CHAPTER XI. 



DOMESTIC VENTILATION A LESSON FROM THE COAL-PITS. 



WE require in our houses an artificial temperate climate 

 which shall be uniform throughout, and at the same time we 

 need a gentle movement of air that shall supply the require- 

 ments of respiration without any gusts, or draughts, or alter- 

 nations of temperature. Everybody will admit that these are 

 fundamental desiderata, but whoever does so becomes thereby 

 a denouncer of open-grate fireplaces, and of every system of 

 heating which is dependent on any kind of stoves with fuel 

 burning in the rooms that are to be inhabited. All such 

 devices concentrate the heat in one part of each room, and 

 demand the admission of cold air from some other part or 

 parts, thereby violating the primary condition of uniform 

 temperature. The usual proceeding effects a specially out- 

 rageous violation of this, as I showed in the last chapter. 

 y I might have added domestic cleanliness among the deside- 

 rata ; but in the matter of fireplaces the true-born Briton, in 

 spite of his fastidiousness in respect to shirt-collars, etc., is a 

 devoted worshipper of dirt. No matter how elegant his draw- 

 ing-room, he must defile it with a coal-scuttle, with dirty 

 coals, poker, shovel, and tongs, dirty ash-pit, dirty cinders, 

 ashes, arid dust, and he must amuse himself by doing the dirty 

 work of a stoker toward his " cheerful, companionable, poke- 

 able" open fire. 



It is evident that, in order to completely fulfil the first- 

 named requirements, we must, in winter, supply our model 

 residence with fresh artificially warmed air, and in summer 

 with fresh cool air. How is this to be done ? An approach 

 to a practical solution is afforded by examining what is actually 

 done under circumstances where the ventilation problem pre- 

 sents the greatest possible difficulties, and where, nevertheless, 

 these difficulties have been effectually overcome. Such a case 

 is presented by a deep coal mine. Here we have a little 

 working world, inhabited by men and horses, deep in the 

 bowels of the earth, far away from the air that must be sup- 

 plied in sufficient quantities, not only to overcome the vitiation 

 due to their own breathing, but also to sweep out the deadly 

 gaseous emanations from the coal itself. 



