The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-10
VENTILATION.
J. Barnett Rodriguez Finds an
Earnest Advocate.

Ina recent issue Of your journal
7 noticed a communication from Mr..
J. Barnet Rodriguez, an eminent
Spanish civil engineer, who has
made a specially of sanitary engin-
eeriDg and ventilation, and whose
ability is everyW here recognized in
scientific circles.
l have patiently waited in expect
alton that some one Of ability and
advanced ideas in Salt Lake, would
come forward through your columns,
either in excuse or Justification OF
the abuse to which the eminent
gentleman called attention, VIZ:
the utter absence of proper
system of ventilation in public and
private buildings on the Pacific
Coast. The gentleman is not the
only one who has expressed astOnlSh-
ment at the unsanitary condition OF
many if not most of the public halls
in the country Many writers OF
eminence have gone farther than
Mr.. Rodriguez has done by en-
deavoring to stamp out TIE abuse
and place the responsibility where
it rigntfuIly belongs, namely: at the
door of those who display in public,
but in private grind the last penny
from deluded humanlty-those
whose love of gold Overcomes al
sense of duty to their fellow man.
It is the same animating principle
which actuates the confidence man
and petty deceiVer. Fair preten-
sions but hidden deception. No
man need ask the cause of foul air
and lack of Yentilative in any mod
ern buildings, for it would be a
libel on the enlightenment of our
century to assert that we do not
know better than to make our
buildings worse ventilated than an
ordinary pig sly:
The modern idea may be sized up
somewhat after this fashion,; Make
all the show you can, paint gaudy
pictures, hang rich drapery, locate
soft cushioned chairs, please all you
NAV through the eye, but do not APP
neal to brains or intellect. Above
ali things do not mention scientific
or sanitary knowledge. We must
not NEEDLE with such dry things.
Leave them to d few specialists. II
want to know some ScIentlhc TACT
1 ask our family doctor. You know
| that is his business. Ordinary men
and women are not supposed to
reason more than an infant about
such things, and 1 blush to say that
with few exceptions, they don't.
Why should managers spend cap
ital in sanitary appliances? The
common herd would better appre-
ciate a new piece of scenery or a
few extra stale jokes from the end
man. An audience can as readily
be obtained in church or
theatre where each person
breathes his neighbours filthy en-
anacions as in the most Sanitarlly
constructed edifice. NOtWithstand-
ing the fact that a host of the
worlds earnest workers have zeal
ousIy labored to lead their fellow
men to a sense of the danger in
Cured by a lack Of proper Ventlla-
ton, not one in a hundred Of the
people have ever heard Of such en-
inent authors on sanitation and ven
tilation as Hood, DeChaum0nt,
| Peclet, Rodriguez, Billings, Parks,
NORM, Briggs and a host of others.
For the benefit Of those who will
read only their local papers to the
! inter exclusion of these excellent
authors. will take the liberty to
quote few Of their opinions, rust
ing that they may awaken an inter-
est in the subject.
Roth and Lex, two able inveSti-
gators, have, after repeated expert
nents lasting for many ye r, fixed
the amount Of pure air rtquir Z for
! each individual in health 100
cubic meters, or :, 800 cubic eet per
hour. Piclet contends thai 2,f10
cubic feet Of fresh air per hour is
the minimum for theatres and as
sembly halls for each individual.
! General Norm locates the amount
| by different calculation IS 2,12O
/ feet per shead per hour in theatres
and assembly halls. He also makes
an allowance of sixty cubic feet eX-
| ira fresh air supply to counterfeit
! each gas jet contained in the build
/ inc. The same author quotes $500
Icubic feet Of pure air for each pa
tent in a hospital per hour.
PattipkCffer, of Germany, shows
| that $4,000 cubic feet Of air per
| hour is Initiated ly each individual
| having an assumed surface on the
| human body of nine square feet. A
! casual observer may readily obtain
| q faint idea from this Of the absolute
| necessity for a greater share OF
| attention to the subject Of ventila-
| ton on the part of the public. NO
! sensible person would Wilfully par
! take Of q deadly poison. Yet those
! who frequent any public building IN
! salt Lake City, Of which l have any
| knowledge, certainly do not beneat
from the air breathed over and over
again by the audience. l Will en-
deavor to state briefly, how persons
may readily be injured by breath.
ing such vitiated air.
Perfect ventilation is only secured
: in an inhabited room when every
person in that room inhaleS at eacL
respiration air Of the same COMPOSE
ton as that surrounding the DulId
ing, and no part of which has re
Gently been in his own lungs or II
those of his neighbor; or which con