Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-01-12
Cellars.


the construction of cellars, are from an
article appearing in late number OF the
London Architect::
The cellar of house may be likened to
the lower hold of floating ship, and a
like difficulty attends the ventilation of
| both. The first thought is for the eXtrac
| ton of the foul air. Cellars are not always
ceiled, and even when they are it is in
such coarse manner that the defense thus
made against rising exhalations and the
effect of damp atmosphere upon the floor
above must be very slight indeed.
| Some persons fancy that to flag or &C.
ment the cellar floor and walls is pre-
ventive of noxious gases forming there.
But this is fallacy. The lower hold of a
| ship is subject to similar state OF noX-
| ious air settlement, but even this has less
| influence for mischief upon human exist
ence than has the cellar under the dwelling
house for the tenants of the latter are ex-
periencing the injurious effects for a life
| time, whilst the passengers and crew OF a
ship have the limit of a voyage to their
| experience.
The difficulty of remedying this neces-
sary evil of cellars lies in the perfect ex-
rulsion or extraction of the stagnant, fetid
atmosphere, and this can be effected either
by revolving fans, eXhausting flue or
flues (either vertical or oblique), by forcing
pumps, propelling fresh, external air into,
and thereby driving the foul air out of the
cellar. And as heat is a conductor which
can thus be made available, we have at
once solution of continuous tlue from
cellar to chimney top, which may also have
one of the simplest Of patent revolving
ventilators now in use attached to it.
As an aid to this vertical ventilating flue,
we would have another fiue for the recep-
ton OF external fresh air at the ground
level, which would supply the place of the
retreating foul air, and thus maintain a
| wholesome current; or at least a constant
change of atmosphere In order to build
the chimneys to suit this principle of ven
tilation, it is only necessary to construct
two flues four inches square, one at either
side of the freplaces, and occupying po-
sition in the chimney breast nearest the
fireplace
The object in having two Of these four
inch llues is to balance each other, and at
the same time to give, in the second one,
a very desirable servant in any household,
namely, an ash-shoot, through an iron
trap, in which, located on level with the
hearth, the embers, dust and ashes may be
cleanly swept and be instantly precipitated
to a receiver or close dust bin in the cellar.
It would be very desirable to have both
these fues made circular, which could
easily be effected by the mason using an
open cylinder, with a handle at the upper
end, by which he could draw it up as he
proceeded with his work Around this
cylinder he should plaster close with lime
and cement, in equal proportions, against
three times as much sand. Or course,
those flues may be square or even oblong;
but, of whatever shape they may be, 1t is
absolutely necessary that they be carefully
pargetied or lined with plaster.
A more expensive, but far more perfect
method of ventilating cellars would be to
cell over the whole space, and place ven
tilating thimbes at intervals between the
,oists. In this way the spaces between
the joists may be made to act as air tun-
nels, having grated openings in the exter-
nal walls In order to thoroughly purify
the atmosphere Of these underground
rooms, called cellars, where q stream OF
water from spring is available, cement,
ed drain, open on top, is excellent for the
purpose, the current carrying Oft all me-
phitic gases, and creating ozone, the purest
Of atmospheres.
Where a running stream from pure
spring cannot be had, its place may be
partially supplied by the use of the hy-
drant at one end and small pump at the
other, thus letting the water in from the
street in n continuous stream, running
through the cement channel already
spoken Of and drawing il off at the other
end, unless the sewer be below the bottom
of cellar, in which case the pump is not
needed. This artificial flow Of water
should take place twice each day--in the
evening to cool the atmosphere, and in the
morning to cool off the exhalations of the
past night.