Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-09
HOW CONGRESS- KEEPS COOL
Contrivances Designed to Moderate
the Temperature.
TEMPERs AT A HIGH NOTCH
Cold Air Churned by Fans, Ice Water
and Lemonade, Marble Baths,
and the subway Breeze
Producer.

How to keep cool Is not the, title of a
bill before either the house or the senate
these sizzling days, but It might well be-
judging from the attention paid the subject
by homesck representatives OF the people
assembled under the big white dome
Figuratively. congress Is whacking out GER
tain and sundry pieces of legislation with
one hand and wiping its perspiring brow
with the other and--swearing softly and
sweetly under it's breath at the unlSind fate
that keeps It dashed to the mast when II
might be at play where the cool winds
blow and the waters sound their summer
symphony.
So congress has gone assiduously about
the business OF keeping cool And not by
the old-fashioned gin riclSey and festive
mint Julep route either. II a member
wishes to laugh at the thermometer in
that fashion be must keep the laugh
producer in his own committee rooms, for
he cannot get II in the capitol nor within
many squares OF IT, Other congresses may
have done so, but not this one 1t has
more scientific, and. 1t believes, more eff
cacious methods.
Cold Air and Cool Drinks.
BY the desk OF each representative and
senator. for instance. and in other parts
which cold air is forced by huge electric
fans in the basement. At the same time
the hot air is drawn up and expelled
through the ceilings. In all nearly eight
acres OF building are cooled In this fashion.
Always the temperature within is from
five TO eight degrees cooler than on the
outside.
Ice water and lemonade are the popular
beverages. the senate alone using some
$500 pounds OF ice per day. while the total
daily consumption in the entire capitol and
both office buildings is said 10 be over
four tons. The senate expends the modest
sum Of $4,000 for it's nhvorfte brands of
mineral waters. but the house frowns down
ON such extravagance and vets it's parched
throat with water from the broad bosom
OF the Potomac.
Down In the Easements OF the office
buildings OF both houses of congress are
costly baths. where Swedish. Turkish or
just plain American soap-and- baths
can be had at any hour. They are built
entirely Of marble-and not bath room
marble. either. but the exquisitely veined
sort that milionaires use in constructing
their interior stAirways and mantels Free
quently on a particularly humid day one
representative and senator after another
remains close despite the air vents and
indulge in a quick plunge. The lack OF a
pool-is deplored by many. but curtailment
had TO be made somewhere. and the bath
rooms cost so much that the last feature
OF a Turkish treatment" had to be
omitted.
Running from both house and senate to
their respective office buildings are sub
ways lighted by electricity and paved with
asphalt. In the senate one is a specially
CONSTRUCTED automobile on which II is quite
the fashion to take Joy ride" and get
coolls
ventilatinE system.
Southwest OF the capitol building and
just outside the grounds there is pic
| turesque granite tower about thirty feet
tall At that height the air is quite pure
being too high TO contain the floating
| germs OF the street and too low TO be
affected by the smoke blowing from Chin
neyH. Within this tower connects with q
/ long underground tuba or tunnel thar rims