Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-28

Rome look to its honors One of these
systems of passageways serves the pur-
pose of furnishing fresh air TO the two
chambers of Congress and to the in
Vulnerable committee rooms in the giant
building.
This system has as its supply source
two twelve-foot tunnels which run $50
yards out into the Capitol grounds, and
there come to the surface and draw
derground the pure. fresh air of the park
Underneath the building are located huge
fans whose business it is to pull this
fresh air through these tunnels from the
outside. Winter and summer these fans
are busily at work. and the result of their
labors is such current of fresh air as
would be furnished by fifty-mile-an-
hour gale blowing through these passage
ways. This fresh air is distributed
that it creates constant current through
all the rooms of the Capitol.
He who casually drops into the Senate
chamber or the House OF Representatives
little appreciates the remarkable system
OF ventilation that Is constantly at work
Underneath the floors of those chambers
is second false floor four feet down.
This floor is Of glazed tile and immacu-
lately clean. The space between the two
floors forms q fresh-air chamber
strong current of fresh air is constantly
being forced into this chamber From
il there are ipnumerable openings into
the legislative halls above. There are
gratings around the edge of the halls
Each tier Of seats Is Il few inches hlSher
than that in front, and the JOE that
furnishes this raise boasts other graf
ings. The very legs OF the seats occupied
by members of Congress are hollow anu
perforated, and constantly breathe INTO
the chambers the pure air OF the outsinc'
Through all these inlets are constantly
being forced gentle currents OF this sood
air. There Is not floor surface four
feet SQUARE In these chambers that does
not have its air inlets.
This elaborate inlet system Is dupii-
Gated by an outlet system at the FOUL
These legislative chambers have very OF
nate ceilings composed largely OF lhlass
of stained or painted glass 10 the on
server from below this ceiling seems 10
have no vent. AS matter of fact there
are. at regular intervals, apertures mace
by setting one piece of glass three inches
above another, thus providing sloe" ne
exit for the air. Above this OBVIOUS cen
ing is a great apartment with nel"oIn
of braces, and yet above lnls q a.,vean
glass roof 1t is into this chamber between
TWO glass roofs that the bad air or .ilc
regions below rises. From TINS cnalIoe.
this bad air Is drawn off by other srea.
fans and shot into the open ABOVE tils
CAPITOL building. So is constant now oil
Gosh air maintained through these great
chambers.
This system of intake and outlet air
system has long been admirable ana could
hardly be improved upon as far as 1t
goes Into these air passages are intro
duced different networks OF pipes for neat
ing PURPOSES which serve no purpose in
the summer, but work busily in the WIN
ter time. When it is decreed to raise the
temperature of the incoming air five de-
grees a given coil is put on. An add
tionaI result may be accomplished by
turning the heat into an additional coil
There are special coils for every room IN
the Capitol, and wherever the tempera-
ture is too low additional heat may be
applied
In the office of the chief engineer in the
basement is installed that remarkable
system of electrical thermometers which
makes it possible to read the tempera-
ture in any room in the Capitol from this
point of vantage. 1t is but necessary
to make connection with given ther-
mometer as a telephone connection might
be made to determine what is the tenn
perature at this point at VIII CHI ii is 10
Gated If a member of Congress COM
plains that it is Unfortunately hot on the
floor of the chamber the chief engineer
has but to connect with a thermometer
near him to determine whether his heat
is due to the cond ON of the atmosphere
or to anger that may be yelling up within
him. BY putting on off a switch that
is at his elbow the chief engineer may
switch on or off certain heating coils that
will affect the atmosphere which sur
rounds the complaining congressman.
This method of overcoming undue cold
was long ago mastered. The task of over
coming undue heat is but just now being
solved. At present certain precautions
are being taken against superfiuous heat.
but the new system is to be the ultimate
solution. Great streams of the fresh air
of the parks are being crowded through
the chambers of Congress. But little is
being done to reduce the temperature of
this outside air, and it is, at times, not
overcool. 1t is, however, being washed
of it's dust and cooled somewhat during
NaAI
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