The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-07 00:00:00

VENTILATION OF EMIGRANT SHIPS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE EXPRESS.
SlB,—From the great interest you have taken in
promoting the comfort and welfare of emigrants while on
board ship, I have no doubt you will readily allow inser-
tion in your *stable journal of the following suggestions
for improving ventilation in passenger ships, which I hope
may prove alike interesting and useful to shipowners and
passengers. To the want of a practicable, efficient system
of ventilation, or the removal by a supply of fresh air of
the deleterious gases emitted from the lungs and bodies
of passengers, cooped up in the neeessariljr confined space
of the 'tween deck., may be attributed nine-tenths of the
deaths occurring oa board ships. and the reports of which
are now so fearfully numerous with reason to dread that
there are worse to come.

The present mode of attempting to supply fresh air by
means of wind-sails, wind-pipes, dic., has been prcred to be
nearly useless, and more particularly so when most re-
quired, viz., during light airs, in calms near the line, and
in bad weather.

Any plan to be of practical benefit must necessarily be
continuous in its action, not ea'ily deranged, simple in de-
tail, and cheap. The following method appears to combine
these essential points, and may probably be still further im-
proved
It consists of two wooden tubes, rectangular in their sec-
tion, &ay 6 inches deep by 18 inches wide, suspended from,
and elm to, the upper deck beams, extending from
the centre of the ship nearly all the length fore
and aft, or at least as far ex the passenger berths go, and
having trumpet-shaped ends. At the junction of these two
tubes (which should be nearly under the passengers' cook-
ing galley), a third tube of iron is attached and led up,
through the deck, into the side of the fire hearth, which
is fitted with a flat iron plate, to shut up at will the usual
open bars is front, and prevent access of air in that dine-
' tion. By this arrangement, after the fire is lighted it can
only continue to burn by drawing or sacking air from the
fore and after ends of the ship through these tubes. The
heated and foul air is thus withdrawn from between decks,
and replaced by a supply of fresh air going down the
hatchway, or air scuttle, in bad weather, and which,
in its progress forward and aft, sweeps the con-
Laminated air towards the trumpekahaped ends of
the wooden tubes by which it ascends through the
iron tube to the fire on deck and is consumed. This fire is
in constant use throughout the day for cooking, and at a
trifling additional cost eau he kept up during the night,
thereby maintaining a constant circulation of fresh air
through the whole ship. In fact, it is only ea application
of the present well known and approved method of venti-
lating coal mines by fire heat. The fresh air admitted at
the air ports in the ship's side will also have the effect of
driving the heated air out of the sleeping berths towards
the ends of the wooden tubes. Although contrary to rule
to have fires burning during the night, still, if it is made a
part of the duty of the officer of the watch to see it pro-
perly attended to, no risk of accident need be apprehended
therefrom ; and surely the small extra cost of fuel will not
be grudged when the health and lives of a number of p,e-
sengers are at stake.—l am, &c., D. Id.

ADVICE TO COFFEE-DRINKEIts.—For the benefit
of those who are necessitated to buy their coffee ground,
who are unable to purchase it from any of the dealers al.
ready enumerated, and who have not a microscope at com-
mand, we may mention, that it the suspected powder he
placed lightly on the surface of water, should it contain
chicory or roasted corn they will speedily descend; whereas
the coffee, owing to the essential oil it contains, will repel
the water, and float on the ►urface. Again, chicory-pow-
der, in s tew seconde, will im2art to the water a deep brown
hue ; pure c..ffee hardly coloaring cold water until after a
leugthcued immersion. A solution of iodipesigagg—so a
cold dec ntioc of chicory, deepens itssre9rour Initei44ll,
though it can scarcely be said to impart"). it • blue Cage.—
New Quarterly Review.