STOVES. 



These were wood-stoves, bnt anthracite coal, which 

 was gradually corning into use wherever a high de- 

 gree of heat was required aud a strong draught pos- 

 sible, was destined to create a revolution in the bus- 

 bktm 



Anthracite cool came into use about the rear 1820, 

 when but 3C5 tons were sent to the market. A new 

 kiiul of stove was required for anthracite, in which 

 the draft of uir would be much smaller. One of the 

 earliest in this field of invention was Dr. Eliphalot 

 Nott, who spent several years in perfecting his in- 

 ventions for heating. The chapel of Union College 

 was heated by one of his stoves, in which the 

 base-bnrniug principle was used. There was also a 

 marvellous kind of box stove, which was attributed 

 to the genius of Dr. Nott. The iron was about an 

 inch thick and could be neither broken nor bent. 

 l)r. Nott, however, did not have the first patent on 

 anthracite stoves. His was the third, it being issued 

 in lv!:i The first patent went to Anthony Savage, 

 of Pottsville, Pa., in 1830 ; and the second to Jordan 

 L. Molt, of New York, in 1832. The latter showed 

 that the anthracite tin- could be made from nut- and 

 pea-sized coal, and established several othor facts 

 concerning the laws of combustion, so that anthracite 

 coal stoves became salable. 



From their position at the foot of the Erie Canal, 

 and at the head of navigation on the Hudson River, 

 the cities of Albany aud Troy early became great 

 centres of the stove industry. Fortunately for them 

 both, the best moulding sand in the country was close 

 at hand. The first cooking stoves manufactured in 

 these cities were of the old ten-plate oval pattern, 

 the oven above the tire. About the year I860 the 

 question of burning anthracite coal from the bottom 

 of the magazine within the stove was widely dis- 

 cussed, but it was found that Littlefield, of Lowell, 

 h i'l in 1S52 patented a base-burner covering the chief 

 points that the inventors of I860, and later, had at- 

 tempted to cover. From that time the use of base- 

 burners has increased in a marvellous degree. 



What are known as gas stoves are simply enlarge- 

 ments or adaptations of gas-burners to the process of 

 heating. Vapor stoves were invented about 18C3 as 

 a means of vaporizing the products of petroleum. 

 They are, practically, nothing more than large lamps 

 adapted to other purposes than lighting. 



S/nm f'oftoriet. A description is given of a lead- 

 ing factory in the city of Albany. The ground con- 

 sists of about ~>\ acres, the establishment being one 

 of the largest in the country, having a capacity of 

 about 500 hands, whose skilled labor is capable of 

 making from 100 to 200 stoves a day of every de- 

 scription, from the mammoth hotel-ranges and heat- 

 ers to the oil and vapor stoves, including parlor and 

 cook stoves, furnaces, ranges, together with stove 

 fixtures of every possible style. The main building, 

 in which are contained the general and manufact- 

 uring offices, show-room, mounting, repair, ship- 

 ping, nickel-plating, oil stove, and general storage 

 detriments, is 200x71 feet, 4 stories in height, 

 with a basement, and is built of brick. This I mi 1.1- 

 ing is supplied with two large elevators capable of 

 sustaining any desired weight. In the pattern- 

 makers' department every pattern, constructed fnmi 

 the best of soft woods, is formed almost entirely by 

 hand. Here some of the most skilled workmen are 

 to lie found, since ranch depends on the pattern as 

 to the success of the casting. In the nickel-plating 

 room the different pieces of f lie stove undergo the 

 nickeling process, after which they are removed to 

 a room adjoining, and burnished on emery and felt 

 wheels. Near the main structure is a building, 

 50 x 50 feet, constructed of brick and 2 stories high, 

 that is used for the casting and cleaning depart- 

 ment* on the flnt floor, and a tin shop on the second. 

 The buildings adjoining this contain the engines and 



boilers. One of the former lias a capacity of 250 

 horse-power and the other of 50. The latter engine 

 is used principally to run the dynamo that furnishes 

 electricity for lighting pnri>oses. The boilers are 

 Millieient to furnish enough steam to supply both 

 engines aud also heat the several departments thor- 

 oughly in the most severe weather. The japanning 

 department, fitted with all the modern appliances 

 for the successful prosecution of this work, adjoins 

 the main building on the south. A building, 100 x 24 

 feet, 2 stories high, also constructed of brick, ad- 

 joins the scratch shop. This contains the facing 

 room, ladle oven, blacksmith and carpenter shops 

 on the first floor, while on the second floor are tho 

 iron and wood pattern shops, the latter being lo- 

 cated at the southwest corner of the building. Ev- 

 ery pattern is made from drawings supplied by 

 draughtsmen regularly employed for this purpose. 

 The work is almost entirely executed by hand, en- 

 tailing a heavy expense and the consumption of 

 considerable time. It is necessary that the greatest 

 caiv should be used in the manufacture of the pat- 

 | terns, as the least flaw can easily be detected in the 

 i castings. A fourth building, 90 x 30 feet and 3 

 stories high, stands west of the main structure on 

 the north line. This is nsed principally for the 

 storage of coal and wood and general supplies. Ad- 

 joining this is a three-story brick structure, 20 x 23 

 feet, which is also used for general storage on the 

 first floor, while the two upper apartments are given 

 over to the use of the employe's. At the west of 

 these buildings is a huge structure, 130 x 281 feet, 

 known as the moulding department. It is built of 

 wood filled in with brick, and has a gravel roof. 

 This building contains 150 "floors," a technical 

 term applied to that section of a moulding room 

 where flasks are repaired. Centrally located on the 

 east line of this building are three cupolas for melt- 

 ing the iron, which is done by blasts supplied by 

 two "blowers " that are located in the engine-room. 

 The 250-horse-power engine used to drive the blasts 

 is of low pressure, perfectly reliable, and capable of 

 doing the work required of it. These cupolas have 

 a capacity of about 20 tons of melted iron per dav. 

 Located midway between the moulding and scratch- 

 shop buildings is the mill room, wherein are several 

 " mills " that are revolved continuously for the pur- 

 pose of "milling" or removing the sprawls and 

 cinders from the castings. \Vest of the moulding 

 shop is a building, 12x36 feet, containing the 

 moulding and other sands used in the manufacture 

 of stoves. There are also some dwellings and 

 stables on the extensive grounds. While the build- 

 ings themselves do not cover fully five acres, tho 

 land not covered with buildings is devoted to the 

 storage of lumber, pig-iron, flasks, etc. The build- 

 ings are perfectly adapted to the use for which they 

 are intended. Each department is heated by steam 

 and lighted by electricity ; for the former, iron pipes 

 run about the several buildings and the steam is 

 supplied from the mammoth boilers adjoining the 

 engine-room. The buildings may be considered 

 practically fire-proof; automatic sprinklers are at- 

 tached to water-pi]>es that are fastened to the ceil- 

 ings of the several apartments. These sprinklers 

 are at a distance of 8 feet apart, and the pipes are 

 always kept filled with water. In the event of any 

 apartment being on fire tho heat will melt the solder, 

 thus allowing a cap to drop down and the water to 

 spurt into the burning room. The water thus re- 

 leased covers a distance of 8 feet in cither direc- 

 tion. The moment tho water in tho pipes is re- 

 leased, it removes the pressure upon a large tank 

 containing about 9000 gallons of water, and tho 

 automatic pump is immediately set in motion and 

 I renews the water-supply. Every department is 

 ( supplied with tho automatic sprinkler* except the 



