Mr. BUCKALEW. Iwill give somee la nation of this plan of improvement propose by the committee. The general features of the plan are these: that the present roof shall be abolished; we commence at the a perextremity; and in its place a double roof‘hr one counter coiled be substituted, which will exclude all noise of storms and all influence of heat and cold in summer and winter; the eeilin to be elevated, and side windows to be place in the upper elevation of the Hall in its whole circumference, enabling us at all times to command at pleasure a complete supply of pure external air directly into our Chamber; and by making the windows double, as they ought to be in n1buildings of m uitude, we obtain control of the Chamber wi‘ttii reference to extiernal heat and cold when we choose to exclude tiem. It will be observed that so far as I have gone in my statement, the plan obtains direct communication with the external atmosphere from the Hall, and secures the air in it perfectly from the influence of external heat and cold as well as external noise. The next point is a change in the lighting of the Hall. We propose to remove the present gas jets from above the ceiling and relace them by eightor 12 I forget whichights adjusted with ventilating chimneys and with reflectors. We can obtain from a limited number of such lights double the present amount of lighting power in the Hall, if we chi ass, by the simple device of using reflectors, and by using chimneys all the smoke and unused gas are immediately removed and discharged into the external atmosphere. That portion of the plan will avoid the throwing own into the I{lull of heat at night sessions and enable us to sit here with rfeet comfort in summer, even though we should not cool the air before we introduce it into the Hall, which we propose to do. So much, sir, with regard to the changes above. Now the Generalplan of imrovement, as reposed in the former re iort, at not recite in the present one, was this: the air is obtained at a short distance from the wings conveyed through an entrance lpassage of ads uate capacity to a point in the basement, where it is subjected to the influence of a fan; that is the moving power, the one now used, and the one in almost universal use in all large structures. Near that fan is placed the heating a parades; that which we have now can he used, and we may extend it somewhat in magnitude; but the same mode of heating can be aplied. In summer also, in this passage near e fan, we can cool the air perfectly by a double. process; 1st by placing ice upon a grating which is designe in the plan; and 2nd ly, by causing ljets and spray of water to us?! thron h it in its way to the general air member, is! ich is above in the neighborhood of the upper part of this Hall. The air then is conveyed up ward from the fan through a passage to an air chamber, where, whenever you desire, there may be communication with the external atmosphere to temper it; that is, you can reduce the temperature or increase it at pleasure. It is then brought over the ceiling an admitted to the Chamber by the present apertures through which the air is excluded or carried awa. Then, sir, with regard to its remove from the Hall, it will be removed from the Hall through the present apertures in the floor do signe for its introduction. It can be taken away from us through the present entrance passage, and the same power which is now used to introduce it can be used to remove it from the Hall. Speaking, then, in general terms, we have perfect control over the introduction of the air; we have perfect control over its temperature in winter and in summer; we have perfect control over its removal and its discharge without making any extensive change in the present arrangements for its introduction. It will be seen from this statement which I have made that there is one peculiarity, which is not fa miliar, perhaps, to most members of the Sculate I mean the introduction of air through the ceiling and its removal through the floor. The advantages of that system are so manifest, are so indisputable, that whenever any person examines the subject his conclusion must be in its favor. It is not a matter of debate or dispute. In the 1st place, one disadvantage of introducing air through the floor of the Chamber, and causin it to pass upward in currents, is that all the dust and impurities that are broughtinto the Hall, and are upon or about the nor, are carried up into the region of respiration and breathed. Another iiIiculty is, that these entrance currents affect, to some extent, the sound of the voiceiu speaking in the Hall. If these currents are active they must produce very considerable disturbance. Another difficulty which we have in our present arrangements is.the want of adequate space, which we obtain by the proposed plan. I mean adequate space or prearing the air before it is introduced into the all. Our Ser geant at Arms has made an attempt to hydrate the air, to impart to it adequate moisture in the winter months, when, I may say without exa eration, it is in a state highly injurious to the humansystem, to which cause, I have no doubt, more than one victim has fallen. Now, the air taken at an external tem erature in the winter of say 32 degrees, or the freezing point, is conveyed through a closed passage in which there is no access to sources of moist ure, and it is heated up to a temperature say of 75. It is then in a state where it demands, according to natural laws, more than 3 times the amount of moisture which it contained when 1st taken from the external atmosphere and subjected to this operation. Thus, sir, we have it in the Chamber, and we are obliged to breatheit without its being hydrated, without its havingconvcyed to it that adequate amount of moisture required at the temperature to which it is elevated. I had that subject tested by Dr. Wetherill, of the Smithsonian Institution, who was here at that session, and who was doubtless observed by Senators on several occasions conducting his examinations. The average annual humidity of external atmospheric air in this country, I believe, is about 68 it is a little higher in GreatBritain assuming that the saturation point of atmospheric air is indicated by the number 100; that is, when the air contains all the moisture which it can contain without precipitation, you indicate that state by the number 100, and then in examining any specimen of atmospheric air in a given case you may indicate the amount of moisture present by a number which will bear the same relation to the number 100that the quantity present bears to what would he present if the air were entirely saturated. ‘his amount, so present, is called by scientific men, “ relative humidity, ” which is indicated by an absolute number. As I said before, the mean annual relative humidity of external atmospheric air is about 68 in this country. It is about that in Philadelphia. In the air in this Chamber we ought, at a temperature of 75, to have a relative humidity 0 68 or 70. upon one occasion Dr. Wctherill as certainedt at the relative humidity of air in our galleries was 27. He tested it in the gal leries and upon the floor and in the air space above the ceiling in on another Occasion when the relative humidity of the air stood at 21 in the diplomatic gallery and at 20 at the level of the desks near the floor of the Chamber. The relative humidity of the air we breathed was 20 instead of 70. This was in cool weather, when the out door temperature was at about the freezing point. Mr. Roscoe, an English writer who examined this subject, informs us that the air in the House of Lords, where they have night sessions, sometimes very prolonged night sessions, especially in the latter part of the par liamentary sittings, is pleasant to breath when its relative humidity ranges from 56 to 82; and yet, sir, during the winter months we sit here in an atmosphere the relative humidity of which is sometimes 20 or 21. Of course as the season advances, as warm weather comes on, as the external atmosphere is increased in its temperature, it obtains the moist ure which it demands from external sources, and as we do not heat it by artificial menus before it is introduced, this objection of aridity of the air does not exist here, and you are not obliged to any considerable extent to struggle against it. It is the difficulty in winter. Now, sir, what the committee propose at this time is, that the architect who designed the Cap itolwings originally, andade arturcfrom whose plans has introduced ever ifficulty that exists now in the ventilation o the Halls LI speak that with confidence after 3 years’ examination of this subject shall proceed in accordance with the lens which have been examined and approve to make the necessary preliminary arrangements before the next sesston; to obtain materials and to make the pro%racts preliminary to carrying this work into execution; that during the next session we shall have the air introduced into the Senate hydrated, that is, have some amount of moist ure forced into it, and that we shall get through the next session as well as we can with that single improvement. Immediately upon our adjournment at the next session, the work above, the change of roof and ceiling, the introduction of side windows, and all the other details of the plan, will be carried forward and can be executed a considerable time before the meeting of the next Congress. I will conclude by saying that there are 2 leading defects we encounter at present in examining our ventilation: the one, the aridity of the air in winter; the other is the excessive heat in summer, and this excessive heat in the Hall is produced by the enormous amount of metal and of glass which is placed above us. It is impossible to have this Senate Chamber ventilated and the air made healthy and the condition of the members made comfortable so lonv as that roofis retained. As fsaid before, the architect, in designing the Capitol wings, originally planned them with external windows in the whole circumference of the upper part of the Hall, and there was no glass root. e never intended any such abortion, any such monstrosity in this climate, as a sort of Grecian temple, open to the heavens, or with the external heat and cold and the influence of noise excluded only by metal and glass in the manner which has obtained. Let me explain the effectof that roof in the winter. We had that examined. Upon one occasion when the external tem erature was at a temperature of 30,850 of Fahrenheit the thermometer indicated 64 in the air s ace between the ceiling and the roof, which is our lighting space: in the galleries 68, and on the floor of the Senate Chamber 70. What did that mean? The warm air lying down in the lowest part of the space and the coldest air in the upper part; what did that mean? It meant this; your 3400 feet of glass roof and your 7,000 or 10,000 s acre feet of copper roof, (a single thickness att at,) and the iron and glass ceiling were such instruments and agents for impartin cold to the air within our space that the coldest air was act equally in the upper part of the Hall and the warmest air in the lowest part. You are obliged to heat air and drive it in here and figbtt at roof contend against it throughout the cold months of the winter; and the disturbance thereby produced to your ventilation is incur able while the cause remains. We had a Chaplain in the last Congress who understood the classic languages, and I went to him to obtain a Latin expression regarding the roof analogous to that which is used in reference to the destruction of Carthage. He said it would be, tectum delendum est, which may mean, the roof must be destroyed; it must be abolished; the impertiuence of its presence in this great structure must not be permanently permitted. I have taken that as my motto in reference to this question of ventilation which has been under consideration for 3 years. It is the key note to the whole subject. You must abolish the present roof, and you must substitute some other arrangement by which you can get control of the air used in ventilating your Hall. By adopting this report the Senate 2 years from this time, on the 23d day of July, 1868, can sit with perfect certainty in an atmosphere of 70 in this Chamber. I think that is an illustration of the proposed reform which will come home to members.