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Page 1 - BACKGROUND
The two bedroom house he had purchased in 1950 was barely big enough for a family of 4, but nevertheless he managed to refashion enough space in the attic to start his small company.
After cutting a hole in the dining room ceiling, he mounted a ladder which would roll away from the wall to allow climbing into the new work space. The opening would also have a door which could be closed in the winter time to keep the heat in the house. (We had an oil fired stove in the living room for heat.)
He cut a round hole in the end of the wall where the attic ventilation opening was, and installed a large extractor fan. On the other end, he eventually installed a window.
The attic needed insulation, so Dad gathered piles of old newspapers, opened them up, soaked them in a Boric Acid solution, laid them out on the grass to dry, then crumpled them up and stuffed them between the roof rafters. It worked to help reduce the stifling heat in the summer.
When I asked them if they would catch on fire, he took one and held a lighted match to it. It produced a bit of smoke, but would not catch on fire. After that demonstration, I was satisfied and enthusiastically helped him.
The insulation did help some, but the attic was still too hot in the summer time for him to work there, so he devised a cooling system.
There was a downspout from the gutters at each corner of the house. At the bottom of each one he attached a piece of metal with a hose connector. He ran hoses from each downspout to a wash tub to collect water. Then he put in a small pump to get the water to the roof. Along the apex he installed another hose, but with holes in it. The water would flow over the roof, thus carrying away much of the heat from the summer sun. The water went down to the tub and would be pumped up again. Because of evaporation, the tub would have to be topped off with fresh water at least twice during a hot day.
Dad laid flooring in the attic, installed workbenches and a few machines. The attic space that was above the front porch was made into his office. By 1952 he was in business.
