This is a copy of the Wood & Bishops Insructions which they gave with their new stove.

Directions for Operating Cook Stoves and Ranges

To secure good operation in Cook Stoves and Ranges, see:
1st. That the flue-stopper is in place.
2d. That the chimney is clear and has a good draft at the pipe hole. Many chimneys are made too low and
draw better whens a "smoke-stack" is put on them
3d. That the pipe fits closely on the stove and in the chimney. No air should enter flue outside of the
pipe.
4th. That the pipe does not go to far in the chimney.
5th. That no ashes from chimney get into the end of the pipe.
6th. That there are no pipe holes open into the chimney anywhere, either above or below, and that there
is no unused stove with the draft-slide open leading into the same chimney.
7th. Avoid having the pipe telescope at the elbow.
If you have all these parts properly adjusted and well arranged, open the direct-draft damper and see if you
can get a good fire in the stove, together with a strong draft. If the fire will not burn well then, the trouble is not
in the stove but above it.
If the fire burns well on the above direct draft, close the oven damper; then if it will not heat the oven and
bake well, please examine the flues and dampers, and see:
1st. That all the flues are open and clear, so that smoke can freely pass through them. In cleaning flues,
many do not clean all the flues, and frequently push soot and ashes into the back corners, and in that way stop them
up.
2d. Examine all the dampers in the flues and see that they are open and close tightly, and do not get out of
place.
3d. Be sure that you know how the dampers operate, so they may not be open when you think they are
closed.
If you are trying a stove without a hot-water reservoirng in good order as heretofore
described, it cannot possibly fail in operation if you close the direct-draft damper and throw all the heat around
the oven. Time should be given to get the oven hot before trying to bake.
If you have a stove with a reservoir, be shur that the damper, to force the heat under the reservoir, if there
is one in the stove, is closed, so that all the heat must go around the oven. Many reservoir stoves have two
dampers, and in that case both should be closed.
We have known many persons who have tried to use such stoves with the damper under the reservoir open
when they thought it was closed. On that account the oven heated to slowly, but worked fast enough when
they closed the damper.
We have found that inmany cases best results in baking can be secured by pushing in the check slide in the
pipe collar to a point where it will hold the heat in the range without restraining the draft which can be kept
active by opening draft slide in ash pit door.
It is possible that the draft of the chimney is so strong as to carry the heat so rapidly round the oven that
it is not absorbed by the plates, and the oven fails to heat sufficiently from that cause. A damper in the pipe
will relieve this.
We have found in some drafts that a new stove or range would bake much better on placing a few ashes in
the bottom flues, leaving them perfectly level and about one inch deep.
In some cases where the chimney runs below the pipe inlet, we find that it is necessary to stop off the flue a
short distance below the inlet. This feature is thought so much of, that many architects and builders now constuct
chimneys with a sliding damper to close of the flues just below the inlet of cooking stove or range when
flue below is not in use.
IMPORTANT. Care must be taken to see that the cast iron coal or wood front, or coil front, or water
front, whichever is used, is in its proper place with the top edge fitting tightly against front end of range.
All draft must go below lower edges of these fronts or through the fire to give right results.

Respectfully yours,
WOOD & BISHOP CO.
Bangor, Maine

jep