Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-17
LAUNDERED AIR IN CHICAGO.
After Being Washed, Rinsed ana
Dried 1t Is Fit to Breathe.

After Being Washed, Rinsed and
Dried 1t Is Fit to breathe.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
Air that has been thoroughly Numbered
lis good enough for breathing purposes, just
the same as If there were no smoke inspec
tors.
1t is really as good as if brought from the
mountains or some seaside resort, in the
opinion of about 200 hello girls employed
by the telephone company. The officers of
the company are inclined to believe the same
thing, judging from an economic instead of
a hygienic point of view. These opinions
have been formed as the result of the adop-
ton of an ingenious method of ventilation
for the operating room OF the main office OF
the company.
This system, so far as known, is not in
operation elsewhere in this country and its
remarkable success Is attracting much at
tention from architects and manufacturers,
1t has suggested an innovation in the con-
struction of the big office buildings which
may lead to revolution in heating and VEN
tilating systems.
In it's workings the system, which has
been recently perfected by A. V. Abbott,
| chief engineer of the telephone company. re-
| sembled nothing more closely than a laun-
| dry. The air breathed by the little army of
! young women on the top floor of the build
| ing is first washed, then dried. then heated
or cooled, as the case demands and finally
| to carry out the comparison, it is pressed.
| The washing removes a wagon load of
| SCOT and dust and disease germs, the mere
sight of which is enough to arouse wonder
| in the average mans mind how he lives in
| the climate of Chicago.
The drying removes every trace of mois-
| ture, the heating or cooling brings the air
to just the right temperature. and the COM
preston follows as a natural consequence
| of the introduction of several thousand
| cubic feet of air every minute into big
| room almost Theoretically sealed.
1 to ~
| ously impaired the efficiency Of the tele-
| phone company's service that the present
| system of ventilation was devised. The
delicate apparatus Of the huge switchboard
| was In constant state of disorder, owing
| to the dust and SCOT that entered the room
| Subscribers were continually complaining
that their telephones were out Of order as
many as 400 complaints being on file in Cen
eral Manager Hibbard's office at once.
| The trouble was not in the telephones but
! In the operating room. In this ROOM 4Ox9)
feet, is switchboard in which are 10000
| little holes, each hole representing four
| wires When e. subscriber asks for a CON
| nection with some other subscriber the
| operator pushes a brass plug into one of the
| holes, which raises delicate spring, known
| as Jack" The presence of a speck of
| dust or SCOT on one Of these Jacks" renders
connection impossible, and then the SUBJ
scriber complains.
Pure. fresh air, always of the same tenn
| perature, now makes the operating room
! about the most desirable place to work in in
| Chicago. Down in the basement of the
| building is a big rotary fan that sucks in the
air which the ordinary citizen is Obliged to
breathe AS the current enters the base
ment through huge tube it passes into a
| tightly closed chamber, in which a rain
| storm Is constantly raging
This condition IS effected by three rows of
| small noZzles or atomizers which discharge
perfect cloud of spray and remove every
particle Of dirt from the air. The dirt passes
off into we'll, while the air is whirIed
through battery of spiral tubes
The twisting motion, centrifugal force
removes the last trace of moisture from the
air, and 1t then passes into another cham
Der, where 1t Is heated in the winter o,
cooled with ice in the summer Then thu
current is directed upward through shat
that leads to the top floor Of the buildint
and into the operating room.
Every window in the operating room 1.
| tightly closed and sealed around the edges
while double doors make 1t necessary for on,
to enter the room through what constitute.
an air-locked passage.
The supply is forced through vents, Of
registers, opening through the ceiling from
tube that runs around the room 1t il
compressed air, although it's density is 81
slight as to be almost inappreciable
Every three minutes the air is completed,
changed. the supply being calculated at 10.
600 cubic feet minute.