I am almost sure that the stoves were electric, the big ones in the kitchen and the smaller one on its side in another room. This place was probably located way away from any population center so there was probably no natural gas. The dryers are steam heated, very typical in hospitals with their large boilers, probably clean-burning anthracite coal, maybe later oil fired, but polution of the air could not be tolerated at a TB facility so maybe it was always oil. That big steam jacket kettle is similar in looks to the one in the hospital kitchen where I worked. I remember cleaning it. There was a cold water faucet over it that you opened to put a small amount of water in it. Detergent was added then you BRIEFLY opened the steam valve. The whole pan was instantly hot so you carefully reached in with gloved hands and washed the thing. When it was clean, the crank on the side was turned to tip the kettle over to drain it, then it was set back upright and rinsed in similar fashion. I developed a great respect for steam under pressure at that hospital.
There is an old hospital near me that I happened on back in the early 80s. I did not know what it was at first, but when I described it to an older neighbor, they told me it was the Glendale TB Sanatorium. When I took my parents past it, my mother remarked at how similar it was to the one in Minnesota where her friend worked as a librarian. The buildings had big pavilions on the roof of each building where patients were put to get clean air and sunshine. Across the road from it was the very nice home for the administrator and smaller places for staff, I guess, since it was close to nothing 70 or more years ago.
In the second album there is a picture of a green tiled room with two smashed toilets. I think it would be a good picture to flash on the screen while that nice lady is saying that Philips Milk of Magnesia is not harsh like stimulant laxitives.
It's such a shame for such a well-built place to sit vacant and exposed to the elements. It's also a shame that it would probably cost more to rehab it for use than it would cost to build something new.
