The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-29
BAD AIR IN The Capitol.
Tow Congressman Kick Their Lives BE.
cnuso OF Imperfcct Vcntilntion.

LOW SoHSTeSsNcn Lives Bc-
cnusc OF Imperfect Ventilation.
An American citizen who becomes a
member of congress and undertakes to
attend the daily sessions of that body
takes his life in his hands. That ut
least is the opinion to Il writer for the
Philadelphia Press by Elijah Morse, of
Massachusetts, and some of his col
leagues, who have interested them
selves in improving the ventilation Of
the hall of representatives. The NOR
tally in the present house has exceeded
that of any previous congress, and the
prediction is frequently made that un-
less new system of vcntilating tho
capitol is secured the death rate will
increase until IN election to congress
will be considered as risky as an en-
listmcnt in the army during war times.
Since the election of the present con-
gross, two years ago, some fourteen
deaths have occurred. Many of them
them were doubtless due to maladics
contracted while in attendance on
their duties in the house. The system
by which the air is agitatcd in the hall
of representatives and by which new
mot purc) air is supplied to the lungs
of Americas state smcn was adopted
thirty or forty years ago, and is scarce
ly i'll keeping with the ideas of the
present day. Underneath each mem
bcr's desk and circling about the room
in each rise of the floor are heaters
and ventilators. The air to be used in
the chamber is pumped through towers
located outside the capitol and forced
through these vcntilators in the floor.
y, ny. . So
is sufficient to convince anyone that
most OF tho sickness which attacks
members comes right up through these
so-called fresh-air ducts. The gratings
which cover these vcntilators are used
for vnrious purposes. They are convcn-
lent rcceptaclcs for ancient cigar
stubs, apple cores, worn-out guilds of
tobacco, mud from the shoes of CON
gressncn and II hundred and one things
OF more or less nnuscating character.
a large proportion of the members
chew tobacco and use these vcntilators
Us spittoons, probably because q squirt
OF the brown cXpcctoration splashcs
moro merrily over the iron grating
than in the proper receptacle. All this
filth accumulatcs in tho air ducts and
the impurities arc blown up into the
nostrils of the co ngressmen. 1t is sur
prising that disease of all kinds is not
epidemic in the house. Mr. Morse, of
Massachusetts, claims that this foul
condition of the floors and air shafts
was the cause of his continued illness
last session. II went up into Mnssa-
chusetts during the vacation" he said
and recovered my health, but l had
not spent single day in the house I'M
til began to feel the effects of the at
mosphcrc. The impurities pumped up
through these vcntilntors are bad
enough, but when they arc added to
the foul tobacco smoke in the room the
conditions become dangerous. There
was Mr.. Wright, of Pennsylvania, who
sat near inc i'll the house. He expert
cnccd the same bad effects from the
| smoking in the hall and the impure air
rs do, and have no doubt that the
germs Of disease that carried him off
entered his system right in this room"