The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-02
OFFICIALS ARE ALARMED
Miasma Bred by the Poor Ven
tilation and Drainage in
r. the Basement.
MOVING TO HIGHER QUARTERS
II Is Claimed Governor Budd's Ill
ness Was Due to Unhealth-
full Surroundings.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Oct. L. - The
great white Capitol building, whose groups
of statuary and giIded dome. with their
Surroundings OF green lawns and hand
somely grouped pines and hemlocks,
gathered from every portion of the known
world. challenges the admiration of all
beholders, is declared by many of the
State officials to be veritable death-trap.
Reference has been made to the demise of
. Ex-Governor SLOVENIAN and ex-Secretaries
of State Hendricks and Waite, who, it is
claimed dated the beginning of ailments
that ended their mortal careers from their
occupancy of Office apartments on the
ground floor of the building.
In view of the facts, and because his
health has never been what it should be
since he has occupied the Office quarters of
the Secretary OF State, the incumbent, Mr..
Brown, has removed to the second floor,
and now occupies the offices formerly ten
anted by the secretary of the Board of
Examiners. The latter gentleman and his
force of clerks have gone up a story, and
now occupy the apartment, which had
been fitted mp for the Bureau of Highways,
which has removed to the ground floor
and settled in the vacated apartments OF
: the Secretary of State. 1t is also rumored
that it is the intention of the executive
department to shortly remove TO the apart
ments on the second floor, now occupied
by Adiutant- General Barrett, who will
probably remove to the present executive
apartments.
- The cause of the alleged unhealthiness
= OF TIE State Capitol building is given as q
lack of proper ventilation throughout the
structure and the condition of the base
ment. The. basement is beneath the sur
face of the ground, and, in fact, lower than
the level of the river. Into its rooms, the
light of day and the fresh air are never ad
. ni4tted, and but for the application of fire.
s:dlIent coats of whitewash and lighted gas
lets they would be veritable dungeons.
-: Secretary of State Brown declares that
-aiter.the beginning of the fall rains the en-
tire basement becomes flooded, oftentime:
TO the depth of two feet, which necessitates
=: theconstant: operation of steam pump to
:. Keep the water from rising and extinguish.
: ing the fires under the boilers in the en-
giAe-yoom...
i In. some of the apartments of the base
menta quantity of books had been stored
bat the constant dampness nodded the
covers and they fell to pieces, while bun
dies of ballot-paper turned to useless pulp.
Throughout the basement, which is 2S2
feet long by So feet in width, there is abso-
Inuely no chance for ventilation, with the
exception of, perhaps, two rooms having
connection with the open air, and the con.
slant dampness, which to a certain extent
may be connected with the thorough irri
cation of the lawns without, breeds 6
miasmia that is constantly escaping into
theState apartments on the ground floor.
The sewerage is extremely defective anG
the stencil is at times almost unbearable
The condition of the basement makes the
entire ground floor a favorite breeding
spot for rheumatism and ague.
Governor Budd's physician warned him
several months ago, it is stated, that if ht
expected to have any freedom from rheu,
matte attacks he must remove his quarters
to an upper story, and it is claimed that
his neglect to do so brought on the recent
illness.
The remedy for this condition of affairs
is claimed to be the Introduction of com
plete system of ventilation and the thor.
ough cementing of the floors and sides OF
the basement, which would exclude seep.
age water and dampness.
That these facts have been known to for.
mer occupants of the State Department i:
evinced by the numerous bills which have
been introduced in various Legislatures tc
effect these Improvements, and which have
invariably been framed so defectiveIy in
some particulars as to result in their de
feat. For instance, during the last session
Assembly bill 954, introduced by Reid
provided that $4,000 be appropriated fol
the completion of a thorough system O
ventilation for the Capitol building, Thi
measure met with the approval OF boil
houses and passed into the hands of tn
Governor, but the executive found, afte
careful investigation and consultation OIL
the subject with Secretary of Stat,
Brown, that it would require a
:. least $4,000 to introduce any kind o
ventilating system, and that $25, 900 ap
piled for that purpose would be made
quate; consequently he pocketed the meas
ure, and it is probable that at the mex