Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-07-18
.ICEBOx IN ATTIC
I C0OLS HIS HONE:
Dr.. Bell Turns Trained Mind to
Keeping Comfortable in
Hot Weather.
BIG VICTORY FOR SCIENCE
Air Reduced to 65 Degrees and 'nver,'
tor Works in Ease While Capital
J Perspires--Pipes Cold Air
in Home.

WaSn1ngtOn.-Df AleSaHueF VIA"
ham Bell. inventor Of the telephone,
has found a way to cool Il house ana
make it comfortable on the hottest day
Of the year. Recently While other
Washington people were sweItefing no
worked in a room which had been
cooled to 65 degrees. His plan, which
can be used by anybody, is to store ice
ia IL ret and conduct the cooler
air t, .ons below.
Explaining his discovery to the Ma
fional Geographic society, Doctor Bel
declared: "You heat your house in
winter, why not cool it in summer?
We get up to The arctic regions and
heat our houses and live. We go down
to the tropics and die.
II have found one radical defect in
the construction of our houses that
absolutely precludes the possibility of
cooling them to any great degree. You
will readily understand the difficulty
when you remember that cold air Is
heavier than warm air. You can take
a bucket of cold air, for example. aud
carry it about in the summer time ana
not spill drop, but If you make hole
In the bottom of the bucket. of course
the cold air will all run out.
His Tank-R Felt Cool.
II began to think that it might be
possible to apply the bucket principle
ut least to one room in my Washing
ton home and thus get place of re
treat in the summer time. 1t seemed
to be advisable to close up all open
ings near the bottom of the room to
prevent the escape of cold air, and
open the windows at the top to let
out the heated air of the room.
"Now it so happens that l have in
the basement Of my house SWIM
ming tank and it occurred to me that
since this tank holds water ii should
certainly hold cold air. So l turned
the water out and made room of it.
The tank seemed to be damp and the
sides felt wet and slippery.
II reflected, however that the con-
densation of moisture resulted from
the fact that the sides of the tank
were cooler than the air admitted.
Water vapor will not condense on
anything that Is warmer than itself,
and it occurred to me that If | intro
duced air that was much colder than
l wanted to use, then it would be
warming up in the tank and becOm-
ing dryer all the time. 1t would not
deposit moisture on the sides and
would actually absorb the moisture
there.
II therefore provided refrigerator
In which were placed large blocks Of
Ice covered with salt. This WAS
placed in another room AT higher
elevation than the tank, and PIPE
covered with asbestos was employed
to lead the cold air into the tank
''The first effect was the drying of
the walls and then l felt the level Of
1t came over my head. The tank was
full and I found myself immersed in
cool air. | felt SO cool and comfort
able that 1t seemed difficult to believe
that Washington stood sizzling out
side. / climbed up the ladder in the
tank until my head was above the
surface, and then found myself
breathing Il hot, damp, muggy at
mosphere. therefore speedily retreat
ed into the tank, where | was perfectly
cool ana comfortable.
Pipes Cold Air in House.
Guided by this experience, | tried
another experiment in my house,
put the refrigerator in the attic and
led the cold air downward through
pire covered with asbestos into one
of the rooms Of the house. The doors
We're kept shut and the windows were
opened at the top. The temperature
in that room was perfectly comfort
able, about Go degrees.
"Some time ago the newspapers
We're speaking Of an ice plant that had
been Installed in the White House, ana
congratulated the president, then Mr..
Taft, upon temperature of only 50
degrees when the thermometer showed
100 degrees outside. Under similar
conditions | enjoyed in my house
temperature of G5 degrese [the ideal
temperature), with delicious feeling
OF freshness In the air"