Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1874 — What Is a Defective Flue? [ARTICLE]

What Is a Defective Flue?

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial gives the following practical answer to tlie question : “ The question is often asked,'“ Wliat is a detective flue?’ It is a flue that has open, unplastered joints in the lirick’Wbvk through which flame or sparks can pass into the spaces between the floors and ceilings, or in “which soot can accumulate and take fire. If the joints in the bricks of the Hue are carefully covered with mortar, no joints built into or touching it, and no floor or wood-work allowed to come in contact with it, tlie owner of such a flue can retire to sleep with a mind at ease on that score. Safe flues in.houses built by contract are exceptions, as the contractor sublets to the bricklayer, and lie does not feel responsible to the owner, who gets a defective flue unless he stands by anil bosses the job. If be does not he must chance it. I have had some eight or ten flues built for ovens lieated to a white heat, but have always stood by to see that every joint was well closed, as the first flue 1 used fired the building. The last one I built was so dangerous—passing through aliay-loft—that, rather than trust it to others, l built it myself; and although it made the loft unbearably hot, I felt perfectly safe, and used it for three years constantly. Another cause of frequent fires is the careless use of matches. A porter in a store sent into a dark cellar or upper story goes with a lot of matches to strike while hunting what lie wants; the match is thrown down; if it goes out, good; if not, and there is straw, paper, shavings, moss or rags lying around loose, presto! there you have a spontaneous combustion. Always take a lantern, and let it be a globe lantern, fed with lard or sperm oil. In looking back through a business life in Cincinnati ot thirty years,, I find that fire originated eight times on my premises, all, however, got under without calling out the engines. Only once was 1 burned out, thanks to a neighbor: —Once, defectiveflue; twice, defective stove pipes; once, pan of hot aslfes left on the floor over night (servant girl); once, hot ashes in an out-houses (servant girl); once, wood coal spilled on a floor (servant girl)'; twice, matiches used and thrown on shavings.