El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-26
Asleep Among the Chimney Pots
Physician Benefits Outdoor Sleeping Body
(By w. Baird M. d.

/ A couple of years ago in the course
! of my lecture on the Prevention of
! Consumption" which 1 was delivering
| for the board of education at school
! house in a distant part of Brooklyn,
! laid special emphasis on the fact that by
| initiating early measures to bring about
cure in suspected or ineipient cases
no time was lost, inasmuch as all means
! intended to build up the body vigor were
! Of benefit in any event In particular
1 dwelt upon the need of plenty OF fresh
air.
After the lecture several in the audi
ence stopped to discuss various phases
of the subject. and one man asked
if I kept the windows of my bedroom
bitterly cold weather and 1 answered
jestinging that one was tempted to keep
them closed on such night. Then he
replied, 1T is cease of do as / say,
and not do as 1 do" AS a matter of fact
my bedroom windows were regularly
open at night and furnished with avn
ings for use in stormy weather; but this
chance remark led me 20 reflect whether
better plan could not be devised.
Sleeping on the Roof.
Some time later, IN renovating my
house, I embraced the opportunity to
build camp or sleeping room on the
roof-up among the chimney pots, as
Sam Weller would say.
The roof house is twelve feet square,
and consists of a steel framework cover
ed in with fireproof materials to COM
ply with the building code. Across the
front extends a series of doors. so that
this whole side can be thrown open.
The walls are double and the inter
space has openings top and bottom,
thus providing free circulation of air;
and the roof also is double, with venti-
lot
effect of this cellular construction is
to prevent the apartment from becoming
overheated when the suns rays play up
on it throughout the long summer days.
The whole cost was less than $500
Furnishing "the Roof ROOM
The sleeping room is reached by a !
steep stair from the top floor of the
house. the coaming of the scuttleway
having been carried up into the room, |
and the stairs guarded by a handrail |
The room contains two iron cot beds !
couple of chairs. shelves for extra bed |
ding, candle lantern and a few other |!
appurtenanceS.
AS this sleeping apartment is shut off |
from the rest of the house by door at |
the foot of the stairs, the atmosphere in i
it is always that of the outside air. hence
there is no sensation of a close, con-
fined space, such as one finds in a gar
ret. Moreover, there is no such disad- |
vantage as attaches TO sleeping in I
an attic room, for the reason /
that one can dress and battle In
the we'll warmed top floor. and even in
winter time the exposure is only mo-
mentary.
At night it takes very brief time to
reach the blankets. and in the morning
ones movements are accelerated by con-
tact with the cold air OF course in
cold weather it is necessary to have an
ample supply of warm covering. but
when one has settled for the night in
a tunnel of blankets there is very
pleasing sensation of cosiness In hot
weather the atmosphere in the sleeping
room is never oppressive. and even on
close summer nights a refreshing move
ment of air is ordinarily found.
Winds Annoying.
Sometimes high winds are rather an
noying. especially when II blows great
guns during a winter gale. Rain on the
roof is soothing rather than unpleasant
thunder storms in the night
ire occasionally disturbing. All of the
series of doors enclosing the front of
1t night even in stormy weather Rain
Ind snow may beat in; but that is
natter of no consequence as the house
s carried on iron girders about two
eet above the roof Of the main house.
md melted snow or rain drains through !
ne IiooT WITHOUT HdT1h Inc morning
IF the day president Taft was inaugur-
lted several bushels of snow found I
heir way in around the beds. causing
however. no particular Inconvenience.
Quieter, Deeper Sleep.
/ have found that sleep in the open /
lir is quieter and deeper than indoors I
)ne may be sleepy when the alarm
ounds in the morning but rises re-
reshed and invigorated In fact. this
Urban open air life has a number of {
pleasant features. There is sense
f remoteness. of being away from. the t
Ioise and movement OF the city :
Looking out over the roofs the scene
; often one of great beauty The cleo !
RE light streaming upward on the tall
buildings of the neighborhoOd is very
and further on can be seen a
he Palisades with brilliant arc lights r
nd the dark river beneath. In winter {