Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1907-01-05
DUST AND HOW TO GET RID OF
1T.

minds us that the result of the great
advance in automobile traction is to
raise such clouds of dust that the air
in some places has become irrespfr-
able. Besides the danger of injury to
the health of those who breathe it, the
depreciation of property situated along
the public roads Is another fact that
is stimulating the authorities to take
measures for the suppression, or at
least for the diminution of dust. He
goes on to say:
"The air of our cities contains an
incalculable number of microbes. Mi
quel has counted $500 to the cubic
meter in the air of the Rue de Rivoli
(Paris). These microbes come from
sweeping, busting, or simply from the
ventilation of particular spots. The
number Of microbes in free air is al
most negligible in comparison with
those found indoors. Miguel found
$4,000 to the cubic meter in houses on
the Rue Monge, 10000 in the wards
of the new Hotel Dieu (hospitaD, and
$4,000 in those of the Pitie hospital
The figures are equally large when
we study the air of barracks and the
schools. Hesse found in the latter
$4,000 microbes to the cubic meter, and
Kiener 100000 in a room in barracks.
IF we note that the number of mi
crobes suspended in the air dimin-
ishes as we rise in the atmosphere.
we can not deny that dust is their
chief cause. 1t maintains the microbes
in the air, and must be regarded as
murderous substance from which only
miracle will save US. .......
'As dust is principally the result of
the trituration of stone and of va
rious hard inorganic debris, it causes
a huge quantity of minute abrasions
on our mucous surfaces, which serve
as CRATES to admit microbes-as
breaches through which they invade
the organism"
How, then, shall we get rid of dust?
The writer notes that it gathers es-
pecially on wood. Brick, asphalt, or
tiles are easily mopped or scrubbed,
but wooden floor has cracks in which
the dust collects. In the case of wood
en- pavements these crooks are now
generally filled with some kind of &C.
ment, of which the best, the writer
thinks, is kind of mineral wax-one
of the petroleum products. But he dis
approves of wood altogether as a paw
sorbtive qualities. Miguel, he says,
found 1900 bacteria in single gram
of sawdust from new pitch-pine pave
ment, taken near the surface. From
the same mass of old pavement
centimeters G. inches) below the sur
face were taken $4,000 bacteria. Cri-
non praises the American use of as
phalt blocks-an interesting fact
when we remember that our munich
pal authorities are condemned by
some for not making more use of
wood instead of asphalt. The author
next treats of methods of cleaning.
We read:
DRY sweeping must be rejected as
very dangerous; it displaces the dust,
raises it into the air, without doing
any good, to the great detriment of
the neighboring dwellings and the
passers-by. 1t ought not to be per-
mitted at all. ........
Watering lays the dust, 1t is true,
but forms mud, and this mud, when
the water evaporates, becomes dust
again. The watering must thus be
frequently repeated. This necessi-
tates an expenses for water and labor
that all towns can not meet. The city
of Paris has just built an automobile
watering-cart that makes kilometers
(about 5h miles) an hour, and tram
Way companies use trolley watering