Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-07
VENT|LAT|NG SYSTEM
Money Appropriated for One
in the Treasury.
Nay NOT BE USED
OBJECTIONS URGED BY BUREAU
CHIEFS.
Some Say the Money is Not Enough
and That It Would Ruin
the Building.
MAY NOT BE USED

BY request of Secretary Shaw. Congress
appropriated $175, 600 at it's last session for
the installation of modern system OF
ventilation in the Treasury Department.
The appropriation became available July
l, and plans have been prepared by the
| draughting division of the supervising ar
chitects office for the proposed system.
There is wide difference of opinion, how
| ever, whether the system will be put in and
the money spent this year. This uncer-
| tainty grows out of the fact that numerous
officials of the department oppose a venti-
| lating system, and they have been arguing
| with those in favor of it. Although Sec
| rotary Shaw asked for the appropriation
and wanted the system put in. he is lis
tening to the objections that are made in
various quarters, and will not direct the
work to begin unless he feels that it will
accomplish the object intended and that the
massive walls of the treasury will not be
harmed by the drilling and boring that will
be necessary to place ducts throughout
| the buildings.
Grounds of Objection.
Those who are opposing the installation
| of the system do on several grounds.
The first is that the system cannot be in
| stalled for anything like the amount of the
! ruinous to the walls and building material
of the treasury to do SO much cutting and
digging; and third. that the system would
not prove satisfactory or effective.
we tried the same thing in the bureau
| or engraving and printing a good while
ago. said a treasury official TODAY land
1t was funny to hear the comments. The
bureau Is really in need of good ventila-
ton, because of the poisonous fumes aris-
ing from the inks and from the constantly
running machinery. We put in a ventflat-
ing system that emptied each room of
foul air in two minutes, and replaced it
with fresh air.
Such a kick was put up was never be-
fore heard in the treasury. The employees
declared that the air too foul for
anything and that they could not stand
IT, The treasury officials then closed the
ventilating machinery and put in plain
ceiling fans-the kind that simply churn
the air In room and keep 1T circulating
That pleased the employees immensely, and
they said it was twice as good as the other
Simply shows the perversity of human
nature In one case the people were get
| ting genuine fresh air every two minutes
and didn't like It, and in the other they
liked it. They were fooled by the ma
chimes. believing that because they felt
air on their faces it was fresh. 1 predict
that the outcome would be the same here
The trouble about ventilation now is that
In the winter time the cranks in the vari-
Gus rooms will never agree. Some want
tie WlIlOOWS QOWn all the time and fresh
air playing on and around them. no mat
ter how cold. Others shver at the slight
est breath of fresh air and declare that
they have rheumatism and many other
diseases as a result of the draughts of air
let into the room. Thus some rooms are
dangerously cold and full of drauehts of
air, while others have no fresh air at all
the clerks being compelled to sit all day
in room without ventilation because some
cranky old man or old woman does not
want the window in any part of a room
raised
Cost Of Proposed System
The proposed system of ventilation will
be mainly for use in the winter, when win
dows cannot be raised. The system will
embrace the same principle in use at the
Capitol and elsewhere, the pulling in of
fresh air through ducts and it's distribu-
ton by means of fans. Corresponding
ducts will carry off the foul air
1t is said that the cutting through the
walls and floors of 500 rooms and the in
stallatfon of a system worth putting in
would cost much more than SIZE, 900, and
the prediction is made that 1T would prob
ably be ineffective in a short time by the
constant wearing and breaking of ducts
| and the opposition that it would produce
| among the employees. On the other hand,
it is claimed that the system would pay
for itself in short time in the reduction
of sick leave. primarily due to vitiated air
in close rooms and to draughts Of cold air
in other rooms. Headaches are declared to
be frequent among the female employees of
the department in winter time and bring
about much leave of absence
wouldn't there be just as much con-
trariness in rooms of the department in
| winter time with the system as there
is now?" prominent official of the treas
ury was asked.
II do not think so, but 1 believe I could
give this guarantee-that some of the stub
| born, contrary people would soon get into
| trouble If they commenced the same tactics
| they now pursue. If we knew that the
| ventilatfng system was working properly,
| and demonstrated its ability to do so. we
| would probably instruct chiefs of division to
| notify US to who was causing dissatis-
| faction and wanting to raise or lower WIN
| dows. l am satisfied the system would
| soon pay for itself and that its benefits
| would be widespread that it would be
| generally adopted among the departments,
where the question of pure air for the gov
| eminent workers is serious one at all
| times"
Those opposed to the installation of the
| system say that 1t has been tried in num-
| Der of public buildings throughout the
| country and that it has fallen into disuse,
| the engineers of buildings declaring that 1t
| Is not practical and that it is easy to get out
| Of order.
In the Senate and House the fresh air is
carried up under each desk of senators and
representatives, and Is thought to be sue
| cessful In the treasury 1t would be iua
possible to distribute the fresh air this
| way, and the fans would have to be placed
| in, ta n tho