Physics And Hygiene

The briek structure now being completed just southeast of the library building on the campus has been, on account of its queer architecture and arrangement, the object of many inquiries f rom strangers And of considerable speculation by regular frequenters of the campus. Protessor Carhart, who superintends the constructioD, kindly explained the points of interest concerning the building. lts queerness becomes reasonable when the purposes to which the various puzzlirjg arrangements are to be put are understood. In the first place there is no provisión for floor on the first story; then the flaor to the other stories are to be strong and tnassive, as if they were to 6upport enorinous weights. The brick work on the nside of the walls was done with much more care and finish than that on the exterior of the building, and there is to be no piaster or internal decoratiors of any kind. On the first floor is a large room in the center of the building, inclosed by heavy walls, with no aperture save a small door. Near it is a smaller room closed by doublé thick walls; then a partition wall extending through the first and second storie, to which was attached not a single joint or beam. There are many other odd points, but less likely to attract attention. The building when oompleted will fill a want long feit by the University. The excuse that now passes for a physioal laboratory has long occupied the eastern portion of the fourth floor of University hall, and is subject to so much tremor from passing classes and slamming doors as to be unfit for fine experitnentation. By building the first story of the new building without a floor, or, rather, preparing tor use the natural ground floor, all tremor is done away with, and the most delicate instruments can be used with the most accurate resulta. Most of the first floor will be given up to electrical work, and in the large room to the east will be placed the engine and dynamos. The entire building will be lighted by electricity. The large dark room on this floor, already mentioned, is for photometric work - measuring intensities of light, etc. The smaller closed room with double-thick Wills will hold a standard dock, and maintain it and its surrounding9 at constant temperatura. Tnis clock will regúlate by eléctrica! connectiona the various other time pieces of the building. On this floor, 'as will be seen from the plans, are looated the battery room, and the room holding the storage cells. From the western part of this storv is built up the independent partition wall, free from all the other parts of the building, and to which, on the first floor proper, is ■ tached the finely adjusted balances so as to be free from th slightest jar or movement to which the building may be liable. Above these rooms, on the 6rst floor proper, will be the laboratories, private and general, and the lecture room for the professors and students in the department of physics. Their arrangement may be seen f.om the above plan. The lecture room oceupying the eastern portion will be fitted with all the modern appliances for demonstrating experimcutally the laws and principies of physics to large classes. A number of ingeniousdevices, arranged by Prof. Carhart for these purposes, are of inter-jst here, but escape a closer description ; suffice it to say that the entire building was worked up by the well-knawn architects, Pond & Pond, of Chicago, from plans drawn up by the professor after much study and careful inspection of similar buildings at our eastern Universities ; and when their building is completed, we will have one to compare more than favorably with those of the east. What has been said in regard to the inefficiency of the old physical laboratory is equally or even more applicable to the oramped quarters of the hygienic department, scattered as it is, through various buildings of the campus. Dr. Vaughan and Mr. Novy, who have direct charge of the departmont, have, by their good works, attracted no little attention to the University ; and those who know the dtsadvantages under which they and often their students, work, will see the neceegity of more ampie accommodationa. The hygienio laboratory proper will occupy the second floor and attic of the new building. The large room to the east will be fitted for private laboratorios, bacteriologioal and microsoopical work and rooms for water and gas analysis, etc. The attic will be for the keeping of various animáis, cats, dogs, rabbits, monkeys, guinea-pigs and what not for scientific experimentation. At present the animáis are kept in inconvenient and unsatisfactory quarters in the basement of the medical building. The building will be ready for occupancy by next semester, and when completed will be one of the handaomest and most interesting on the campus.