The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-28
CENSUS BUREAU VICTIMS
Many PrOstratiOns From Heat Of
Daily Occurrence.
Exhaust Fans Remove the Pure Air
and Leave the Foul Atmosphere,
which Hangs Like a Pail over the
Two Thousand CIerks-COmpIaints
of FaVOritism and Influence.

The hot weather. which has prevailed so
long continues to find an excess of vic
tins among the clerks of the Census Blu
reau who are employed on the tabulating
and punching machines in the ''pOpula-
ton" rooms. The prostratiOns are legion,
and the daily quota Of those who are af-
fected occupies the continual attention OF
two nurses who are regularly employed
as hospital attendants.
The hospital" which is toilet room
on the first floor of the building cOnve-
niently near the large population" rooms,
is, in the afternoon hours, when the tenn
perature ranges toward the maximum, al
most never without some fever-consumed
patient who has been overcome by the
conditions Of the room.
Despite the fact that twelve exhaust
fans. each with an exhaust capacity Of 12,-
600 cubic feet per minute, have been in
PRODUCED into the building and that the
Thermometer readings in the population"
rooms, which are cited by the officials OF
the bureau, indicate a temperature some
degrees lower than the daily official regis
ter, conditions exist which cause numer-
Gus daily cases of illness. Not only are the
women clerks affected, but prostrauons
among the men are OF no infrequent oc-
currence.
Are the exhaust fans a failure? is
question many are asking. In the two
population rooms there Is about 600, 900
cubic feet of air space. and the assumed
exhaust capacity Of the exhaust fans
should be sufficient 10 remove every atom
Of the atmosphere much within the space
OF every ten minutes. The fact remains,
however. that in the rooms there is al
ways dense humid, mslodorOus strata
Of air that settles like a pail at the bot
tom Of the rooms. al the level at which
the clerks are working.
This fOglike atmOs phere is foul with the
exhalatiOns from the persons Of over 1900
clerks wo are employed In these rooms,
and the exhaust qualities OF the twelve eN-
hauSt fans seem unable 10 cope with the
difficulty. disturbing it not in the slight
est. and devoting their energies entirely
10 removing the fresh air from the top Of
the rooms which they had but the mo-
ment before introduced from the open.
Standing at the doors OF the population
rooms. the fetid Odor makes Itself IN
pleasantly impressive and oppressive 10
the olfactoTy organs.
Bad stomachs and improper diet is the
cause TO which the numerous cases Of pros
tration are asCribed by the officials Of the
bureau The former reason is very worthy
Of creGence. as the conditions are certainly
OF q character to disturb the digestive ap-
paratus OF even the least delicate. II
would be difficult 10 prescribe a diet that
would c0mpetently contend with the ten
| denotes TO uausea-
Various complaints are received in refer
ence 10 the operations Of the system OF
promotions which mas been instituted at
the Census Bureau The system PrOp-s s
| 10 advance 10 higher salaries such Jerks
whose volume OF work. according 10 a
graded srale. iustifies such promotion. IL
is asserted that numerous clerks. who
have worked hard aud faithfully for such
promotions and whose labor has been OF a
character to entitle them 10 the advance
in salary, have failediof consideration The
bi-monthly lists or promotions have found
them still earning the same minimum sal
AIRY OF $500 per annum, while others have
! been advanced 10 as high as sg00 ? T an
mum. the maximum salary for certain
classes OF work
Covert charges OF fayoritism and Of in
fuence are made against the bureau.