Bellows Now Little Used

1914

Once Almost Indispensable Furniture of Every Kitchen Has Been Largely Done Away With

The bellows, in the forms in which once it was familiar in every household, is still used in homes where open fires are maintained, but the giant bellows that in old times was as necessary an adjunct of the blacksmith's shop as the forge itself, is steadily being supplanted by blowers of other sorts.

Now the village blacksmith takes down the big old time bellows, stores it on the beams up under the roof and installs near the fire a compact little rotary blower which is operated by turning a crank, and where electricity is available men now use that for blowing purposes.

In a long established city blacksmith shop located on the downtown waterfront, where once, across the way, the wharves were lined with tall sparred sailing ships, there was in those days one of those big, old time bellows. When the blacksmith wanted to blow the fire he rested one hand and forearm on the end of the long lever and swayed on it gently, while with the other hand, occasionally he patted the fire. But now?

Now from the wharves across the way the sailing ships have disappeared, and from this old waterfront blacksmith's shop the old time bellows has disappeared, too. The anvil is still there, to be sure, and people halt now just as they have always done, to look in and see the sparks fly when the blacksmith and his helper strike on the red hot iron; but now when the blacksmith wants to blow on the fire he doesn't put his arm on a big bellows lever and sway and sway; now he simply reaches up and moves a little switch. That starts a steady blast, which can be regulated to any force that may be required.