The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-03-24

House Ventilation.

tllatiOn Oh IIlVate dwellings, Lnht was a"Aru
ed prize by the New York State Medical
Association. Here are some extracts from
DR.. Van Ransse!aers article:
Were people killed outright by foul air,
dangers would be carefully guarded against,
but its effects ara slow aud insidious, and Oft
en- ascribed to other causes. We are careless
of lis results because, as its effect at any one
time is slight, We grow accustomed to it and
disreslr its risk, and after being in its pres
encr "a few minutes our senses become dulled
and do not warn us of the danger.
But while the immediate effects seem
tritling, yet it is true that any prolonged vita
ton of this source of supply interferes with
the proper working Of our organizations and
depresses our vital functions Slatisticians
have shown that of the causes of morality the
mos, important and f.rthes' reaching is i'm
pure air.
We keep our windows closed Il great pirt of
the year-during the winter to keep out the
cold aud in the heated term in summer to
exclude the he .t--so tn It the circulation and
renewal of air in our hO,l &c, are At these times
slight. The incoming air in.r ,iu:ed for Ven
tilaton III ~ be vitated or not, according to
our surroundings; but one in, it may be con-
taminated in several Ways, and unless we
take special pains to remove this foul air it
rapidly accumulaIes, becomes offensive and is
menace to health.
The primary condition for ventilation is
that the incoming air shall be pare; it must
be pure external atmo phere. Air that is
drawn from SMALL closed courts, or from be-
| tween back to back buildings, or that has
blown over refuse or that rises from a cellar is
| unfit for continuous breathing. The sun rare
y or never visits these spots and tho wind
gets no chance to sweep through them. Es-
| pecially bad is the cellar air, as cellars are
apt to be damp, mouldy and dark, and are
| frequently polluted by decaying vegetables
| and the ash heap, and currents of air are con-
| stantly passing through them from the soil be-
| low, 80 that sewer air from defective Drain
| age in the neghborhood nj ~ easily enter and
be sucked through the house. This danger is
particul irly gre.t if the house is heated by 4
| furnace whose wooden air box passes through
the cellar.
| In providing inlets number o f things have
to be taken into consideration. The inlets
must be SO placed that the air can not blow
directly on the occupants of the room, and
they must be of such size that sufficient in
coming air is obtained without high veloci-
ty, for if the movement is greater than two or
utI,, Foot, 4 Il e
and besides slow current is more favorable
for uniform diffusion til I'll rapid one.
Ii it Can be avoided air SD ,uid not enter
through openings at The level of the floor, al
dust readily falls iuto she openings and fouls
the air, and if the incoming air is cooler than
the temperature of the room 1t chils the feel 4.
The place of admttance of coil air should be
above the heads of the occupants, aud means
should be taken to diminish The current if too
rapid, and the flow should be directed up
ward, as there, NEE ing the warmer air of the
ceiling, it mingles with it, becomes warmer
aud gradually spreads through the room
The external openings of the inlets should
give air in place where the air is uncontam-
/
ed that they admit of ready cleansing, They
should be numerous and small, rather than
Large and single, as they ale thus less liable to
cause drafts.
| When the conditions are such that the win.
dow cannot be freely opened, it can be arrang
ed in one of seve al ways to provide sufficient
| fresh air. Hnckes-Bird's method consists OF
placing a movable block of WOO under the
entire length Of the lower window sash, thus
| raising the top of the lower sash above the
| bottom of the upper. BY this procedure COLI
| siderable sp,ce between the two window
frames is left, through which the incoming air
freely passes, and being impelled in an up
ward direction it causes no draft.
In Tobin's tube the air from outside cutters
through hole in the wall and is conducted
| by an upright tube into the room. The open
| ing of the tube is above the heads of the &C
cupants, and the air escaping ascends toward
the ceiling.
Cooper's ventilator consists of series Of
| aper:ures in window pane arranged in a
| circle, which can be partially or entirely closed
by glass disk, movable on pivot, with cor
respo ,ding sp"rlures. In private houses dur
| ing paroles The rooms often becom, insuff.ra-
| ole hot and close. These unpleasant feature
can to great extent be av )ided by having q
temporary Sherngham valve, constructed Of
| wood and canvas and in>e ted above the up
per sash of the window, which is lowered tor
the purpose.
| The S,eringh ,m valve .onsis of an open
| ing through the wall for the air to pass, the
enterance bel usually guarded by a strain
er of some sort to keep out the dust. On the
inside is a Waived iron plate with closed sides
| and hinged at the b tom. An attachm snt Is
arranged to more or less completely change
| it, The entrance should be a little sun .ller
than the exit, that the velocity of the current
| INTO the room may be diminished. IT, is usu-
| lilly placed neal Tie ceiling.
| Ventilaling lireplaces marked improve
menis on the ordinary frrplaces They have
| all the advantages of the latter, aid in aidi
ton they prevent dr,f of cold all bv sending
into the AIR that is partially warmed
! Fresh air is admitted to the back of the crate
| into chamber which is warmed by large
heating surface, and, being carried up by 4
| hue, discharges it into the upper part OF the
| room There are number of different kinds
| of good ventilaling fireplaces aud ventilating
| stoves made. The merits claimed for these
| imp owed fireplaces are
That they ventilate the room.
That they maintain and eqlsble tempsra
ture in all parts of the room prevent
drafts.
That the heat from radiation is thrown into
the room better than from othar CRATES.
That the tire brick lining prevents tho fire
| from going ont, even when left untouched fol
| long time, and prevents the rapid changes
| of temper AZURE which occur in rooms in cold
weather from that cause.
| That they economize fuel partly by max
ing Use of the spare heat, which would other
| wise pass up the chimney, and partly by in
surfing by th-ir cons ruct on more compete
,mbustloil, and thereby diminishing smoke.
That they prevent smoky chimneys by the