In the preceding chapter I described Count Rumford’s modification
of the English open firegrate which eighty years ago was offered to
the British nation without any patent or other restrictions. Its
non-adoption I believe to be mainly due to this—it was nobody’s
monopoly, nobody’s business to advertise it, and, therefore, nobody
took any further notice of it; especially as it cannot be made and
sold as a separate portable article.
An ironmonger or stove-maker who should go to the expense of exhibiting
Rumford’s simple structure of fire-bricks and a few bars, described
in the last chapter, would be superseding himself by teaching his
customers how they may advantageously do without him.
The same remarks apply to his stoves for cooking purposes. They
are not iron boxes like our modern kitcheners, but are brick
structures, matters of masonry in all but certain adjuncts, such as
bars, fire-doors, covers, oven-boxes, etc., which are very simple
and inexpensive. Even some of Rumford’s kitchen utensils, such as
the steamers, were cheaply covered with wood, because it is a bad
conductor, and therefore wastes less heat than an iron saucepan lid.
Rumford was no mere theorist, although he contributed largely to pure
science. His greatest scientific discoveries were made in the course
of his persevering efforts to solve practical problems. I must not be
tempted from my immediate subject by citing any examples of these, but
may tell a fragment of the story of his work so far as it bears upon
the subject of cooking-ranges.
He began life as a poor schoolmaster in New Hampshire, when it was a
British colony. He next became a soldier; then a diplomatist; then in
strange adventurous fashion he traveled on the Continent of Europe,
entered the Bavarian service and began his searching reform of the
Bavarian army by improving the feeding and the clothing of the men. He
became a practical working cook in order that they should be supplied
with good, nutritious, and cheap food.
But this was not all. He found Munich in a most deplorable condition
as regards mendicity; and took in hand the gigantic task of feeding,
clothing, and employing the overwhelming horde of paupers, doing this
so effectually that he made his “House of Industry” a true workhouse;
it paid all its own expenses, and at the end of six years left a net
profit of 100,000 florins.
I mention these facts in conformation of what I said above concerning
his practical character. Economical cookery was at the root of his
success in this maintenance of a workhouse without any poor-rates.
After doing all this he came to England, visited many of our public
institutions, reconstructed their fireplaces, and then cooked dinners
in presence of distinguished witnesses, in order to show how little
need be expended on fuel, when it is properly used.
At the Foundling Institution in London he roasted 112 lbs. of beef with
22 lbs. of coal, or at a cost of less than threepence. The following
copy of certificate, signed by the Councillor of War, etc., shows what
he did at Munich: “We whose names are underwritten certify that we have
been present frequently when experiments have been made to determine
the expense of fuel in cooking for the poor in the public kitchen of
the military workhouse at Munich, and that when the ordinary dinner has
been prepared for 1000 persons, the expense for fuel has not amounted
to quite 12 kreutzers.” Twelve kreutzers is about 4½_d._ of our money.
Thus only 1-50th of a farthing was expended on cooking each person’s
dinner, although the peas which formed the substantial part of the soup
required five hours, boiling. The whole average daily fuel expenses of
the kitchen of the establishment amounted to 1-20th of a farthing for
each person, using wood, which is much dearer than coal. At this rate,
_one ton of wood should do the cooking for ten persons during two years
and six days, or one ton of coal would supply the kitchen of such a
family three and a half years_.
The following is an abstract of the general principles which he
expounds for the guidance of all concerned in the construction of
cooking stoves.