Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-05-03
A DUSTLESS AND
CERMLESS HOUSE
virginian Has That Ideal Place
Of Abode.
NO TEMPERATURE CHANGES.

Sooi IN summer, WaFW IN VinSST.
Air Comes From Great caverns of
Luray and Can Be Changed Through
out the Dwelling In Four Minutes.
Tests Show That II is Pure.
How would you like to live in a
house where there was no dust, no dirt.
where no one ever had a cough or al
cold where the germs of tuberculosis
could not exist a single minute. where
there were no drafts and where the
temperature was exactly the same
winter and summer, spring and fall?
There is such house-iust one of Its
kind In the world. 1t is the home OF
Colonel Northcott, at Luray,. Va.
No dust comes into his home save
that which may be tracked In by Wis
itors, and IL a scientist lets gelatin
covered plate-such as disease germ
looks upon as a Christmas dinner-lie
around loose for awhile no colonies of
germs develop upon it.
The air in this house is always fresh
and always pure. yet no windows are
ever opened save to wash them. In
the hottest days of summer this house
is always cool, and in the coolest days
of winter il is always warm. On the
dampest, most humid days of summer
this house is always dry.
This peculiar dwelling is ventilated
with air from the caves of Luray.
These caverns. three miles In extent,
hung with strange and curious and
beautiful formations Of rock, are form
ed in the depths of hill OF limestone
Countless stalactites, stone icicles
hanging from the ceiling and stalag
mites, strange cones and pillars of
stone rising from the floor of the caves
have been made by the ceaseless drip
drip Of water seeping through the
earth and rock roof for thousands and
thousands Of years
Air is Filtered.
The air is pure and germless because
there is no vegetation IN the cave to
decay and because all the air in the
cave has to filter through the limestone
rock to get into the cavern.
Colonel Northcott, a retired heating
and ventilating engineer, thought that
such air would be pretty good TO live
in. "But we can't live in a cave,v he
said, because we want sun as well as
pure air"
SO be built big roomy house on top
of the hill containing the cave Then
he dug a well or shaft down through
the hill into the cave.
At the top OF this shaft he placed a
small motor and n big electric fan
From the fan runs a covered wooden
passage, with second passage TO tin
above it, connecting with the house.
Thus the fan sucks air from the
caves and drives 1t into the house.
where it passes through big pipes in
the walls 70 every room. Other venti
lators carry off the stale air.
The air from the caves is famed into
the house rapidly through the wooden
passage if it is a hot day. If it is a
cooler day 1t Is famed In more slowly
and allowed to pass through the big
tin passage. where it is heated by the
sun. If ii Is cold day in winter time
the air is passed over steam pipes
which raise the temperature from 81
to 20 degrees.
All the air in the house can be
changed in four minutes time.
Scientists Try 1t.
Mountain air is generally supposed to
be pure So is the air filtered into the
operating rooms Of fne hospitals. But
colnnaraf five tests made hv mon wha
make a business of breeding germs
from air to find out how pure or i'm
pure it is show that this house, unique
among all houses in the world. has less
germs and dust than any other, for to
all intents and purposes it has none
at all.
Amy housewife who wants to save