In the accompanying illustration is shown one of several forms of arranging artificial sticks or logs in a fireplace for burning gas, to give a close imitation of a blazing wood fire, which has been patented and is made by Henry P. Dixon & Co, of 1330 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Several other forms of logs and grouping are also made, the sticks and the logs being colored to resemble wood, and having fixed between them splints of asbestos, which become incandescent when in use, so that when the gas is turned on and a match applied to the small jets arranged to the best advantage over and between the logs, it gives the appearance of a first class wood fire. These artificial logs are made of material not injured by the flames, and are designed to last a life‐time without cracking or breaking, the gas being supplied through a brass union fixed in the back of each log, through which connection can be readily made by rubber tubing or otherwise to the nearest gas pipe. A good, cheerful fire, which makes neither dust, dirt, nor ashes, is thus ever ready at hand and available by simply turning on and lighting the gas, the flow of which is regulated as desired.
ARTIFICIAL LOGS FOR FIREPLACES.
The Sounding Board in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The form of the sounding board is, I think, a novelty, but I am led to believe that it is an approach to the true form for the purpose. Flat sounding boards have been most commonly tried, but they are now generally discarded. A parabolic sounding board behind the preacher has been used with a certain effect, but the advantage is limited to those in the direction of the axis of the curve; and in these cases, action and reaction being equal, the preacher can sometimes hear the criticisms of his audience, if any should be uttered tolerably loud in the proper direction. Besides which, a shell of this description would have had little effect in stopping the objectionable echoes. To meet these difficulties, a curve was selected which has the property of distributing uniformly in every direction so much of the preacher’s voice as can be advantageously reflected. The figure is hyperbolic, the axis being perpendicular over the preacher. The diameter is ten feet, and so much of the voice it receives is reflected as if it came from a point about four feet from the preacher. It would be interesting to know, but I am not aware that sufficient experiments have been made to ascertain, what amount of sound is reflected from a given material. The harder the material, obviously the better the result. In this case hard organ pipe metal has been used. I observed a marked increase of audibility of the voice at a place where the assistance of the reflected sound is obtained over a point equidistant from the pulpit, but too high to receive the reflected wave from the sounding board.—F. C. Penrose.
THE POPULAR “FORTUNE” HOT AIR FURNACE.
A hot air furnace that is designed to include all the good elements of the best styles of modern construction, and is especially adapted for suburban houses, is shown in the accompanying illustration. It is manufactured by Messrs. Thomas, Roberts, Stevenson & Co, of Philadelphia, in four sizes, and has clinker‐cleaning, shaking, and dumping grate, upright lever for shaking the grate, improved dust flue and check draft, improved cylinder, with and without drum heads, and extra large radiating surface, being durable and cheap, while economical in use. These furnaces are made at a moderate price, without any expense being put on for mere show, and thousands of them are in use in nearly all parts of the country.
