Second report from the Select Committee on Ventilation and Lighting of the House : together with the proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Ventilation of the House.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Second report from the Select Committee on Ventilation and Lighting of the House : together with the proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    JA 0 26 March 1852, 50 MINUTBS%pF EVIDENCE*. SELjEtfT COMMITTEE D. 5. Reid, upper Cloisters ; ilir^he-r^iiy^^Tfot traced those upper chan- m.d. nels ; in the lower Cloister there is a channel which I believe can be cleaned from its size, but that communicates with the crypt, and generally with the district where at night I should say there is offensive air. 339. By the crypt, you mean the former Speaker's dining- room ?—Yes ; there is an opening there through which a man can pass. 340. What use is now made of that crypt?—I am not aware to what purpose it is to be applied; but there is an opening extending from one side. 341. Supposing an opening to exist between the Cloisters and the crypt, if the crypt were in a proper state, and pure air, or at least air as pure as surrounds any other part of the building, were admitted into it, would that be any great defect, in your opinion ?—Not there ; but it would be a defect if the air from that source terminated in anyplace in channels which could not be inspected. 342. Chairman.'] In what way does that channel commu- nicate with any of your ventilating machinery ?—It does not directly communicate with it; but whenever the wind sets in that quarter, it will necessarily contaminate the air in the House ; it will come to the lobby. 343. That air, I presume, must pass through the cloisters, and get into the lobby of the House of Commons ?—Yes. 344. Whereabouts is the crypt you speak of; is it under the Cloisters where the Members' cloaks are kept ?—No ; the crypt is under St. Stephen's Hall, in which the marble statues are placed. 345. You will doubtless have remarked that several wit- nesses have stated that, besides suffering from the effect of the gas-lights, they have been much incommoded by the inequality of the temperature, and by strong currents of air ; will the remedies which you have suggested in your report abate those evils, or have you any others to suggest?—Most certainly the remedies will abate those evils ; and I think it is admitted, at least I entertain the opinion myself, from the observations I have made, that they are abated. But till the system of ventilation can be introduced in full, we shall not have a diminution of those currents to the extent which is desirable, except we send in more air through the House than wTe should wish to do. 346. What do you mean by the system of ventilation being introduced in full ?—The ventilation is only partially in operation at present; I consider that it can be put effec- tively
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