Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-09-24
GOOD VENTILATION,
The Necessity of Sweeping Out All tn,
Foul Air From Buildings.


Foul Air From Buildings.
1t is fact that in large rooms the
ventilation may be good in one part and
bad in another. Moreover the removal
of the foul air must be done by substi-
tuting for it pure outside air, not, as is
sometimes the case, air containing
other impurities, as dust from streets,
smoke from chimneys, or worse, gases
| from sinks and sewers let more, the
foul air must be replaced by air moving
| so slowly as not to create hurtful or an
noying drafts anywhere; and as air and
all gases have adhesiveness not only for
other gases but for solids and liquids.
the disentanglement of such gases as it is
desired to expel is sometimes well-nigh
incompatible with other essential con-
ditions. In some cases the problem of
properly ventilating some particular
building, with such means as limits of
cost allow, becomes impossible of sOlu-
ton. The one way out of the difficulty
is what is known as forced ventilation.
/ have often heard it said that all
this writing and talking about ventila-
ton is nonsense: that the simple princi-
pie that hot air rises and cold air falls
comprises the whole gist of the subject
| once wrote some such rot myself in
sophomore years when had read little,
and knew less. The question of ventila-
ton, as all will agree who have had
any experience worth considering,
either in attempting to affect it. or in
speeding and observing the attempts of
others, is an extremely complicated and
difficult one. 1t is true that hot air
rises and cold air falls, when nothing
interferes with its natural action, but
the freaks wrought by unsupported
causes in chimneys and hues, the defec-
tions, the failures of air to move as an
ticipated either in quantity or direction,
are they not written in ineffaceable
characters upon the memory of all en-
gineers who have made a speciality of
heating and ventilation? Are they not
written in dollars and cents in their
ledgers?
Could forced ventilation be universal
~ adopted the difficulties would not be
SO grave; but, in general, for homes and
our smaller schools this method costs
to much, and requires a mechanical
supervision, which in most cases it is
impracticable to supply.
The engineer is, in the majority of
cases, compelled to rely Upon the estab-
lishment of currents into and out of
buildings through differences in the
specific gravity of air created by heat
Now these differences are and must be
small, and, as a consequence, their force
is and must he feeble. The currents are
therefore easily INSTRUCTED and often
actually reversed, the air flowing out
where it should flow in, or, perhaps,
moving in limited and local currents
within the inclosed space, that shonld
be, but is not, ventilated.
So often is this the case that the term
''schoolroom smell" as indicating the
Sense to which it most readily appeals
to an outsider entering an ill-ventilated
school, has come to be n common test
for determining the existence therein
of an extremely deleterious quantity Of
poisonous animal exhalations and ema-
tons. The carbonie acid will be found
in such a school to rise to six parts and
over in ten thousand parts of air. But
it is not carbOnic acid that is smelt, or
which causes the pale cheek, the Ian
guild. dull appearance, the headache of |
the occupants The normal excre-
tons, together with foul gases of |
indigestion, of enfeebled, perhaps |
lungs, of clogged skins, are do
ing the mischief The teacher, too, has |
felt it, and has possibly made attempts |
to better the quality of the air by open
ing doors or windows; but sneezing and |
shutting soon admonish him that, to |
avoid one peril, he has invoked the aid |
of another. So the windows are again |
closed and the slaughter of the inno-
cents proceeds
The foul air resists expulsion; it ad- |
heres to surfaces, to clothing saturated |
with it; it turks in corners and recesses.
will give simple illustration of the
way air sticks to surfaces. "A simple /
experiment to demonstrate 1t is availa-
bic to smoker. Puff the smoke out
gently over and in contact with the up
per surface of table or marble slab
in still room, and mark how reluctant
ly it separates from such a surface.
''Hot air rises, you say" Well, your
breath charged with smoke may be
many degrees warmer than the surface
upon which you breathe, but it clings
there, nevertheless = Engineering
z-AGazine.