The New York herald., 1873-01-21


In the HgRALDs account OF its inspection OF the
public schools published on sunday. January II,
there appeared the following description OF COlored
Grammar School No. q which is situated in South
Fifth avenue, between Grand street and Bro0me,
on the west side Of South Fifth avenue
The colored school south Fifth avsnue near Graad
S:ssss AZ;
rnth or maze Il has seven starways but they are all
Guiding TSsre are
81 dsSSsSs
harm was done, and none OF the children hurt
Yesterday afternoon report reached the HDRALD
once that nre, or an alarm of are, had taken
place during the morning ct Colored Grammar
School No. 2.
reporter called at the school, which Is q three
story brick building, with Oornthian 'front.' ana
is evidently an old structure, the front OF which
has been altered, the building having been
shortened at the time South Fifth avenue was
widened and its name changed from Lsureus
street to the more tropically aristocratic name
which 1t now bears. 8g @wg n
The reporter made inquiries or the janitor, .
good-looking mulatto of about thirty years Of age
who popped his head through the door, as to the
whereabouts Of the principal.
REPoRTER-Is Miss Caroline Hopkins, the prn.
cipal Of the school, in at PRESENT.
JANITOR-Miss Hopkins has been dead for year.
Miss Caroline Hamilton Is new the principal. Go
right ahead up stairs and you win fnd her on tha
third floor, all alone. School Is jest let out.
The reporter went up the main stairs, one OF the
worst for short turns that he ever ascended de-
scended, being entirely built OF wood and OF most
dangerous nature in case OF dre, and finally, found
himself on the third floor.
The door leading to small side class room was
opened by the janitor, and the reporter Of the
HERALD stood face to face with very pretty very
graceful and very intelligent mulatto lady of about
twenty six years Of age. "This Ia Miss Hamiton,u
said the janit0r] Miss Hamilton had been arrang-
Ing Ss hes Journal 6Cr re day. She arose and bowed
attired In q black silk Dress z.
HERALD REPORTER.-Mlss Hamilton the HERALD
has received information that there has been an
alarm Of fire this morning in this school, and I
would like to get the details of 1t, as there is .
great deal Of doubt about the safety Of the public
sche0s, Just At this moment, in the public mind.
Miss HAMILTON with very polite bowl wifi
give you all the Information Ihave In the matter
morning. At about eight O'Clock, or little before
IT, and there were not any children here at the
time. N eal p ls 9Ht ~ =
REpoRrER-Are you positive tnat there were not
any % OF ne pupils yet arrived IN SCHOOL,
at the time-had there, JanitOrf w
The janiter, who had been inspecting the ruins
OF the fire. now came forward and said :-'srhero
wasn't any scholars here when the 1re broke out
had just been lighting the fire. have to light
the res in fourteen coal stoves in this building,
came back and saw the smoke bursting out and
then ran around to the fire company and told the
aremen about It'll mean Engine Company NO. lss
and some men came back with me from the engine
house, and they brought IRE extnguisher and an
floors above and below and put out the fire. It was
all out in half an hour from the time 1t began, am
cause it was no use doing it, as they thought that
they could put out the fre without" -
s. @ ito MISS n,1a you tell me-
MISS HAMILTON-There are about sixty pupils In
this department-the grammar department-al
second noor is the primary department, which,
think, may have an average OF ITO pupils OF both
two side entrances and the main front entrance.
Mrs. Trip IS the principal OF the primary depart.
s % to e Haa eo a
morning. The janitors name is Theodore Dey.
wonder how you found out that the fire had taken
place.
REPoRTER-Oh, could not tell that exactly.
The reporter next examined the scene of the
old building, with great deal Of useless woodwork
distributed inside ofits walls 1t Is dark, dngy and
m ana more m OF less than
cident takes place. Once already the HERALD has
warned the public OF ths school and its dangerous
condition. The third time that it Is noticed 1t may
be on account OF terrible disaster. The stove
had been removed from the place where the fire
had taken place, and an aperture OF about foot
and half In width and about ten feet high, rum
ming from noor to ceiling, was broken through,
showing the plaster and lath in hanging frag-
ments. plank ran down this aperture, and
behind 1t the flame reared and cracked until
1t was smashed by the freMen's axes. To
show how combustible the building Is
the fire burned downward, instead OF upward.
Half an hour would have wrapped the entire struc-
ture in flames, and had 1t occurred when school
was in session hundred lives might have been
sacrificed. The reporter examined the stairways.
There Is long, covered, straight stairs OF wood
side OF the school, extending from the third stories
to the play yards. The one on the south side is
loose, rickety all Of wood, covered with ice, and
rs, without doubt from the fact that 1t has settled
to one side, the most dangerous school stairs in
this city. 1t should be torn down right away and
sible for the principal to have dismissed her
sixty scholars yesterday, with an alarm OF
fire ringing In their ears, down this staircase,
frightened as they would have been without An
absolute certainty Of lives being lost. The stairs
leading from the primary department to the play
yards are equally dangerous, though not SO ex-
tersive. The school is OF the worst in the city
and should be carefully Inspected.
Captain Kelly, OF Engine Company No. 13, was
visited at the engine house in Wooster street He
had taken three men with an extinguisher and an
axe around and put the fire out. He seemed co
think the btilding was safe with the exception o.
the wooden stairs on the south side, and he had
ordered the janitor to take his stoves and stove
pipes to some distance from the WOODWORK IN every
part OF the building And thus the case remains a.
present.
ART MATTERS
Artists, Fund Society.