THE HOUSE AND ITS EQUIPMENT. 



44. A MANTEL REGISTER. 



the room, and stand free but for the connecting flue-pipe linking 

 them to the wall and chimney. This flue-pipe is the only 

 means of escape for any heat ; though the stove stands in a tiled 

 recess, it is open all round at the back, so the whole body of the 

 latter serves its purpose and helps to heat the room. It follows, 

 then, that as there is little loss of heat, it is not necessary to burn 

 so much fuel, and that it will also be possible in such a stove 

 to make less fuel do more work by raising it to a higher tempera 

 ture. Incidentally, this means less smoke production and fewer 

 fogs. As to the&quot; latter, it is undoubtedly the fireplaces and 

 kitchen ranges of private houses that do the damage in London, 

 while under the Public Health Act the factory can be brought 

 to book. Of the damage caused by these nuisances of the 

 metropolis there can be little doubt. It has been estimated that 

 to every square mile of air in Chelsea there are six tons of 



smuts, and Sir Frederick Treves 



states that &quot; the lungs of an 



adult dweller in big cities are 



dingy thundercloud blue in 



colour, due absolutely to dirt 



and soot in the atmosphere,&quot; 



and, also, that &quot; in London 



alone the fogs kill people, not 



by scores and hundreds, but 



by thousands.&quot; Which is a 



serioas statement in all reason 



from a man eminent in his 



profession and in a position to 



know. But, notwithstanding all this, the Englishman has remained 



wedded to the open fire, and has always condemned the enclosed fire 



as hideous, unhomelike and Continental. 13ut it has its most distinct 



uses, and need not necessarily be fully enclosed. The illustrations show 



two types the first wholly enclosed and suitable for halls, the second 



an open fire suitable for reception-rooms. So, starting with the hall type 



(Fig 48), the following details may be enumerated. It is made of plain 



rolled steel casing, is very simple and strong in its construction, and 



burns for twenty-four hours without attention. It is here shown in 



the hall of a very 



interesting house 



designed by Mr. E. 



J. May, and he is 



responsible for the 



polished brass 



screen, which is 



hinged to allow 



free access to the 



stove. This 



screen is a very 



practical notion, as it somewhat conceals the stove, 

 which, though quite simple, is not yet a thing of 

 beauty ; and it saves the chance of any small child 

 burning inquisitive fingers. At the same time, 

 it permits all the heat to radiate into the hall. 

 Set as the stove is in a concave semi-circular tiled 

 recess, with this convex screen in front, and 

 surrounded by the pleasantly-moulded architrave 

 of its mantel-piece, the whole effect is good. The 

 hall, too, is an admirable place to have an 

 economical continuous burning fire, for if the 

 hall, staircase and corridors be kept warm in the 

 cold weather it spells comfort generally, and 46. EARLESS FIRE IN POLISHED STEEL. 



45. THE &quot;CUPID GRATE. 



