The report further points out that a gas fire has
the advantage over a coal fire in that it heats a room
much more rapidly, and also more regularly than a
coal fire — in which necessarily a large amount of fuel
is wasted both before a hot and. useful fire is obtained,
and also after heat is no longer required, as the con¬
sumption of fuel in a coal fire cannot be brought to
an instant conclusion by the turning of a tap as is
possible in a gas fire. The examiners therefore state
that it is their opinion that from the point of view
of economy, gas would run coal very closely for
domestic uses, when it is seldom necessary to have a
266
THE HOUSEHOLD
fire burning for long periods. ’ They are also of
opinion that a properly constructed gas fire has the
advantage of a coal fire from the hygienic point of
view, owing to the more equable temperature and the
absence of dust and smoke. Another point in favour
of gas fires, which is mentioned in the report, is that
they can be easily regulated, and the heat of the room
controlled in a way which is not possible wfith coal
fires.
Moreover, it should not be overlooked that gas,
even used primarily for lighting, has still a heating
value, the more important because wdiile fires are
not used during a large part of the year, light is
required summer and winter. In a damp house, pic¬
tures, pianos, mirrors and other objects susceptible
to damp will benefit largely by the mild heat from
gas light, while the time for starting stoves at the
fall of the year may often be delayed for several weeks
over the period wdien it is not really cold enough
for stove heat, and yet it is chilly of an evening.
The rapid increase in the use of gas fires in recent
years will undoubtedly be further accelerated by the
publication of this independent and scientific report
by medical men, and it should not be forgotten that
every coal fire that is displaced by a gas fire means a
diminution in the volume of smoke which gives
London’s “particular” bete-noire — fog — its "most
offensive constituent. That the labour-saving gas-fire
also is a step in the direction of a solution of the
servant question is not the least of its claims to wider
popularity.
GAS COOKERY BOOK.
267
HINTS FOR USERS OF GAS
FIRES.
Gas fires are coming into such general use, being
so particularly suited to this extraordinary climate of
ours — with its rapid and marked changes of tempera¬
ture demanding a system of heating that can be called
into, or put out of, action at a minute’s notice, without
trouble and without making any work — that the
following hints as to how to light a gas fire may be
found useful, especially where country-bred servants
are employed.
First, light a taper. Then, before applying the
taper to the fire, turn on the tap for an instant — to
allow the gas to displace the air in the pipe between
the tap and the fire — turn the tap off again, and then,
after a second or two, apply the lighted taper to the
centre of the front of the fire — well above the burners
and inside the fireclay fuel — and again turn on the
tap.
Page 142
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The report further points out that a gas fire has the advantage over a coal fire in that it heats a room much more rapidly, and also more regularly than a coal fire — in which necessarily a large amount of fuel is wasted both before a hot and. useful fire is obtained, and also after heat is no longer required, as the con¬ sumption of fuel in a coal fire cannot be brought to an instant conclusion by the turning of a tap as is possible in a gas fire. The examiners therefore state that it is their opinion that from the point of view of economy, gas would run coal very closely for domestic uses, when it is seldom necessary to have a
fire burning for long periods. ’ They are also of opinion that a properly constructed gas fire has the advantage of a coal fire from the hygienic point of view, owing to the more equable temperature and the absence of dust and smoke. Another point in favour of gas fires, which is mentioned in the report, is that they can be easily regulated, and the heat of the room controlled in a way which is not possible with coal fires.
Moreover, it should not be overlooked that gas, even used primarily for lighting, has still a heating value, the more important because while fires are not used during a large part of the year, light is required summer and winter. In a damp house, pic¬ tures, pianos, mirrors and other objects susceptible to damp will benefit largely by the mild heat from gas light, while the time for starting stoves at the fall of the year may often be delayed for several weeks over the period when it is not really cold enough for stove heat, and yet it is chilly of an evening.
The rapid increase in the use of gas fires in recent years will undoubtedly be further accelerated by the publication of this independent and scientific report by medical men, and it should not be forgotten that every coal fire that is displaced by a gas fire means a diminution in the volume of smoke which gives London’s “particular” bete-noire — fog — its "most offensive constituent. That the labour-saving gas-fire also is a step in the direction of a solution of the servant question is not the least of its claims to wider popularity.
HINTS FOR USERS OF GAS
FIRES.
Gas fires are coming into such general use, being so particularly suited to this extraordinary climate of ours — with its rapid and marked changes of tempera¬ ture demanding a system of heating that can be called into, or put out of, action at a minute’s notice, without trouble and without making any work — that the following hints as to how to light a gas fire may be found useful, especially where country-bred servants are employed.
First, light a taper. Then, before applying the taper to the fire, turn on the tap for an instant — to allow the gas to displace the air in the pipe between the tap and the fire — turn the tap off again, and then, after a second or two, apply the lighted taper to the centre of the front of the fire — well above the burners and inside the fireclay fuel — and again turn on the tap.