The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-12-10
WASHING THE AIR.
Dsast and Disc ase Germs Removed
by the Wagon Load
A Chicago Teaephoas Once Which Ass
a Novel aysAom Of Purifying
the Atmosphere for Its
Employee.


Employes.
Air that has been thoroughly laun-
dered is good enough for breathing pur-
poses. lust the same as il there were no
smoke inspectors.
It 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 COM
pany. The officers of the company are
inclined to believe the same thing,
ludging from an economic instead OF
a hygienic point of view. These opin-
ions have been formed as the result OF
the adoption of an ingenious method
of ventilation for the operating
of the main office of the company.
This system, so far as known, is not
in operation elsewhere in this coun-
try, and it's remarkable success is at
tracing much attention from architects
and manufacturers. 1t has suggested
an innovation in the construction OF
the big Office buildings which may lead
to a revolution in heating and ventilat-
ing systems.
In its workings the system. which
has been recently perfected by A. V.
Abbott, chief engineer of the telephone
company. resembled nothing more
closely than laundry. The air
breathed by the little army of young
women on the top floor Of the building
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 IL enough to arouse
wonder in the a, ,erage mans mind how
he lives i'll the climate Of Chicago.
The driving removes every trace OF
moisture, the heating or cooling brings
the air to just the right temperature,
and the compression follows as nat
ural consequence of the introduction
of several thousand cubic feet of air
evo.y minute into q big room almost
Theoretically sealed.
It was to overcome conditions which
seriously impaired the efficiency OF the
telephone company's service that the
present system of ventilation was de-
vised. The delicate apparatus of the
huge switchboard was in a constant
state of disorder. owing to the dust and
SCOT that entered the room. Sub
scribers were continually complaining
that their telephones were out of order
as many as 400 complaints being on file
in General Manager Hibbard's Office al
once.
The trouble was not in the telephones
but in the operating-room. In this room
40x90 feet, is a switchboard in which are
900 little holes, each hole represent
| ing four wires. When a subscriber asks
| for a connection with some other sub
scriber the operator pushes a brass
| plug into one of the holes, which raises
delicate spring, known as a Jack.
The presence of speck of dust or SCOT
on one of these "jacks" renders con-
nection impossible, and then the sub
| scriber complains.
Pure, fresh air, always of the same
temperature, now makes the operating.
| room about the most desirable place to
work in in Chicago. Down in the base
ment of the building is big rotary far
that sucks in the air which the ordinary
citizen is obliged to breathe. As the
current enters the basement through 6
huge tube it passes into tightly-closed
! chamber, in which q rainstorm is con
stantly raging.
This condition is effected by three
rows of small nozzles or atomizers
which discharge perfect cloud o1
spray and remove every particle Of
dirt from the air. The dirt passes of
into a well, while the air is whir1ed
through battery of spiral tubes.
The twisting motion, or centrifuga-
force, removes the last trace of moisture
from the air, and it then passes int
another chamber, where it is heated il
the winter or cooled with ice in ths
summer. Then the current is directed
| upward through a shaft that leads II
the top floor of the building and int
/, the operating-room.
| Every window in the operat;ng-roon
is tightly closed and sealed around thu
edges, while double doors make it neces
sary for one to enter the room through
what constitutes an air-locked passage
The supply is forced through vents
or registers, opening through the cell
ing from tube that runs around The
room. 1t is compressed air, although
its density is 80 slight as to be almos'
inappreciable.
Every three minutes the air is com
pletely changed. the supply being cal
culated at 10000 cubic feet minute