WILLETT—HEATING  AND   VENTILATION.                       79
 

HEATING AND VENTILATION OF RESIDENCES.*
 

By James R. Willett.

Copyrighted Vy the author, 1893
 

Young gentlemen,—I have been invited to speak to you on the
subject of heating and ventilation, in its practical applications. The
theory of the subject, I presume you have been, or will be, instructed
upon by others. My purpose is to show you the w^ay in which a per¬
son engaged in such business may prepare designs for execution.

Many years ago, long before you young gentlemen were born a
young architect had prepared designs for a residence, and had acquit¬
ted himself to his entire satisfaction; and, as he thought, to the
satisfaction of the owner. One day, when the building was nearly
completed, the owner asked the architect, ^'What size furnace would
you use in the house?" For in that day, heating by hot water and
steam, at least as applied to residences, was uncommon. The young
architect could not answer the question, for he knew nothing about
it. However, he said he would consider the matter, and in that way
postponed the decision.

How was he to ascertain the proper size for the furnace? He
could find books of the subject of heating and ventilation, but they
did not enable him so arrive at a prompt and definite answer to the
question asked.

The young architect at last found that the only way to acquire
knowledge on the subject was to go to the contractors who were en¬
gaged in putting up furnaces. After acquiring all the information
he could from them, comparing their statements, etc., he arrived at
a conclusion which he gave to the owner in, perhaps, a somewhat
oracular manner.

The statements made by the furnace men did not, in many in¬
stances, agree. Each man was, of course, interested in the sale of
some particular furnace. They possessed a large amount of informa¬
tion derived from actual work, and they carried on the work largely
by their "judgment." The only rule which appeared to be general
was: They would take the volume of the building, and they knew,

^Address delivered before the Engineering College of the University of Illi¬
nois, March 23,1893.
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