New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-29
DISINFECTING CLOTHES BY STEAM
DR.. EpsoN's EXPERIMENTS READY FOR AN

EPIDEMIC.
One Of the busiest places In the city, IN case OF
serious epidemic Of contagon, would be the ground
floor of the Reception Hospital in East Sxteenthst,
for there is the dlsinfecting apparatus Of tho
Health Department. Experiments to ascertain the
most practical method for using heat in the destruction
of disease germs have been conducted there since last
winter tank Of boiler iron, big enough for dozen
men to walk about IN at one time and having strong
iron door at each end, is the chief part OF the APP
paratus 1t is connected with furnace and steam
boiler by of pipes The coils of pipes are close
together inside the tank and there is arrangement
of stopcocks by which operator can fill the tank
with steam or dry heat at Will. Dry air has been
heated to temperature of nearly 800 degrees inside
the tank
When tho apparatus was built the Health Board ex4
pected be able disinfect clothing and bedding oy
dry heat. DR.. Cyrus Edison knew that work OF that
kind had been done in Europe and he was anxious 10
make a trial. The Health Board had been MAKING
liquid dsinfectants in the big room where the tank
aud boiler were set up. From trough, In which
water was passed over copperas, strong solution OF
sulphate of iron was obtained, but ii was used
Chiefly for disinfecng street cutters and the back-
yards Of crowded tenement houses. A vile-smenins
liquid, made by mixing vitrol with dead oil, was USED
in some tenement houses where the inmates thought
that a disnfectant must smell strong to be effective
For the fumigaton of rooms in which there have
have used burning sulphur. 1t was the rule to burn
up the bedding and clothing which had been in contact
with smallpox typhus fever patients.
DR.. Edison and the Health Commissioners believed
that the spread of dphtheria and scarlet fever In the
city might be checked II the department had means for
fH5 better dlsinfection OF clothing and bedding II
was said that sulphur fumigation could not be de-
pended on for the destruction OF the germs OF either
disease In the clothing of patients and attendants Az
the same time The Health Board could not compel the
burning of bedding and clothing in the hundreds Of
cases Of diphtheria and scarlet fever reported every
month. Then there was the possibility that Asiatio
cholera might to the city and that the disinfec-
ton of clothing largo scale might be imperative
1t was believed That infected clothing could be placed
in tIe tank, subjected to dry heat for an hour
or so and then removed uninjured and free from tho
germs Of disease. Experiments were begun to ascer'
tain how many degrees of heat could be employed to
Kill the germs and yet not destroy the clothes. Ina
result has been change from dry heat to steam
1t was found that a few strong fabrics which were
placed IN the tank dry and subjected to dry heat Of
about $500, out purified and comparative
ly unnjured An expensive carpet belonging to ono
of Commissioner Bryant's friends ruined By eI'
posture to 2so' Of heat in the tank for two hours
Another carpet which had been left out in the biz
card and was partly frozen when it was placed In tho
tank was subjected like Part Of the carpet
burned up while another portion was still frozen
when it was removed from the tank. subsequens
experiments have shown that roll Of wet cloth may
be subjected intense dry heat several hours without
being dlsinfected. 1t IS believed that an envelope
of steam protects the inner part OF tho roll from the
heat
BY injecting live steam into the tank, Dr. Edsons
assistants have able dsInfect clothing and bed
ding temperature Of about 1G0S, and the goods coma
of the tank unhuTt except that the coors IN some
kinds OF cloth are effaced badly mixed. The as
Infection by steam Is rapid and satisfactory iron
cages arc being prepared for the COLLECTION ana return
of bedding and clothing Each cage has LOCK 70 y,
and the OWNERS OF clothing keep tho key while w
goods are being disinfected The work Is done py !"
Health Department free OF charge.