236 HOW TO MAKE A COUNTRY PLACE 



sponsors half our winter ills. With thermostats in each room there 

 was no excuse for over heating. 



Asbestos (earth flax) and mineral wool, i. e., slag treated with 

 steam until it looks like spun glass, were used wherever there was 

 danger of a charred timber or the annoying sound of running water. 

 One cellar ceiling was covered with sheets of asbestos, later painted 

 to cover joints. 

 The Heating Plant. 



It's a long span from the hypocaust used by ancient Rome to 

 heat its public baths to the modern steam or hot water plant, but 

 present heating methods trace backward to the luxurious Roman. 



Our heating system was direct and indirect radiation, insuring a 

 constant supply of fresh air. By using half of the double firebox and 

 cutting off certain radiators the expense and care were reduced one- 

 third. The heating plant in the cellar of the gardener's cottage 

 connected with main house by underground asbestos-covered iron 

 pipes which kept the house free from coal dust, furnace noise, and 

 ashes. A metal shield was suspended from the ceiling over the 

 furnace. 



The Ugly Radiator. 



Radiators were concealed in niches, alcoves, behind metal grilles, 

 and in window seats, but never where they could not receive a free 

 circulation of air, and grilles hinged to open in extremely cold weather 

 created swifter hot air currents. Enclosed radiators require gen- 

 erally from twenty-five to forty-five per cent more radiating surface. 



Radiators in the hall were concealed in alcove seats, hidden by 

 silk fringe, and stair risers perforated and connected by ventilating 

 pipes with boxed-in radiators. Wall radiators enameled or painted 

 with heat-proof paint to match the trim were used in bathrooms, no 

 impudent silver or gilt monstrosities stared at one in Pinnacle. 



One big and ugly radiator installed in the cellar had special 

 air duct within and without, but its inlet was through the 

 side wall, rather than from an insanitary floor opening, and in a 

 clearance instead of behind a door. Those concealed in settles were 

 set six inches from window sills, this space, as well as the seat 

 front, being metal screened. 



Electric Lighting. 



Considerations of safety, as well as ease in repairing broken 

 wires, led to installation of the iron pipe system, in which every wire 

 is under absolute control. If new wires are needed they can be 

 readily drawn through the pipes. Outbuildings were equipped with 

 the cable system and exterior telephone and electric damp-proof wires 

 wherever possible buried in underground pipes. 



Great care was taken that no electric wires on the grounds were 

 fastened about a parent stem or main branch ; if necessary to place 

 a wire against a tree, it was protected by a wooden block. Many a 



