Year: 1871

In n climate where the atmosphere is cquable and


free from impurities, the ventilation Of a pile like
Westminster Palace would be a work Of compare


lively easy achievement But in place like London,


where the air Is charged with SCOT, dust, fog. and


the noisnme exhalatious Of factories, the task Of


accomplishing the desired object Is very difficult


Not uureguenty it happens that the air outside the


House Is as poisonous as il would be inside II the


vitiated air were not drawn OF; and very little ad-


vantage would be sained BY simply letting out the


old aud letting IN she new. Consequently, the chief


concern Of persons having charge OF the ventilation


when fresh air is not obtanable is to make ., fresh


aud, strange it may seem, this is what is actually


done. Abstract as il is, the sir Is taken In hand by


Dr. Percy. and his assistant, air Prim, and treated


conereiely, much afler the fashion that dishes arc


prepared by skilled cooks. Il Is caught washed,


rinsed. sifted, cooked; dried # It is too damp.


dampened If it is too dry; eoaxed to be familiar II


it is shy repeled II it Is too boister0us; shut


up in cupboards when It is not wanted, let out


when it is wanted; handled, In ane, as the baker


handles his dough, or the chemist bis mixtures;
aud, when finally purified, distributed to the mem


bers, ccol or warm moist or dry, according as their


tastes require, the exigeneies Of The weather


demand.


As may be imagined, the achievement Of all this


is a work both Of great labor and difficulty MARI


fold are the operations and elaborate the processes
that have to be brought into play First Of ALL the
air has, as it were TO be caught before il can be
subjected to treatment This Is very simply effected.
Immediately below the floor Of the House is a large
vault, which may be regarded as the recepuon-room
or ante chamber where, TO begin with, the air from
the outside is ushered in and received by the maEip
uators. But, as we have seen, the Westminster
atmosphere Is largely charged with impurities, and
care has TO be taken at the outset to purify u by


system NJ separation. This Is effected oy means Of
canvas screens On the side where the air enters
vault, there is a wall Of canvas, through which all
the air must pass on its way inward. In passing
through this screen or Sieve the air is sificd; aud
the grosser PARTICLES with which Il is charged such
as soot DUST bits Of straw, wateyer may be flying
about) are caught on the outside Of the canvas.
Thus siited the air in ,he vault may be said to have
gone through its preliminary process Of reetihea-
tiou. The next thing TO be attended TO is to see
that It is at proper degree Of temperature. should
the weather be close sultry, the air is cooled as
enters the vault by Of waterjets which arc
so constructed to throw ohs a very thin spray,
almost resembling dew. Should the weather, on
the other hand be cold the air heated as It comes
in by an ingenious steam apparatus, which warns
it equally without drying it too much.


Cooled or heated after this fashion, according as
the state OF the outside atmosphere may require and
separated from all foreign substances by being
strained through the canvas the air passes it
would through a colliery- SHAFT til it reaches
second vault or chamber exactly the size Of the
floor Of the House, beneath which, in fact. Il Is
situated. Here it Is once more taken IN hand, ard
its temperature regulated 10 a nicely. AFTER being
carefully tested by thermometer 10 Is further cooled
or heated as the case demands, and then passed
upward through an iron grating into a third cham
Der, where il may be said 10 receive It's Flashing
touches" previous 70 being let into the House.
These last touches consist merely In a further
Of the temperature, and regulation Of
the current OF air by Of canvass Greens,
to obyiate draughts The air is then considered 10
have been sufficiently washed, purified, and tenn
pered and it is allowed to pass upward into the
House through the perforated iron ceiling which Is
in reality the floor Of the House itself


When il has become vitiated, il ascends through
fret-work in the ceiling Of the House, and passes
into the up-cast shafs which draw Il OF again into
the open air There are several Of these shafs, but
the most important are those Of the Clock Tower
and the Victoria Tower. Dr. Percy early recognized
the fact that these great towers formed as Il were
the natural air-ehimneys Of the building, through
which the foul atmosphere could be drawn upward
and discharged at altitude where is noxious
qualities would be harmless. He accordingly took
advantage Of them for this purpose; and strictly
ornamental they appear outside, they made to
do service inside aurs or shafts for getting rid Of
the noisome exhalations generated by constant
breathing In order to create the necessary upward
dnught, huge fires are kept burning inside the base
Of the towers ClaHl5ers's Journal