Yep...the original ‘swamp cooler’. Family members have/had those, in west TX.
They won’t work in SE TX’s REAL swamp, though :-(
I saw another rigged up invention that uses ice blocks at the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, with pvc tubes poking out (above ice/water level), and, a fan facing down, on top of (cut out) lid.
A lot of trouble to get cool...but, when you’re melting in the heat...you think of any and everything, I guess.
The hubs and I tried that in Papua. It did not work at all well.
I’d just move to the Oregon or NorCal coast. Nowadays we’d have to chase off the lefties.