The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-01-18
MUST WATCH FOR HUMIDITY
Increase of Humidity in Houses Brings
Better Heating Conditions and Cor
responding Reductions in Amount Of
Goal Consumed.

Have you ever wondered why your
coal bills were so high and why it
seemed that your home was cold de
spite the fact that you were burning
your furnace or stove at the fullest
capacity?
Have you blamed it onto the coal
man for sending you a poor grade OF
coal or onto the landlord for putting
mp ramshackle sort of bui1dingg
The chances are that in either case
you are wrong, for according to a well
known trade journal devoted largely
to weather and climate humidity is
TO blame for it all. By increasing the
humidity it is claimed that not only
will coal bills be reduced but that
the house viii be kept warmer and
health will be better preserved.
The following article from the maya
zine in question deals with the sub
ject in a very interesting manner:
When you say humidity" people
shrug their shoulders and look for
something more interesting, not real
fling that without moisture in the air
there would be no life-that the lack
J Of humidity causes discomfort, i'll
health, catarrhs, colds and other dis
eases of the mucuous membrane
that by having proper humidity in the
houses in winter they could save Il
1-2 per cent of the total cost Of heat
ing.
Many people have the idea that
colds are taken Gin winter) by the sud-
den change in temperature in step
ping out of doors, but as matter of
fact the change in humidity is much
more liable to cause diseases. You
can better realize this if you will but
consider that in buildings heated with
steam and hot water, with an average
temperature of ~ degrees, the rela-
tive humidity averages % per cent.
In the most arid regions of the world,
only, is humidity as low as thirty per
cent found. Imagine what parching and
blindness this causes, what thirst and
what dryness Of the tissues in those
lonely wastes-and this is just the sell
mate we live in all winter.
Stepping from this atmosphere to
an outside humidity of about seventy
per cent, is it any wonder that such
sharp and violent change is produc-
tive of harm, especially to delicate
mucuous membrane of the upper air
passages, The pneumonia period is
the season of artificial heat IN living
rooms This artificial heat Especially
if hot air heater is used) is dry
enough to work nervous irritation to
the person compelled to breathe it.
DR.. Henry Mitchell Smith, NJ. D., in
his book on 'EIndoor Humidity" says:
FFIt was most interesting and instruc-
tive to find that on the perfect days in
May, and early June, with all the win
dows open, admitting freely the out
door air, thermometer stood at IS to
N6S degrees and > hygrometer registered
about sixty per cent. relative humidi-
ty."
If room at IS degrees is not warm
enough for any healthy person it is
because the humidity is too low, and
water should be evapOrated to bring
the moisture up to the right degree.
In other words, water instead of coal
should be used to make the room COM
Portable when the temperature has
reached 6S degrees.
Humidity causes the temperature as
shown by the thermometer, to vary IS
much as As degrees from the tempera-
ture as felt by your body. If it were
not for the moisture in the air it would
be too cold to live in it.
The reason for this is that if the
air is dry the heat goes through it
without warming it. If the air is
moist, it stops, the radiated heat and
warns it, so that humidity becomes nat
IRE IS great bed blanket. IF the air lacks
moisture, it lacks it's clothing quality
so that we are obliged to heat our liv-
ing rooms warmer, in order to feel
comfortable. The dry air allows too
much radiation from the body and too
rapid evaporation makes us feel cold.
The cooling effect produced by a
window draught does not necessarily
arise from the wind being cooler, for
1t may, as shown by the thermometer,
be actually warmer, but arises from
The rapid evaporation it causes from
the surface of the skin.
Authorities agree that if we were
to stop having our "climate" indoors
Tin winter) the dryest climate known
and kept it at a humidity of 65, we
would be comfortable at 65 to IS tenn
perature, save money and avoid sick
ness. Water vapor in some forms, as it
were, blanket for the earth and
saves it from being burned up and
frozen alternately.
Have your watches, clocks and Jew