1879 Gas Stove

I ran across this 1879 gas stove that I thought was interesting. In part because of the date and because of the compact design.

Messrs. John Wright & Co., of Birmingham, exhibit several of these, one of which we will describe according to the subjoined illustration. The body of the stove is made up of the roasting and baking ove :s, and upon the top, besides the usual arrangements for boiling and steaming, is fitted a " broilery " sufficiently large to cook a fowl or to make toast, and a griller for chops, steaks, &c. The whole of the top, which is galvanised, consists of a water vessel, the burners for boiling and steaming purposes being located in suitable cavities therein. The waste heat from these burners very quickly raises the temperature of the water in the boiler to boiling point.
These stoves are also made without the water vessel on the top, and they vary in price from 4j guineas to £25 each. As to the economy of the new system, the makers guarantee a saving of fuel to the extent of 40 per cent, as compared with the cooking-stoves ordinarily in use. Experiments that have been made show that in using the ordinary gas oven 30 in. high, 10 in. wide, and 17 in. deep, a consumption of 20^ cubic ft. of gas per hour is necessary in order to maintain a temperature of 380 deg. Fahr. inside the oven, whilst with the new cooker 12 cubic ft. of gas per hour is sufficient. This saving is effected by jacketing the cookers on the sides, top, and door, with a new and very efficient non-conducting material, which prevents loss of heat in the oven by radiation. Some idea of the value of this non-conductor may be gathered from the fact that a teacupful of water (jacketed with fths of an inch of silica), which at 10 o'clock stood at 200 deg. Fahr., had at 2 o'clock lost only 50 deg. of its heat; and a cooker jacketed with it had been alight for six hours, the temperature of which, inside the oven stood at 500 deg., whilst the outside was so cool that the hand could be borne upon it. Another advantage besides the saving of gas is that the kitchen is kept perfectly cool during the summer months. Of course the first cost of these cookers is rather higher than that of the ordinary stoves of the same size, but when the daily saving in the consumption of gas is taken into account, there can be little question as to which is really the cheaper stove.