Page 22 RAIN April 1979 by Bill Day wood news The expanded usc of wood energy has become so obvious that its potential future usc is well assured despite the moans and groans fr<)m the wood appliance industry over the lack of national tax incentives. Many groups and organizations have advocated accelerated utilization of wood as an immediate remedy for our energy problems. I urge all interested persons to contact Treasury Secretary Blumenthal, who according to Wall Street journal (Feb. 28, 1979) has the authority to make wood burning stove and furnaccs eligible for the new energy tax credi t /lOW! Seminars and workshops related to safe installation, operation and maintenance of wood hurning appliances are now benming quite popular. Most seminars are free or low cost. In addition to many local fire departments and state home extension services, a great many responsible wood stove dealers have been providing this consumer service for 'some lime. For more information or possible sources of speakers, write: Wood Energy Group Kristia Associates c/o Georgia Tech P.O. Box 1118 EES-TDL Portland ME 04104 C&S Building , Atlanta, GA 30332 \ I recommend the "Spring '79" issue of Home Energy Digl!.~t - Wood Burning Quarterly to alternative cnergy en rhusmsts. The articles I found of specific interest are: "European Tile Stoves," by Jason, Schneider; "Woodburners: An Uninsurable Risk," by Jay Hensley; and "Multiple Use of a Singlc Flue," by Dr. Jay Shelton. Other articles about home design and rctrofitting, composting toilets, and woodlot management are all intercsting. This publication has become more mature, seeming to gradually include more and more useful, well illustrated, easy-to-read contributions. Measured Performance ofFireplaces and Fireplace Accessories, Dr. Jay Shelton, 1978, $2 from Dr. Jay Shelton 136 Hawthorne Road Williamstown, MA 01267 Although it has long been commonly accepted that most fireplaces are relatively inefficient and may often be a heat loss factor over a 24-hour period, few statistics have existed to guide the homeowner. Glass doors, tubular graces, COI1- • vective fireplaces, and their approximate rd ative efficiencies are discussed by Dr. Shelton. When considering the retrofit investment possibility, this is a useful, informative paper. No testing or discussion of durability or safety is attempted. By the time you read this, we will have finished putting on over 30,000 (!) Jabels on our new publications list and soon the subscriptions/orders will be rolling in. To all those people who responded to our plea for HELP (Rain Vol. IV, No. 10) and sent in some names of people-many thanks! BecaU$e of your tremendous response, we got most of our names donated, and the only list we bought was a listing of college libraries. If you can think of any other names of people who would be interested in Uain , send them along. We \V1W!:.vnd~oltneSulll"t!Minllllo.lty,'NriwI~ rWwnonwnof\ a orlen 0ItIIcn1Id. Thill_v, tina 0( .altmLlllnI ti&tK and l2aindr()P§ 'W"';=' ",' :l£-;_~ ~.j dark c::u be seen movinl and ulllluJaLiI'll in pan!kt on plain b&hl<dored ~urfaa!l . That so-caD«I sJ.Jow brads' are lhI mutt or ~nli&hI brut& toned by 1i"l"e"lWlna. ill lhI Eattb', auncJIPhcn'. AD opal Roar or'" ill will include them in our second mailing in the near future. We have made two other trades of mailing lists since our last issue. They are: High Country News (Wyoming) and Environmental Action (Washington, D.C.). If you receive more than one copy of our flyer, please pass them on to a friend. We have recently acquired the help of several high school students from I the local alternative school. Shawn, ~ Jillian, Jennifer and Karl have been a t really big help, and their energy is I refreshing. -'YL ~ I Totality What wonder' Several of us from the Uam extended family migrated to the cast "ide of the Cascade~ to witness the passing of Moon over Sun. After beaching my nit.! Comet allmg a back road in [he rolling hills ncar Dufur, Oregon, we hiked through old wheat stubble high onto a prominence with a commanding view. It was a cold, mostly lear day. To the west were the foothills of [he mountains, capped in cloud cover; to the north, perhaps 25 miles away, Washington, rising up from the Columbia River; and to the east- the SUJ'I, emnging from behind a low bank of clouds, just in rime to stir our antici pat icm. J\s we settled into various wailing postures- on blankets. on foot, masking our eyes with ()ur hands - [he brilliant star l.legan its demise. Like d,e first hint of an exponential curve, the daylight degraded slow I}' . almost imperceptibly. We peered into the west, waiting to see the famous Moon shadow that rushes across the land prior to totality. The wheat stubble around us became softer and silvery. One of us announced the shortening minute~ -it seemed impossible that anything could really happen. I huddled in my down coat against the cold wind. Then the stray clouds over head hegan to ~ake on a deep purple/ black color. The silverness dimmed. Our hearts started pumping. Several stars began to emerge. Suddenly rihbons of undulating light passed under our feet and to the west of us. Then ... totality . . . deep twilight enveloped us. In the darkness we turned eastward to capture our prize. There. a ring of leaping flames silhouetted a giant black orb-larger than any Sun I'd ever seen. Though safe to look, it was difficult to stare. Red flares streaked out from the bottom of the llOOd pU to IooIl for thmL A.1inuIar dfOCl ~ (ftIl when tIw Sun w.a. tluouah r\ppIII on IhI: aarfacc at tht...wr In ill IWIlMlinI pool; tht_Y)' linD mcMtII 011 Ihc bonQIa at 1M pool raaDbIIr me sMdow .... - 01. silhouette. Stars were out and the clouds were black. A night ehiU stirred. To the far south and north the horizons glowed with dayligh l visible beyond tbe Moon shadow's reach, like sunrise and sunset in COIItradiction. It wa.~ less than day- more than nigh t. "God. " We milled around, laughing. "GOD I" J\. few incredible minutes passed . . .. Then a great crack of light scared from behind thc passing moon and flooded the twilight. I dared a look at the unbelievahly brilliant crescent of Sun. ru the twilight reversed itself, a small 'cloud moved in front of the eclipse, giving us safe cover to observe the re-emerging Sun. Thl! sky bnghtened and the land silvered again. Suddenly, we were on the other side of the Magic, and we fumbled to share with each tither the torality of Ol,lr collective experience..... -SA
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