The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-23

ture Of the rooms as shown by the slate, which
marked from sixtysix degrees by thermometer GOWN
TO a. low as fprty-six degrees for the forenoon ,
Ntnh--n the pestilential. odfashioned, unnneo
wooden troughs for urnals
GRAMMAR SCHOOL NO. 49,
This school house is in East Seyenty-ninth street
near Third avenue A few years ago so-caileu I'M
provements We're made 10 this building which arr
wholly inadequate The defects and deficiencies
those relating to the Seventy fifth street school are
in general way apparent here-bsd ventilation,
dark rooms, cramped space for class rooms and re-
grounds no record kept of the temper
AZURE, which at times il SO not, ranging
up to eighty degrees. ,hat windows ,n 81, nave 20
the words OF Of the teachers shawl or CLOAK Is
necessary. This shows that the janitor, John Pye.
does not pay sufficient attention to his duties III regard
to the heating There is the same bad arrangement OF
the radiators and imperative ventators. But here,
effects OF sewer gas are more apparent at least III ona
room the ground hoor adjoining the water
closets where the teacher became so i'll that the prn
cipal was obliged TO remove her to anotL Y room.
ana the teacher succeeding and relieving her III that
room then at home sick from the same cause.
In that room and the overhead there was great
deal OF headache and throat among the pupils
hve being then absent from the upper and sey'
eral rom the lower room on this account.
Every time the doors are opened conimnnlcai'
ing between these water closets and the narrow
stairway leading into the crowded parts OF this build
lug erce current of air. laden with foul gases from
these closets is sucked up into the building which
keeps the premises pcrmeatcd with them. 1t l. not
strange that much complaint Of headache and dizLi-
ness is made by teachers as well pupils.
For want of wardrobes the childrens wraps arc
strewn along the hoor under their seats and desks,
and IN many the seats so high that the chill
drens feet dangle without touching the floor. Ia
two OF the gallery classes the seats arranged
that the teachers frequently obliged to station
themselves the flank OF side of their class for tho
relief OF their eyes and to enable them to see their
pupils, one OF these teachers eyes being very much
congested as result of this bad arrangement.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL No. 80.
In this building which stands in East Eighty.
seventh street, Fourth avenue, there is about
the amount of space for average daily at
tendance OF about seven hundred children in the
other two schools with over half as many moro
each and consequently not so bad state of affairs.
The building, too, better arranged for vent-
laton and light and in one Of the rooms the radiator
was perchcd on dais. which was relief 10 the
children Obliged to sit it. The ventilators,
by actual test under most favorable circumstances
with windows and doors wide open and an empty
room showed scarcely perceptiblc current OF
movement Of air. one of the teachers remarked that
"she did not see what o. and s. meaning open
and shut were put on these venators for. as they
never think OF touching them.
The writer saw dirty stairways and passages here.
but Janitor Gallager was not in sight.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL 8.
At No. &c Grand street, where this school Ia 10.
Gated. the same oyercrowded condition exists as in
the other schoos-the same useless ventilators and
badly arranged radiators and steam piping The
gallery class room. III which from 2l5 TO 30 children
daily crammed for hours, il dark that gas is
needed in ordinary weather and is only
necessary during part OF the sunniest days. Chill
dren constantly complain of their eyes and the bad
light The room forming the east wing Of this gal
lery is Immediately the boys water closet that
forming the west wing is the girls water closet.
arising through the floor, the walls and in at the
windows and doors-being absolutely enveoped in
the sickening vapors arising from these necessarcs
that OF the boys being the worst and on this occa-
sion in state OF filth too disgusting even to hint at
From these closets the escape into the foul.
damp, dungeonke so called Fairgrounds.
From the east wing class this disgusting
closet could be through openings in the floor.
The Vice Principal who occupied It. has been in
valided since June last with sewer gas poisoning,
which has resulted finally in spinal meningitis
patch OF roofing under and almost up to the south
.aft
Of rubbish and garbage. No record is kept Of tho
Thermometer, although it is observed from time to
% am 10 degrees in different parts of the building,
but it often down TO 46 degrees Janitor Scam
lon has not been long III this school.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL NO. ID.
Owing to the crammed condition of this school, at
No. 2jy East Houston street. the Principal has re-
fused over nine hundred applications for admission
schools larger numbers of small children seated
on high benches their legs uncomfortably dangling
and imperative ventators, the same complaint Of
dark rooms. The sixth grade gallery class is
bad that it is utterly impossible for the teacher to
the boys faces and for her there is relief the
exercises require her to be constantly at the black
board facing her class Her only relief is in wearing
paper mask over her eyes, Here again, draught
draws through that is constant menace to the
health OF the tcscher who of course must stand and
endure it.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL NO. 3G-pRIMARY DEPARTMENT..
Here at No. 40 East Ninth street, the teacher in
room No. 10, ground floor looked wretchedly sick
and asked to be relieved. The apparent.
Her situation could not be worse il her class room
were right inside either of the abominable, beastly
closets by which it is surrounded. Nothing could be
more sickenug, disgusting and revolving than this
vile hole in which average of about seventy chill
dren and competent teacher are daily assembled and
compelled to remain many hours. 1t is the very
worst of cruel, barbarons neglect and oppression.
The windows Of room No. ii the only means Of
yentationl only nine feet from the water closets
of large tenement building in the Here the
atmosphere is intolerably offensive especially in
rainy weather. Janitor Murdoch adopts contrary
inn m mo- 81
at one o'clock-sniting his convenience rather
than that OF the teachers and pupils, and over
whelming them with dust while in class, against all
protest.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL NO. 20.
Janitor Wade. OF this school, in stanton street. adj
mits that he bushes out the water closets usually
only every two days, whereas il should properly be
done after each recess and dismissal. There is
excuse for this cupable neglect of simple and easy
duty consisting merely in the drawing and replacing
of a valve. There apparent indications that
they had not been cleaned out for days He admitted
upon close questioning. that lie did not make prac-
tice OF cleaning out the urinas after each recess AZ
he is expected to do, notwithstanding these closets
the only resort Of nearly two thousand children
daily. As instance of this mans estimate OF san-
tary conditions when asked what state these closets
were then in, he replied They sweet"
This building is superior to the others. and except
in sanitary point. very tolorabc indeed. The chill
drens benches. however, might be better proper
toned to the ages OF their occupants to the relief of
scores OF little who may be sitting through
tedious class hours with legs dangling and no rest
for their feet.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL no %.
The building No. $50 Fifth street is occupied by
this school The gallery class room here requires
the light Of ten gas burners in cloudy weather. A
stable is within about six feet of the wing class
which il great nuisance and renders this otherwise
good room the most Questionable in the whole
school. The closets in the usual condition, the
urinals being of unInasked wood the seats without
covering and the same precarous. irregular flushing
and cleansing
IL is evident from the inspection that there is
gent and imperative necessity for more school room in
primary departments. How this need is to be met
how the overcrowtling of class rooms is to be
licved and the attending evils mtigatcd, il not ra
cally removed. problems that call immediately
tor solution and speedy action. The erection Of in
dependent primary schools, however desirable, is .
matter of the future, the mere contemplation OF
which cannot meet the present necessities of tho
schools. slight relaxation of the rules and =
change in the time OF holding the sessions would
effect much present and prompt relief in the moro
crowded districts, where hundreds OF children
daily refused admission.
Short sessions in the lower grades OF primary de-
partments and schools would do much to meet this
contingency The present law requires two sessions
"A al arr mo VIII he p.l