apertures close at hand and at the floor-level. It does 

 not draw any general current across the room. At the same 

 time, the rays of the fire penetrate and warm, as before, a 

 quantity of air in front of itself, but which is now stationary 

 instead of moving towards it. This air, instead of being sent 



