The first attempt at White House air conditioning was after President James Garfield was shot. Engineers rigged up
a system with a fan blowing air through some wet cotton
screens.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/keeping-cool-in-the-white-house

On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 10:44:38 -0800 (PST), Dean Hoffman
wrote:

The first attempt at White House air conditioning was after President James Garfield was shot. Engineers rigged up
a system with a fan blowing air through some wet cotton
screens.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/keeping-cool-in-the-white-house


I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 3:13:18 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 10:44:38 -0800 (PST), Dean Hoffman
wrote:

The first attempt at White House air conditioning was after President James Garfield was shot. Engineers rigged up
a system with a fan blowing air through some wet cotton
screens.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/keeping-cool-in-the-white-house
I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

Given it was the WH, I was expecting it to say they used blocks of ice.
Agree on the swamp cooler, I can't imagine it would work in DC.

In article ,
says...
I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

Given it was the WH, I was expecting it to say they used blocks of ice.
Agree on the swamp cooler, I can't imagine it would work in DC.





Sounds like it works about as well as most things have in DC.

I live in the middle of NC and many years ago the city high school which
is a large brick 3 story building tried the ice type of AC. They blew
air over ice and sent it to many of the rooms. Did not work very well
then either from the stories of the older students. Whatever, it was
not in use in 1964 when I started there. Just large open windows when it
got too hot and steam radiators in each room for the cold weather.
Back then maybe the richer 10% of the students had AC in their house so
most of the students were used to the warm weather. My parents first
car with AC was bought in 1966 and the first car I had with AC was 1974.

On Thu, 4 Mar 2021 11:38:32 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...
I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

Given it was the WH, I was expecting it to say they used blocks of ice.
Agree on the swamp cooler, I can't imagine it would work in DC.





Sounds like it works about as well as most things have in DC.

I live in the middle of NC and many years ago the city high school which
is a large brick 3 story building tried the ice type of AC. They blew
air over ice and sent it to many of the rooms. Did not work very well
then either from the stories of the older students. Whatever, it was
not in use in 1964 when I started there. Just large open windows when it
got too hot and steam radiators in each room for the cold weather.
Back then maybe the richer 10% of the students had AC in their house so
most of the students were used to the warm weather. My parents first
car with AC was bought in 1966 and the first car I had with AC was 1974.

We didn't have AC in my high school, a block from the White House and
it was brutal in the summer. Steam radiator heat in the winter.

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 4 Mar 2021 11:38:32 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...
I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

Given it was the WH, I was expecting it to say they used blocks of ice.
Agree on the swamp cooler, I can't imagine it would work in DC.





Sounds like it works about as well as most things have in DC.

I live in the middle of NC and many years ago the city high school which
is a large brick 3 story building tried the ice type of AC. They blew
air over ice and sent it to many of the rooms. Did not work very well
then either from the stories of the older students. Whatever, it was
not in use in 1964 when I started there. Just large open windows when it
got too hot and steam radiators in each room for the cold weather.
Back then maybe the richer 10% of the students had AC in their house so
most of the students were used to the warm weather. My parents first
car with AC was bought in 1966 and the first car I had with AC was 1974.

My mother bought a '65 plymouth Fury ii or iii, and they added add-on AC
which worked well. She almost bought it from Jerry Alderman, went home
to think about it, called the salesman to take it, reviewed what the
deal included and the saleman said it didn't include wheel covers. She
was sure he had said it did.

Next day she went to the south side and bought same car with a better
color for a little less money, from his father's dealership.

So the first guy lost a sale over wheel covers.

My brother went to Viet Nam and gave me his 65 Pontiac Catalina which
had great fresh air at the kick panels (after I connected the control
cables. Came from the factory unconnected, and fresh air doors closed).
then I bought a 67 which had AC but there was an oil streak under the
hood just above it and it never worked. Didn't spend the money to repair
it. I guess he '73 Centurion I bought about 1980 had AC. or maybe the 84
Lebaron in '91. Trouble is, no more blast of fresh air from the kick
panels, only what sneaks through the heat/AC system and requires a fan.

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 3 Mar 2021 10:44:38 -0800 (PST), Dean
Hoffman wrote:

The first attempt at White House air conditioning was after President James Garfield was shot. Engineers rigged up
a system with a fan blowing air through some wet cotton
screens.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/keeping-cool-in-the-white-house

Very interesting

On Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:35:10 -0500, micky posted for all of us to digest...


In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 4 Mar 2021 11:38:32 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...
I imagine they found out swamp coolers don't work in the swamp and DC
is in a swamp. RH in the summer is typically 80 or more. They don't
call that area near the river "foggy bottom" for nothing. They have
done quite a bit to drain it, mostly to build on the land but that was
not true at the turn of the last century.

Given it was the WH, I was expecting it to say they used blocks of ice.
Agree on the swamp cooler, I can't imagine it would work in DC.





Sounds like it works about as well as most things have in DC.

I live in the middle of NC and many years ago the city high school which
is a large brick 3 story building tried the ice type of AC. They blew
air over ice and sent it to many of the rooms. Did not work very well
then either from the stories of the older students. Whatever, it was
not in use in 1964 when I started there. Just large open windows when it
got too hot and steam radiators in each room for the cold weather.
Back then maybe the richer 10% of the students had AC in their house so
most of the students were used to the warm weather. My parents first
car with AC was bought in 1966 and the first car I had with AC was 1974.

My mother bought a '65 plymouth Fury ii or iii, and they added add-on AC
which worked well. She almost bought it from Jerry Alderman, went home
to think about it, called the salesman to take it, reviewed what the
deal included and the saleman said it didn't include wheel covers. She
was sure he had said it did.

Next day she went to the south side and bought same car with a better
color for a little less money, from his father's dealership.

So the first guy lost a sale over wheel covers.

My brother went to Viet Nam and gave me his 65 Pontiac Catalina which
had great fresh air at the kick panels (after I connected the control
cables. Came from the factory unconnected, and fresh air doors closed).
then I bought a 67 which had AC but there was an oil streak under the
hood just above it and it never worked. Didn't spend the money to repair
it. I guess he '73 Centurion I bought about 1980 had AC. or maybe the 84
Lebaron in '91. Trouble is, no more blast of fresh air from the kick
panels, only what sneaks through the heat/AC system and requires a fan.

No vent windows either...

--
Tekkie

John Gorrie - the first U.S. Patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851.