Our first century . wall when not in use. For light, the best of all appHances in use at that time LIFE IN THE EARLY COLONIES 215 was the ordinary tallow candle of domestic Virginia and the region south of that, torches wereoften used, made of fat pine sticks which were set up iniron frames or sconces. In New Amsterdam, later New York, many of thechimneys were built ofsticks and mud, and theresult was that manyfires occurred, until atlast this source of dan-ger was removed by anordinance . forbiddingthe use of wood in theconstruction of chim-neys. Another precautionagainst fire
Our first century . wall when not in use. For light, the best of all appHances in use at that time LIFE IN THE EARLY COLONIES 215 was the ordinary tallow candle of domestic Virginia and the region south of that, torches wereoften used, made of fat pine sticks which were set up iniron frames or sconces. In New Amsterdam, later New York, many of thechimneys were built ofsticks and mud, and theresult was that manyfires occurred, until atlast this source of dan-ger was removed by anordinance . forbiddingthe use of wood in theconstruction of chim-neys. Another precautionagainst fire in the townswas the employment ofchimney sweeps ; with-out their services, whichwere compelled by lawin New York, there wasalways danger of a con-flagration resulting from the ignition of the soot in chim--neys. In New England and Virginia this danger wasoften averted by another and simpler device. When theroofs were deeply covered with snow, or when a drench-ing rain was falling, great sheaves of straw were thrust. Wrought iron lamp and sadiron.(Xew York State Cabinet of NaturalHistory, Albany.) 216 OUR FIRST CENTURY up the chimney and set on fire. Thus the accumulatedsoot in the flues was safely burned away. But in NewYork and in Charleston, South Carolina, chimneys wereswept at regular intervals by those who made a businessof the matter. In Charleston, even up to the time of thecivil war of 1861-1865, the little negro chimney sweep,with his brooms and bags, was seen and his musical crywas heard in all the streets. As there were no such things as friction matches inthose days, or for two centuries later, the keeping of seed fire, by covering the coals with ashes was animportant concern, and when by any accident the seedfire was lost, colonial boys were sent to the nearestneighbors house—often many miles distant—to borrowa brand with which to rekindle the hearth. There were very few blankets, such as we now use, inthose days. Quilts, stuffed with moss, tow, wool orwhatever
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