The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-12-28

Prof. S. II. Woodbridge says that
ventilation in railway cars is most in
efficient, depending, as it often does,
upon the speed of the car and the di-
rection of the wind; but the public will
be much worse off in this respect with
in, the next few years unless the rail-
way companies are compelled to take
proper steps for the ingress and egress
of a suitable supply of air. The de-
velopment of high speed in railroad
service will soon cause a change in the
construction of cars. AS the air re-
sistance will have to be reduced to the
minimum, a smooth and unbroken sur
face will have to be given to the out
side of the car, which will probably as
sumo a wedge-shaped form. The sup
ply of the air must then be as little as
possible affected by the movements Of
the. cars or the wind; the air must be
continuous and regularly supplied in
generous quantity, the action Of the
system being plenum rather than
vacuum, in order to reduce the inward
leakage of cold air, smoke, dust and
cinders. The air will be filtered, and
in cold weather, electrically heated,
and will probably be sent through the
car by the action of high efficiency
fan, run by electric motor, the dynamo
being run by a belt from the axle.
There will be no draughts, and the
temperature of the car will be always
under control.
1t is found that imag agination plays
large part in ventilation effects, and
any system planned to give the surest
and highest satisfaction should furnish
ocular evidence of it's existence and it's
action. Prof. Woodbridge is of the
opinion that any successful car venti-
laring system will have to include self
announcing means, so as to enlist the
imagination in it's favor, and to put an
effective stop to window raising, that
fatal disturber of the working Of arti-
fetal ventila tion.
1t has long been the popular belief
that railway cars, especially sleepers,
were hOt-beds of disease; in fact, that
the traveller took great chances OF in
fection from the swarms Of bacilli
which they harbored. E. G. Jordan has
taken all the plausibility out of this
idea by description Of tie cleaning
of railway cars in Boston, Chicago and
ST. Louis. On the arrival of the car at
the terminus the windows are opened
. and the linen and carpets removed. In
the morning, after airing the car all
night, the mattresses, blankets and
curtains are thrown out, placed on a
rack, and thoroughly beaten on both
sides. Meanwhile the springs are
taken out and busted and wiped out
with a wet and then a dry cloth. The
floor is next brushed and washed, and
all the wood work is washed with cas-
tile soap. The closets are then disin-
fected and the windows, which have
been carefully cleaned, are again
opened, and the bcrths partly lowered
The car remains in this way about an
hour before it leaves the yard. Then
the carpets which have been beaten
are brought back and put down, and
the car itself is again wiped with a
wooden cloth inside and out The cars
are completely renovated every four
OF six months. If an invalid occupies
a berth the conductor reports the ma
ture of the complaint. II it is conta-
gious, the car is laid off and sent to
the works; but if it is not contagious
the bedding and crrtains only are sent
to the works for examination and rem
ovation. Inspectors are very rigorous
about the sanitary condition Of the
cars So important is this subject re-
garded that the Wagner Palace Car
company has a school where employees
are instructed in the proper cleaning
and ventilation Of cars