The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-02-28
DR.. W. F. King, Assistant
State Health Commissions
er, Begins Work at New
High School Today.
A ROOM is FOUND
TO BE UNHEALTHY
Room Designed for Cloak
Room Used for a Study
Room = Laughahle Incl
dent at Warner School.

The examination OF the high school
building today by DR. w. +. King. a.
sistant state health commissioner,
marked the beginning of Thorough
inspection of the sanitary conditions
of the Richmond public schools,
AS a result 1t was found that room
No. 3S, In charge of Miss Edna John.
son, is receiving only about half the
fresh air per minute per pupil of the
standard, that four air ducts In sey-
eral of the rooms are not operating
properly: that several yentilators o.
an exhaust fan is needed In the attic
of the old part of the high school build
ing to afford an escape for the foul
air that pours into 1t from the ducts
and to allow the air to emit from the
ducts more freely: that in number
Of instances the yentilating apparatus
is not working satisfactorily, especial
ly in one of the study rooms: and
that the light In several of the rooms
is insufficient.
DIR. King tested the amount of air
entering the rooms from the intake
and the amount leaving through the
foul air ducts by means Of an air meter
and by computing the number OF cubic
feet in the room was enabled to deter
mine the amount OF fresh air enter
ing per minute and the amount per
pupil based upon the averaged NUM-
/ Der of pupils using the room.
Designed as Cloak Room.
Room 3S. which was originally de-
signed as a cloak room. being cxccp-
| tfonaily sinalf was found to be in ths
worst condition Of any. The air me-
ter test showed go cubic feet OF fresh
air entering per minute, replacing the
entire amount OF air In the room every
II minutes and giving each pupi. 15A
| cubic feet minute The require
mepts set up by DIR. King an which
are embodied in the school law now
before the legislature provide that
tthere should be at least 80 cubic feet
of fresh air per minute for each pupil
and that the air i'm the room should be
completely changed six times an hour.
An offensive odor was decidedly per-
ceptible upon entering the room.
An application of the lime water
test showed that there was twenty per
| cent more carbonic acid gas in the air
of the room than the average amount
in the out-of-door air
/ Miss Johnson said that the air was
bad and that an odor was perceptible
after about five classes had been In
the room. She said that she got used
to it after staying in there all the time
III nff Af rY,
children noticed 1t upon entering.
Some Of her friends. she said had as
signed as a reason for not visiting her
that the odor of the room was often
sive. In response to question from
DIR. King she said that while there
was no order to that effect it was gen
orally understood the windows should
not be open, but that she often raised
them and the janitor put them down.
Foul Air in Attic.
DR.. King had fanl, TO find with the
foul air ducts of the old portion Of the
building entering the attic where there
are no outlets for its escaps. He will
recommend in his report that either
a number Of ventilators be installed or
an exhaust fan. This Is necessary, he
said. in order to prevent the accit from
choking up with foul air and injuring
the mechanical yentilating system by
making a back pressure on the foul air
ducts. He told Janitor A. w. Dfagley
to open foul air duct in the second
floor ball Of the old building which
practically afforded the only escape
for foul air and which had been clos
ed.
The light in rooms No. 50, No. 53
land No. "a was found insufficient. The
Requirement Of DR.. King is that the
light space shall be one sixth of the
floor space. In the first two rooms
the light space was a little less than
1one-seventh and in the latter less than
one eighth.
i Study room No. "a was found to be
in highly satisfactory condition
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