Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 277, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1916 — Page 3

Making the Farm House Comfortable in Winter

TTiere are several different styles of house-heating plants on the market, the cheapness and convenience of which make it unnecessary for farm houses Ip be without a heating system which means comfort for the household

By J. L Mowry

Unnxrslty of WnnesotM

~~ ~| EARS o t progress developed o,t least six styles of house-heating lnstallu- ■ 8 tions, aside from the oldHfl fashioned first method, MM. the fireplace, where from 80 to 00 per cent of the heat generated went up the chimney — where your shins roasted while your back froze. Real progress was made when the grate fire was moved to the center of the room and Incased In thin cast Iron or sheet Iron, giving us the stove, and Increasing the radiating surface 200 per cent. At the same time the size of the flue was reduced 75 per cent, and the large loss of heat characteristic of the open-grate fire was eliminated. Another step was made when the stove was moved to the cellar, and a Jacket placed around it which opened through the floor to the room above. With the neck of this Jacket divided Into two or more parts a hot-air fur-

Hot-Air Furnace.

nace Is produced which will heat two or more rooms, one for each pipe. Later Improvements gave us the hotwater and steam systems; and these now find some competition In the vapor system. A combination of hot air with either hot water, steam or vapor, known as a combination system, is now often used. The outside of a stove becomes hot from the fire within which heqts. the air in contact with it. This air in turn becomes lighter, rises, and is replaced by cold air from below and at the sides. This displacement of warm air by cold air continues, and produces currents. The room can be made comfortable with a stove when it is not too cold outside. If very cold outside, say ten degrees below, the current of'air will become so cold while passing down the cold walls that the stove cannot heat the room comfortably. >A sheet iron jacket, with neither top nor bottom, set up from the floor, will increase the rapidity of air circulation, since only the air within the Jacket is heated. This air gets hotter and rises faster, thus making a more rapid circulation and a more effective heat. ■ ; ; -- : ■ A Furnace. A stove with a jacket, placed in the cellar, becomes a furnace. A brick wall may be substituted for the steel Jacket. A return flue through the floor some distance from the furnace, makes the system complete. Such a scheme is used for many churches, schools and assembly rooms, where the basement can be used as a furnace room. When this furnace is set a little lower in the ground and the neck divided, into several small pipes, it may be used to heat several rooms. Heat is conducted to the second-floor roqms by rectangular pipes set in the walls between the studs. Over each opening in the floor or walls is a register of perforated cast iron. In each pipe leading from a. furnace is a damper, so that any pipe may be closed at will. There is a return air duct, to be used when the weather is too cold to allow the heated and used air to pass out of the house. The rooms are full of air at all tlifies, and more air cannot be forced into them by the small pressure exerted by the warm air in the pipes below. In order to get this warm air into the rooms a way must be pro- ' vided for the cold air to get out. This Is done by means of a return air duct, which may open into a chimney and allow the air to pass out; or under the furnace" and permit the air to be

reheated and returned to the room. When this is done the fresh-air duct may be closed or partly closed. The burning of the air in order to get heat sufficient to. warm the rooms, limits the usefulness of this style of heating to small houses, and generally to one floor. To be successful, the furnace must bfe large and the pipes from 50 to 100 per cent larger than are ordinarily used. All pipes, in cellar and in walls, should be cov-

ered with asbestos paper to protect the pipes and to save heat. A damper in every pipe and also in the smoke flu* will aid materially In controlling and distributing heat. Chimney flues should be 10 by 10 inches or larger. Hot Water. A hot-water system is only a slight elaboration of the principle. Enlarge the base to inclose the Are, and reduce the size of the tube or pipe between the Are and the rooms to be heated, and make that part of the circuit In the rooms large, to give enough radiating surface. The main body, cast In sections for convenience in bundling, Is often made quite irregular, in order to expose more surface to the Are. Water is conducted through a large pipe, from which smaller pipes connect with one end of the radiator in each room. The other end of the radiator is connected to a large return pip*, which enters the heater at the grate level. This allows for a more rapid circulation than if a single pipe were used for each radiator. Allowance must be made for the expansion of the water. This is done by placing an open tank in the attic, or in a second-floor room above the top of the highest radiator, and connecting with the system at some convenient point. The system jpay be Ailed through this tank if there is no pressure system at hand. This is called the open-tank hotwater system. If the tank were capped tight, and little or no water reached the tank, there would be a quantity of air confined which would be compressed, because the water in the heater, pipes and radiators expands when heated. This is the closed tank or semisteam system. The advantage is a higher temperature of the water before the boiling point is reached. The higher temperature will allow of smaller pipes and smaller radiators, and the practice is to install a smaller heater also. The cost of Installation will consequently be less. Objections to this system are: The need of safety devices, which may fail, and harder firing, which requires more fuel. Vapor or Vacuum System. The vapor or vacuum system is a comparatively recent development. It is the opposite in principle of the closed-tank hot-water system as the air Is exhausted from the pipes and radiators hnd witter stands in the

'Connect.ons of a Hot-Water Furnace With Pipes and Radiators.

heater only, as in a steam system. The exhaustion of the air makes it possible to produce steam at a temperature as low as 125 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that a small fire will produce results in a few minutes, because there are only a few gallons of water In the heater. It Is virtually a steam system, and requires protective devices as carefully adjusted and attended as a steam system. Furthermore, leaks in the systetn will de-

THB EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND»_

stroy the vacuum and It will become a steam system pure and simple. Choosing Fuel. For hard coal a deep firebox gives best results. Hard coal burns slowly and requires less air than soft coal or wood, and the deep fire serves as a check on the air. Soft coal and wood burn best in a thin layer over a larger surface, and of course will require mote frequent tiring. All-round steam and hot-water boilers are made for hard coal. A sectional boiler may be lengthened by adding sections and the size of the firebox be thereby increased. In round hot-water boilers, two styles are offered; one with a flattop firebox, and one with water arms. The one with the flat top is much more easily cleaned than the one having water arms, arid "tlrer heating coil is much more easily installed. The latter style is intended to give more heating surface in the firebox, but this feature is more than offset by the advantages mentioned. In placing any of these heaters the clean-out doors should not be backed up against a chimney or partition.

Radiators. The radiators are of cast or sheet iron, made up in sections, which may be placed together to give the required amount of rudiating surface. The standard size is 38 inches high, three-column, and contains 5 square feet of radiation per section. A fourcolumn 38-inch radiator contains 8 square feet of radiating surface. They sell for 18 to 20 cents a square foot. Each radiator has a valve at one end to cut off the water. In this valve is a pinhole, through which circulation will continue and thus prevent freezing when the radiation is cut off. At the top of each radiator, at one end, is an air valve, which must be opened

Circulation of Air Produced by a Stove —The Arrows Indicate the Direction of the Air Currents.

while filling the system, In order to let the air out, else the water cannot get in. When water flows from the valve it may be closed. This valve should be opened from time to time after filling the system, to let out air that has separated from the water and gathered in the top of the radiator. The small chamber of air will very effectively check the circulation j through the radiator and it will not heat. Cost. The cost of a liot-water system for a six-room house will be about $275 or S3OO. It will cost about two-thirds more than hot air, but hot-air outfits last only from 7 to 9 years, with yearly repairs, while the hot-water system will last from three to six times as long, with no expense or upkeep. The cost of a hot-water system will, be about SBS or S9O for radiators, $l3O for the heater, and about $65 for installation. Any farmer who is at alt handy as a mechanic can do the work, leaving $2lO for the plant, compared with $175 for hot air. A hot-air system may give reasonably satisfactory results in small buildings, but for large houses and under Tnost conditions either steam or hot water is unhesitatingly recommended. The higher cost is more than offset, in a few years, by a saving of fuel and better results. Nothing has been said about steam systems. Little need be said. They are like water systems in makeup, except that the expansion tank is closed. There is no water in the radiators, only in the heater. There is no circulation until.the water in the boiler is boiling, and there is pressure in the pipes and radiators. This pressure, while not intended to be heavy, may become so If not watched carefully. This is impossible in the average home. In the mill, factory, or large flat building, there is reason for keeping a man on duty constantly, but not so in the home. By the process of elimination, it can safely be claimed that steam is not safe, and hot air is not satisfactory to any degree; while hot water, not perfect because it costs too much, is the best system of the three for heating, a home.

Combination System. A combination system—a combination of hot water and hot air—is the ideal system. However, instead of using a standard hot-air furnace, with a coil in the firebox for heating the water (similar to that used In a kitchen range), It is much better to place a large radiator or a obil of common pipe in a box in the cellar, which is open to the room above and to the outside air. This system may be Installed at an additional cost of $25, and provides a fresh-air supply at all times. It is claimed, and with much reason, that ventilation is not necessary in the average house; that the air in the rooms is changed often

enough to meet all requirements, except when an unusual number of people are present. It is true that, with an average winter wind blowing at ten miles per hour, the air In the rooms will change about every half hour. This is certainly all that is required for the nverage family. This rate of change can be increased 50 per cent by opening a door to the sec-

Hot-Water System.

ond floor. In order to operate this ventilation scheme in mild or still weather, it will be found necessary to have a return air duct. A fireplace Lb an ideal foul-air escape. Such an escape will add from sl2 to S2O to the cost of a chimney, for it must have an independent flue. Three flash-light pictures were taken in adjoining rooms, one 12 by 12 feet and the other 12 by 23 feet. Tiie rooms were almost filled with smoke. The outside temperature was a little below zero, so a door could not be left opeiHvery long. Six pounds of newspapers were burned in the fireplace to create a draft. In half an hour the smoke was cleared from the rooms, and one door had been open for about five minutes. There was no perceptible change in temperature. Fireplace. In a section where wood Is plentiful, the comfort and satisfaction of an open fire should not be overlooked. In early spring and late fall a few sticks of wood on a grate fire will afford more cheer than double tha amount in a heater.

If provided for at the time of building the expense need not exceed S6O. This will provide facing, mantle, hearth, damper and ash traps, together with *the added flue in the chimney. The flue should be large. A flue 8 by 8 inches is usually too small. A fireplace should be at least 36 inches wide, 28 inches high, and 16 inches deep, or as near these dimensions as the commercial facing and lining materials will make. Colored brick with a rough face, make a most satisfactory facing, and may be placed at the time the chimney is built. The lining should, of course, be of firebrick. A hearth is easily built, using a smooth hard brick or tile. The essentials of a satisfactory fireplace are: (1) a large flue; (2) a smooth throat set well to the front; (3) a thin lip. A smoking fireplace can* usually be remedied by adding a thin lip-member. Firing. Economical stoking is an art. Hard coal is popular because the average person —does not' care to fire every half hour. However, a little admixture of brains with the coal will pay, even with hard coal. In general, add as small an amount of coal as possible at each firing, and fire often. Do not entirely cover the bed of live coals, but leave a small bole, where sufficient

The Essentials of a Fireplace.

heat can get through to fire the gases as they distill off from the new coal, otherwise they are lost up the chimney. These gases burn clear and hot, and form a large part of the coal. Keep the grates clean and clear of clinkers. Use a slice-bar, and prevent a tendency to cake at the bottom of the fire. Three instances of firing came to notice recently, in houses of nearly the same size. The cost in one case wtfs $47; in another, $36; and in the third, sl6. All the houses were warm* and comfortable at all times. In one the coal was fired, in the other Ore it was dumped in.

TRAIN ING TODAY'S BOYS AND GIRLS

Children Often Are Fatigued Without Feeling Tired.

IT MAY MAKE THEM RESTLESS

Parents Should Learn to Dlatlngulsh Between Thla Condition and Naughtiness—Marked by Lack of Concentration.

» By SIDONIE M. GRUENBERQ.

TO SAY that a child is fatigued but does not feel tired may seem like splitting hairs or defining the use of the scientists’ newfangled words. But there is a real difference between being fatigued and feeling tired, and It Is well for parents to know how It applies to their children. When one feels tired he knows It and usually takes the next opportunity for rest or sleep. Young children show by their behavior that they do not feel energetic enough to go on with the work or play in hand when they feel tired. And it is thus a comparatively simple matter to provide the conditions for suitable recovery from the “tired feeling.” It is an unusually inexperienced person that would not be able to distinguish between the actions of a “naughty” child and those of a really tired child. It is different, however, when It comes to dealing with a child that suffers from what the physiologists <jall “chronic fatigue,” Such a child, instead of preferring rest and quiet, is likely to be constantly restless and eager for something to do or for some new adventure. He is not likely to stick very long to any occupation or game, and his eagerness for something new is not satisfied, but continues to reject every novelty to his Insatiable search for something else. A little girl of eight who is ordinarily capable of working at a single task for from twenty to sixty minutes at a stretch showed her fatigued condition one morning by doing all of these things in much less than half an hour. She jumped about aimlessly until directed to find something to play with. She took down her little express wagon and pulled it at full speed up and down the road several times, finally abandoning it in the middle of the roadway. She declared she would go rowing, went down to the boat and sat there several minutes, swaying to and fro, without pushing the boat into the water. She ran up to the house and asked for materials to write a letter to her cousin; by the time she had paper and pen she had changed her mind and decided to cut out some paper dolls. She nearly finished one doll and shifted to a box of puzzle pictures, which she left without making any progress. The characteristic thing about the conduct of a child that Is “fatigued” is the lack of concentration. This shows itself not only in the rapid shifting of interest and activity, but also in the inability to attend eonsecu-

Distinguish Between Actions of a Naughty and a Tired Child.

tively to conversation or study, and In school It Is one of the common causes? of “inattention.” The connection between fatigue and this shiftiness or inattention lies in the fact that the child has lost the ability to resist Impulses. Every sensation, every suggestion, every thought that pops into his head impels him to a new line of action, and he Is too feeble to do anything but obey the impulse. We know that the trained person, the "able” person. Is Just the one who selects what sights and what sounds he will attend to, what impulses he will obey and what ones he will ignore. To make this selection requires experience, and a large part of our training consists of training in this kind of selection. Moreover, the selection requires energy, and this the over-fatigued child cannot command. Certain types of children are much more likely than others to acquire this state of chronic fatigue. The very sensitive child is most likely of all to develop the condition, because here every sensation starts an impulse that either produces some muscular action, or It stretches the muscles without leading to any obvious movements. In either case the muscles are actually expending energy in a way that contributes to the fatigue. Not only impulses that come from the outside through the senses, but the wanderings of his own imagination are likely to start muscular contractions that add to the fatigue without seeming to produce any “real work.” In addition to these sources of wasted energy,

snch a child is of th* kind that d oa§ not "know when to stop." It is therefor* partlcularty important that those who have the care of a child should know when to mate Mm stop. And It Is for this kind of child that we often need to devise interestlng and restful occupation*. An experienced teacher made the observation that certain of her pupils showed on first coming to school In the morning that they had before them a restless and unprofitable day. On comparing notes with the parents she found that the restless day in school was also the irritable and “naughty" day at home. She then wished that school work could be so arranged aa to permit her to relieve the fatigued child of the usual program, and let him spend his time more profitably in the shop or laboratory, or the pinyground, or perhaps the library. Even a vigorous and exhausting turn In the gymnasium, until the child 1* "good and tired” and feels like taking a rest, is to be preferred to the aimless and disconnected fldgetlngs. It will no doubt be a long time before the schools can undertake to adjust their daily work to the varying needs of each Individual child. But It Is certainly not too much to expect th* home to take not* of the more common symptoms of chronic fatigue, and to

Th« Irritable and Naughty Day at Home. • . §

adjust itself accordingly. In addition to restlessness, irritability and lack of concentration, the child’s fatigued coo* dltion may sometimes show Itself In uneasy sleep, or in lack of appetite, or la general languor. When any of these symptoms show themselves It Is well to Increase the amount of sleep adding an afternoon nap where possible. The attention of an adult who can help to hold the child’s Interest In some continuoui occupation and the removal as far as possible of all distractions would be helpful.

HERE’S TALLEST FISH STORY

Honest-Looking Man Bays He 8«W This, So It Must Be the Truth. “Speakln’ of flshln’,” said the honestlooking man, "the tallest fish story I ever heard happened before my own eyes, happened partly to myself, as yon might say. Yes,” he continued, as the thin chap crossed his legs and looked about absently at the walls, "me and another party took a long hike up to the lake. We hadn’t much more than cast In our lines, when. Bing! comes a whoppln’ tug at this fellow's line. He gives a Jerk, and mighty near tumbles over backward, with his line dangling from his pole without no hook. Fish had swallowed It, bit off the line. And then If there wasn’t gome cussln’! Only hook he had, and I had only my one. He sits down, this lad, and raves. Whole day before him, and nothin’ doin’. Bight at this point In the proceedings I gets a bite and hauls in a fine fish. My pal he susses . on worse ’an ever. I tell you that fish I hooked certainly paust have been hungry. He had took my hook plumb down Into the pit of hii stomach. Nothin’ but to rip him inside out. And there what do you think was a-stickin' to his innards? My pal’s hook! Sure as I’m slttln’ here! Well, my pal put his tackle together again, and we both enjoyed a good day’s sport. If I hadn’t seen this myself I wouldn't believe it,'’’ but I know it happened. See!”

Entente Cordiale at Saloniki.

More seriously Interesting than any personal fancies is the active quality of the entente which one discovers at Saloniki. In France the two armies were separated; here they mingle On the western front the Belgians held their section of the line, then came the British, and below them was the great French section; one hardly met a Belgian or a French soldier except by accident. Here in Macedonia we mingle freely, in fact, are arriving at friendships that must survive the war, Mid the ridiculous thing out here is the way we go discovering one another. From a hundred British mouths I have heard what a wonderful army la that of our ally, and that if we were onetenth part as efficient, and so forth, and so forth; and again from my French friends I hear how wonderfully organized is the army of Britain, and if theirs were one-tenth part as well equipped and found, and so forth, and so forth. . . . Both parties are quite sincere; in some points either army takes the lead, and it is on a few such points that we fasten. —Albert Kinross, in The Atlantic.

High Cost of Education.

Her —It cost an awful lot to learn to play the piano. Father spent nearly a thousand dollars on my lessons. Him— That’s nothing. It cost my father more than five thousand white I was learning to play the races, and. I can’t play them very wall at that.