Ventilation with Heating. 77 



outwards. Two flues were built side by side ; — they were badly 

 placed for smoking in certain winds, but their position was not 

 under the control of the ventilator. One flue carried away the 

 smoke, the other carried away the foul air through an opening 

 about a foot from the level of the floor. The stove used was 

 the smallest size of Sirocco Stove made, modified by having the 

 outer casing carried down to the level of the floor, a large hole 

 being cut through the floor beneath the stove, admitting the 

 fresh air to be heated. When heated, this air made straight for 

 the ceiling, spread itself out in a layer, cooled slightly, and was 

 continuously displaced downwards by fresh layers of heated air 

 supplied by the continuous flow from the stove. In about two 

 hours from the lighting of the stove, the heat became agreeable 

 at the level of the inmates. This was plainly too slow, and 

 arose from several causes — the ceiling was lofty, going up to 

 the slates and sheeted with wood, the seams necessarily allowing 

 a portion of the pure hot air to escape. The other cause seems 

 to have been want of extra large ventilators through the walls 

 under the floor. Doubtless these were looked upon as an 

 excellent source of cold, while from the construction of the 

 stove they were really the only source of warmth. ' As it was 

 hopeless to attempt getting larger ventilators put in another 

 method had to be adopted. Want of faith led to another im- 

 pediment to the rapid heating of the room. Unenlightened 

 human nature has an inveterate habit of closing all openings 

 that might possibly admit cold air, even when their function 

 is to let it escape. This brought about the careful closing with 

 a sliding shutter of the flue opening near the floor, intended to 

 carry off the foul air, and, being at the lowest level of the room, 

 also to carry off the coldest air present. Very likely this flue is 

 by this time carefully pasted over with paper and its existence 

 forgotten. The remedy adopted was to add a casmg to the 

 height of the stove making it and the stove into a hot air flue, 

 in all rising six feet from the level of the floor, first removing 

 the ornamental grating from the top of the stove, thus getting 

 rid of its friction on the current of hot air and more than 



