During the 1918 Flu Epidemic, Philadelphia Rapid Transit (Nearside Car 7073) switched to all-wood seats for ease in cleaning versus the rattan in the "Keep Your Bed Room Windows Open" car.

Phil Mulligan

"Vote Yes for Prohibition November 6"? I'm sure it will turn out to be a wise decision. Sort of the opposite of the votes we have had in Oregon the past several years, though.

This reminds me of something interesting; the winter heating in most NYC apartments is so damn hot because of an archaic law from the Spanish Flu that they have to be heated enough to crack a window open.

I have a 1930s high school science book that goes into quite a bit of detail about proper ventilation for health reasons. Cracking the windows in the wintertime and use of double hung windows and high ceilings for summer ventilation. They also have an illustration of those tilt-in windows above the doors to an apartment building hallway. Back then fuel was cheap and temperature controls were imprecise. With heating costs so high today, minimum outside air ventilation has to have code requirements for commercial buildings.

I've also seen a short piece in an old RME magazine about using UV light to sanitize the air in a passenger car heating and air conditioning system.

The bottom image is on the Northwestern Pacific Mill Valley Line at Locust Avenue