The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1908-02-06
AIR TO BREATHE
Public School Pupils Have Pure
Atmosphere
JANlTOR'S INVENTION.
Simple Device By Means of Which
School Rooms Are Kept in Con-
ditiOn Continually

The problem of ventilation is ser
ious one for school authorities to
solve. 1t is an exceedingly difficult
matter to provide fresh air for pupils
in the public schools. This has been
especially hard work in Sank Centre
where a portion of the main building
is old. Some of the rooms have been
in very bad condition notwithstand-
ing the fact that the board has done
what it could to remedy matters.
Meantime the efficient janitor of
the buildings, Ed Buck, has been
studying the ventilation question and
while thus studying has been expert
menting on device of his own. At
last he has achieved success and his
invention has proven to do the work
satisfactorily and at less cost than
any other system that has cen tried
Mr.. Bucks apparatus is really a
very simple affair. 1t consists of
hood of galvanized iron placed over
a steam radiator. The hood is set
several inches above the floor so that
the air is drawn into it by the draft
upward of the warm air as it comes
from the radiator. Fresh air is ad-
mitted through an opening in the
walls of the building back of the rad
iatOr. This cold air mingles with
the fresh hot air rising from the rad
iator and passes through the top of
the hood. A complete circulation
is maintained in the room and the
temperature ON the side of the room
opposite the radiator is the same as
it is at the radiator; in fact, ther-
mometers placed in different parts
of the room all show the same read
ing.
The heavy carbonic acid gas sinks
to the floor level and is drawn up into
second compartment of the hood
just back of the radiator and thence
forced out of doors. On the~outside
of the building is contrivance made
of galvanized iron which covers the
opening into the building and which
| is so arranged as to control, auto
matically, the ingress of fresh air and
the egress of carbonic acid gas.
At Mr.. Bucks invitation The Herald
made careful examination and in
spectiOn of the system one day last
week. The morning was cold, the
mercury being fifteen or twenty be-
low zero. In the rooms in the main
building where the contrivence had
been installed-five in number the
air was fresh and pure and a every
thing worked in first class order. In
the small building where the two pri-
mary departments are located, an
other system is in vogue. 1t does
its work fairly we'll but does not sue
coed in removing the foul gases A
comparison of Mr.. Bucks method and
the others is certain to convince any
unprejudiced person of the unqualified
success of the former Geo. B. Alton,
state hgih school inspector, spent
some time here recently inspecting
the workings of the Buck continuance,
and pronounced it success in every
way.
Mr. Buck has taken out letters pat
ent on his invention and has a year
in which to complete and perfect it.
The cost is very small He believes
he has a good thing and when the
| continuance is all perfected he will
put it on the market
By leaving the doors between the
rooms in the main building open
during the night, the apparatus in the
five rooms works so we'll as to draw
off much of the bad air in those
other rooms. With the apparatus in
stalled in every room, as it will prob
ably be, a well nigh perfect ventilat-
ing system will be at work daily in
the Sank Centre public schools.