The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-11-27

ttrllCIlOH OF Inc ScnOOl rOOl III WINCH lD'
floor rose from one side at SO great at angie
rs 10 take up about one sixth purt OF Whu
would have been the spuce with level floor
amounted only, with proper deductions to
stove, seats &c, TO sixteen hundred cubl,
feet.
"Now let me observe" said the doctor
"ihat, from the latest and most accurate eX
periments of chemists and medical men, /
has Leen asccrtnined that one person, by res
pira'ion from tho lungs alone, destroys all ihc
oxygen, or vital principle, in thirteen cnbic
feet ofspace per hour. How many scholars
JIavc you, Mr. Amsdeu"
sixty, upon tie average erhaps norc,say
siXty-iour.'
'Ascertain, then. how many cubic feet Of
vital air these all will destroy IN one hour"
Both Locke and Bunker, the latter fwhom
now began to be in his element, mudo the
same auswer--eight hundred thrty-twoicet
GLOW long do you generally keep them
in without intcrmssion, in which the
doors would necessarily remain open mo
mont willie they were passing out?
"Generally un hour and u half, sometimes
Two"
'Thcn, gentlemen" said the doctor, "the
true, hut greatly misconceiyed, cause Of you
trouble and just alarm is now plainly before
you. You see, by our calculation, that.in less
than two hours, all The air that can sustain
life n moment would be, in this new and al
most bouIe-tght room, ifnot renovated by
opening the doors or windows, entirely CON
sumed. And, taking into the account the
quantity of this vital principle iuhuled by The
pores of so many persons. aud the prubnbIy
greater portion destroyed by the fire and re-
fleeing surface Of the stove ard pipe, pre-
sumo one hour is sufficient to render The air
extremely unhealthy; nm hour and half uh-
solutcly poisonous; and two hours, so fatally
so as to cause your children to drop dead on
IKE floor"
'"Thunder" exclaimed Bunker, "can this be
SO? long since knew that we were put upon
our allowance, when in close rooms, for the
right kind of breathing ur; but | never sup
pos ed there was so much death in the pot as
that comes to. But that fact which you build
upon-the amount Of vital air person dcs
Iroys an hour--I am afraid, doctor, you got it
only out Of the books which am rather shy
in trusting for what call gospel"
"Both from books and my own imperfect
experiments" replied Lincon, Sand am sat
isficd that the proportion is not rated too high
Iy. But have not quite done all that pro
posed in this case. We have now bCcu in
the room, perceive by my watch, but three
quarters ofan hour, while there are not prob
ably over thirty persons present. And yet,
even in this time, and with this number,
VIII you all, IL OOu no NOT lGti oppressed
and uneasy from the impuiity ofthc air hore"
81 do-and land too, "responded sever
al; while others, as the case was thus now
brought home to their OWL senses, which
spoke i'll the affirmative, sprang forward III
alarm 10 throw open the doors,
'sNot yet-not yet, said the doctor, inter-
posing. ave can live awhile longer and
wish in some degree to satisfy you, & partic-
ularIy Captain Bunker here, whose thorough
mode of coming ut results | much admire,
1hat what have said is not altogether inca
ipabie of proof, even with the means at hand.
Cannot our carpenter here, with a few mia
utes' work so alter the castings, that the upper
sashes ofthese windows can be lowered some
few inches?"
Locke-who felt both panied and chagrin-
Ced, that his inatteniion to this matter, in which
he so well knew all the principles involved,
should have so nearly led to disnsterous con-
sequences, and whose active mind, have seen
through the whole subject at glance, The
moment the doctor put him on the track, had
long since been engaged in deyising Il ready
remedy for the discovered evil--here iutcr-
posed, and suggested that all opening made in
the centre of the ceiling, would best effect
the object in view.
''lfit can he done?" inquiriugly said the
doctor.
BE done!"said Bunker, ':yes,it can. Here,
carpenter, up in this chair with your tools.
and make Il hole through there in no time.
This business iSjust beginningt to get through
my hair"
A few moments sutliccd to make an aper-
ture about eight inches square, opening into
the attic story above the square form being
adopted, as best COMFORTING with the simple
contrvauco with which it was proposed to
cover it--t!lat Of Il mere board side, supper
ted by ccats, in which it would play back
and forth,as the aperture required to be orcE-
ed for ventilation, or shut to preserve tie
warmth oflhe room. Scarcely had the work
Inan time to adjust the slide in it's place. be-
fore every particle of impure air hod appG-
reutiy escaped through Ihe opening, to pass
off by the crCvces in the roof All felt and
acknowledged the change, with establishment
aud delight. The sensations Of langUOr aBd
oppression, that had begun 10 weigh heavily
on the feelings and spirits of the company
had left them almost us unexpectedly x sud
denly a. fell The bundle Of sins from the back
Of Bunyan's Pilgrim.
swell, gentlemen said Doctor Lincoln ,as
lie looked round and saw in the speaking
countenaucrs Of! the company, that all were
as well satisfied as they were gratifed at the
result; 'IIl agree TO cure, for nothing, all Tie
scholars that are hereafter made sick from
any thing in the school-houJe, or in the con
duct of their master"
''Yes, the room is as clear rs horn, b,
George ~ exclaimed Bunker, "and the Thin;
is done-proved out as square as n brick
righ. in o!r face and eyes and there's ~
getting away from it. But what sticks in m
crop S,thut we must have a man--amd bool
-nnu, too, though he plainly don't swallow
books whole, without chewing, as most Of
'em do-haye man come thirty miles t
think it out for lis! Master, you and ougl
IN he trOuncea"