FARMERS' REGISTER— CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-PLACES. 



619 



that means or reason be better than his, who main- 

 tains, that it is advantageous to the growth of" corn 

 to break its rools, to deprive it of food — to make 

 it sick — to close its mouths — to starve it? 



I give you these views in comrormity with the 

 j)romise I made you, and regret that 1 have not 

 time to give them with more system, and in better 

 dress. But such as they are, I am willing for 

 them to undergo the ordeal of rigid scrutiny. Il' 

 they be erroneous, I shall be benefited by the cor- 

 rection — if they are true, others will be by their 

 publication. 



JOHN ROBERT WALLACE. 



OX THE CONSTRUCTION" OF FIRE PLACES. 

 To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



There might be a great saving of fuel among 

 us, (fijr this is a subject that certainly merits at- 

 tention,) by a proper management of our fire- 

 places, and especially those of our cabins. These 

 are generally so large, burning almost a cart load 

 of wood at a time, that nearly all the heat escapes 

 up the chimney. If they wiM'e made smaller, atid 

 on the same principle as those of oiu' dwelling 

 houses, half the wood would answer the ptirpose; 

 and of course, half the labor be diminished in gel- 

 ling it. But even here, although the genera! form 

 and principle (which appears to be all that is 

 aimed at) is obtained, yet even these are- not con- 

 structed according to the just proportions and di- 

 mensions of the improved fire-places of Count 

 Rumford and Dr. Franklin; as it will appear fi'om 

 the following figures, which illustrate tlie differ- 

 ence between the old and the improved fire-places. 



Fig. 1. 



B 



D 



Fig. 2. 



F 9 G 



A B (fig. 1) is the opening in front, B C the 

 back of the old fire-place, A B and C D the cov- 

 ings, and ABC and D C B the angles made by 

 the covings and the back. 



When altered, E H (fig. 2) the opening in 

 front, F G the back, E F and H G the covings, 



and E F G and H G F the angles made by the 

 covings and the back. 



In constructing this fire-place, the angles E FG 

 and H G F made by the covings and back, should 

 be 130^, the fire-place six inches deep from front 

 to back, in small rooms; and from eight to twelve 

 inches in large rooms. It is thought by some, that 

 an inch to every foot of the room in breadth ia 

 best — thus, if the room be twenty feet square, the 

 fire-place will be twenty inches deep, measuring 

 fi-om front to back, along the place where the fire 

 is made. The vent fijr the smoke four inches 

 wide generally; varying, however, with the size 

 of the opening or mouth of the fire-place. The 

 back should be built erect (and not started in- 

 clining inward as is common) as high as the or- 

 dinary height of the wood when the fire-place is 

 full; then projecting inward, and run in that posi- 

 tion to within four inches of a line drawn perpen- 

 dicularly fi-om the lower edge of the mantle or 

 iron bar to the back, then abruptly sloping back — 

 this is the height of the back, and the point at 

 which it begins to form the throat, or hollow place 

 above the vent. When the back begins to slope 

 inward from the bottom or foundation, it not only 

 reflects the heat down against the floor, but it also 

 obstructs the ascending smoke. 



A fire-place of the above construction, consists 

 of the following parts, (which we shall here enu- 

 merate, in order that the following remarks on the 

 nature of the alteration and improvement of the 

 old fire-place, may be more clearly understood) — 

 the hearth, the opening in front or mouth, the 

 jambs or covings, the back, the mantle supported 

 by the iron bar, the vent (sometimes confounded 

 with the throat) through which the smoke enters 

 the throat, the throat itself above the vent, the 

 flue or funnel, through which the smoke ascends 

 into the air, and finally the shaft, or what is com- 

 monly called the chimney itself. • The principal 

 improvement made on the fire-place, was an al- 

 teration in the covings; first, in regard to their 

 depth; and secondl}', the direction in which they 

 were run — by running them shallower the back of 

 course was brought fbnvard, and consequently, 

 the burning fuel was brought more into the room, 

 and thus the benefit of the heat obtained. And 

 by running them at an oblique angle with the 

 back of 130°, instead of 90° a right angle, the 

 covings were converted into a reflecting suriiice, 

 by which the heat which lodged in the corners of 

 the old fire-places, and thence escaped up the 

 chimney, was reflected into the room. The vent 

 next was diminished, by which more heat was 

 retained in the fire-place, and the draught strength- 

 ened, (or the chinmey made to drawTjetter as it is 

 commonly said) and consequently less liable to 

 smoke. 



All these difl'crent parts of a fire-place and 

 chimney should be well constructed, and in due 

 proportion; for the heat and smoke is affected by 

 all of them. Thus if the mouth is too large, too 

 much air is admitted for the fire, which has the 

 same effect in putting it out or cooling it as too 

 little; and by cooling the fire, of course weakens 

 the draught, and causes the chimney to smoke. 



If the covings are perpendicular to the back, 

 the heat, instead of being reflected in the room, 

 will be reflected from one coving against the other. 

 Thus if a ray of heat thrown from the centre of 

 the back of the old fire-place at i, impinges on the 



