Evening star., 1932-04-01

the water will be pumped up to the
r-conditioning system, where it will
be used to absorb heat and then row
back to the Tidal Basin through q
storm water sewer.
Old Conduit to be Used.
An old conduit formerly used by the
Potomac Electric Power Co, from the
Tidal Basin to the site of its old
plant at Fourteenth street and Con-
stitution avenue will be used TO draw
the water from the Tidal Basin, so
that q new conduit will have to be
constructed only from Fourtet nth
street down Constitution avenue to
Sixth street
The buildings which will benefit from
the air conditioning system inclnde:
The Department of Labor, Government
Auditorium. Interstate Commerce Com
mission and Post Once Department. all
Of which will be connected buildings
between Twelfth and Fourteenth streets
in the triangle; the Department of
Justice, the Archives Building and the
called Apex" Building, which run
frem Tenth street to Sixth street in
the triangle. Construction Of the
Apex" Building has been postponed
by Congress, but the others are under
way now.
The new Department of Commerce
Building has its own air-conditioning
system, but the new Internal Revenue
Bureau Building, which was the first
structure erected in the triangle, has no
such a system.
The plan to be put into use to pro-
vice better working conditions in the
(InVerT1UnnYf hI1ildirnc ur-lI
not be the refrigeration plan used N
Washington thesters; but it will be
an conditioning system" electrically
operated, which will not only reduce
the temperature, but also will regulate
the humidity or moisture content of the
air. 1t Is said to be not alone the neat,
but the high humidity during Washing
ton Summers which has made working
conditions so uncomfortable that many
hours Of working time are lost because
1t becomes necessary to dismiss em-
ployes.
Exact details of the air-conditioning
system are not yet available.
Bids to BE Asked Later.
Bids will be asked later for the whole
project in the Office of the supervising
architect Of the Treasury. Large con-
Quits will carry the conditioned air
through the buildings. and it is expected
that as a part of the system the win
dows of these specially treated Govern
ment buildings will be kept closed to
guarantee the proper air inside
The old Potomac Electric Power Co
conduit, which will supply the water
from the Tidal Basin, runs from place
near the John Paul Jones monument, at
the foot of Seventeenth street, through
the Mall to the corner of Fourteenth
street and Constitution avenue It is
about four feet In diameter, and sufi-
clently large to carry the large supply
of water needed.
AS the flow of water will be con-
stant, coming out of the Tidal Basin,
and returning to the Tidal Basin the
operation of the air-conditioning system
will not affect the supply of water in
the basin. 1t is estimated that the re-
turning water will have added to it
more than 20 degrees of heat, which
were taken out Of the air for the Gov
ernment buildings.
A. new conduit about IS feet deep will
be dug along the south side of Consti-
tuition avenue from Fourteenth street to
Sixth street to carry the water to the
various buildings, while another return
conduit will be dug on the north side of
Constitution avenue to return the
warmer water to the storm water sewer
on Constitution avenue. It also will be
necessary to reconstruct the inlet at the
Tidal Basin
Plans for the water supply system for
the new air-conditioning plants were
developed by Neal A. Melick and Her
man J. Bounds, Treasury Department
engineers.