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Show FIRST-AID by Roger B. Whitman Roger B. Whitman WNU Servlc. CHANGING CELLAR STAIRS FOR SAFETY REASONS TN PLANNING the remodeling of ar old farmhouse, the owner insisted on making a change in the location oi the stairs leading down to his cellar. cel-lar. As is common in house design, these stairs were directlj under those leading from the fronl hall to the second story. This meant that in case of a fire in the cellar, the draft would carry the flames up the stairs and bring them into direct contact with the under side of the stairs of the upper flight. Should that happen at night, the chances would be strong that the bedroom stairs would be burned out by the time the family was aroused. As cellar fires are common in resi. dences, this design should be avoided, avoid-ed, for it has been responsible for much loss of life. This owner took out the cellar stairs and located them in another part of the cellar. The hole that was left was covered over with heavy planking, so that the cavity under the upper stairs became be-came a small closet, which he utilized for firewood. For additional safety the closet was lined with asbestos. He had three fireplaces on the lower low-er floor, which in winter consumed a good deal of wood. Supplying them was greatly simplified by having a wood closet, where it could easily be reached. Free House Plans. "I am planning to build a small summer home about 24 feet square," writes a correspondent. "Where can I secure plans or ideas about building a home of that size?" One thought would be to send ten cents in coin to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C, for Farmers' Bulletin 1738, which has the title "Farmhouse Plans." He can also get an excellent pamphlet on the subject from his local office of the Federal Housing administration. administra-tion. This is called Technical Bulletin Bul-letin Ko. 4, which has the title: "Principles of Planning Small Houses." This illustrates several houses of the size that he has in mind. He can get the address of the office from his local telephone book. Another source of information informa-tion is the 1940 Book of Small Houses, published by Simon & Shus-ter, Shus-ter, New York, which he will And in his local library and also at bookstores. book-stores. Moth Control. Question: I have been in the habit of packing heavy woolen garments in bags and keeping them in the attic at-tic during the summer. I have recently re-cently been told that the heat would injure the woolens. Is this true? Answer: The heat of an attic during dur-ing the summer is not injurious to wool, as it would be to fur. Of course, if a wmter overcoat has a fur collar or trimmings it should not be stored in a hot attic. For furs a low temperature is best. The natural nat-ural oil in furs is dried out by heat, and the fur becomes brittle. With wool there is no such condition. Before Be-fore putting your woolens away, they should be thoroughly cleaned, preferably pref-erably by dry cleaning, and a quantity quan-tity of moth crystals (paradi) should be included in each bag. Repainting. Question: How should old, scaling scal-ing paint be treated before repairing? repair-ing? Should two or three coats of white paint be used, or is a first coat of aluminum paint advisable? Answer: All the old paint that is loose should be taken off. It is possible pos-sible thai scraping will be sufficient If not, have it burned off by someone some-one who really knows his business; if you have not had experience, you had better not attempt it yourself your-self because of the fire risk. Aluminum Alu-minum paint makes an excellent first coat. If it is not to be had, put on three coats of good quality paint, following the instructions of the maker for the thinning of the first and second coats. Rain Pipe Odor. ' Question: In my new home there is a terrible odor around the front attic window, apparently coming from the rain pipe just below. How can this be remedied? Answer: It is probable that the odor comes from a dead bird or mouse in the pipe, or from decaying vegetable matter. You may be able to get rid of it by running a strong stream from your garden hose into the pipe. The alternative is to take down the section of pipe and clean it out with a long wire. White Crusted Bricks. Question: Does a white crust appearing ap-pearing on bricks indicate deterioration? deterio-ration? Answer: That is the coming to the surface of mineral salts in the mortar and sometimes in the bricks. It is usually harmless, except for appearance. It will eventually disappear. |