1884.] QUESTIONS. 149 



from the ground ; it is quite a walk to go around it. In the 

 cellar there are two fireplaces, with flues extending into the 

 chimney. Originally, there were seven fireplaces in the dif- 

 ferent stories of the house, communicating with that one 

 chimney-stack ; a number of them are closed up now, but the 

 two in the cellar remain open, and my impression is, that 

 those fire-places so ventilate that cellar that it is not a source 

 of disease. My opinion is, if you should build a new house, 

 and have the chimney start from the cellar, with an open fire- 

 place there, connected by a flue with the chimney, it would 

 afford such perfect means of ventilation that the cellar could 

 be kept pure, sweet, and clean, and would not be a source of 

 disease to the family above it. 



Dr. BowEN. Beyond a doubt, any cellar could be made so 

 perfect in all its sanitary arrangements by proper ventilation, 

 either externally, or by means of a chimney, as to prevent 

 the evil of which I have spoken. It matters not which method 

 is adopted, but perhaps ventilation by reasons of the chimney 

 would be as easily carried out as external ventilation. But 

 there will be certain exhalations from the vegetables that are 

 stored in the cellar, and from the ferment that is going on in 

 your cider and vine'gar barrels. In this dark place, there are 

 accumulations of filth without your being aware of it, a few 

 vegetables are left at the close of the season which have 

 escaped your observation, and in various ways tliere comes a 

 taint in the air which I have perceived, and doubtless Mr. 

 Hubbard has, very often, of which it is very hard to get rid. 



Mr. Hubbard. Still, I think this open flue carries it off 

 very thoroughly. • 



Dr. Bo WEN. I have never visited your house, and do not 

 know how that is. It is hard work to get rid of it in mine. 

 I think if a man was going to build a new house, and he 

 would construct a store room in some hill, where he could 

 back his team up and load or unload, as the case might be, 

 he could make that as warm as a cellar, and his produce 

 would be much more easily handled ; he could shut it away 

 from his living rooms entirely, and I think his health and 



