Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-18
CONCERNING THE JEFFERSON SCHOOL BUILDING

CONCERNING THE JEFFERSON SCHOOL BUILDING
ORIGIN OF THE FTRG-THE QUESTION OF RECON
srRucTIoN-BIG SCHOOL,. HOUSES CoNDEMNED-'
TIM SITE NOT A GOOD oNE-REASoNs WHY
THE COMMITTEE REPORT IN FAVOR OF RE-
BUILDING ON THE PRESENT sITE-DEFEcTs IN
THE LATE BUILDING TO BE REMEDIED.
On Tuesday evening. at the meeting of the
Board Of Public School Trustees. the committee
on buildings and repairs made the following re-
port in relation to the jefferson school building.
destroyed by fire on the morning of the ith in
slant, and ii was adopted:
'In accordance with the resolution OF the board
of the 9th instant. the committee met at the
ruins of the jefferson building, recently de-
stroyed by fire. and proceeded TO examine the
same, with view of ascertaining, If possible.
the origin of the fire.
Upon an examination. as far cs the present
condition OF the ruins and the great amount OF
debris would permit, yeur committee came to
the conclusion that the fire did not originate
from the boilers, or any part Of the heating ap-
p'Tatus. and that. aside from the absence OF fire.
proof construction over the boilers, and of the
steam ways. the heating apparatus was so ar
ranged as to be reasonably secure against danger
OF hre from that source. Your committee
found
THE VENTHATING SYSTEM
OF the building to consist Of a series OF main
ducts over the two Railways and also over the
cloak rooms, which ducts were formed by
counter ceiling placed about tive feet below the
wooden floor and joists above these main ducts
in the Railways connectingwith q vertical brick
1ue or shaft which descended to the basement
and these connected with the up-tahe brick fiue
or SHAFT which extended above the roof, and
within which was located a metallic smoke pipe
Tor the boiler furnaces This arrangement was
in duplicate. it being the same at both of the
Railways of the central portion Of the building,
where the latter Joined the wings AT each end.
The school-rooms were ventilated by register
on one side OF the fieor from which point a
wooden duct extended across the room under
the floor and between ii and the ceiling these
smaller d acts connecting at their opposite ends
with the main ducts above described By this
arrangement it will be seen that fire in any of
the rooms entering the register would pass
through the small wooden ducts under the floor
and thence into the main ducts i'm the Railways
and over the CLOAK rooms. and ultimately reach
the brick shafts 1t is obvious that when once
the fire had entered these horizontal wooden
ducts. not only would they be set on fire. but
also that strong draft would be created there
ill., which would
CAUSE THE FIRE TO SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE
ENTIRE SYSTEM OF DUCTS
such to be the fact, as shown by one of the ducts
under the floor Of school room in the eastern
wing. which duct is still i'm place. and is burned
to charcoal on its interior. while its exterior
shows little or no signs of fire. thus showing
that the flame was drawn through il with great
force by the draft created in the ventiiating
hues. The fact is further shown by the state
ment OF one Of the fremen, who informed your
committee, that when he entered one of the
N yviS hoh hoo fra
mendous roaring Of the flames which was I'M
doubtedly caused by the fire in these ducts.
Most of the air duets. both large and small were
consumed. the only exceptions being in the
boiler room, and in a few Of the rooms not de-
stroyed.
Your committee further find that all the outer
and some if not all. of the inner brick walls of
the building were furred out andlathed, thereby
creating a space between the lathes aud the
walls OF the building
IN WHICH THE FIRE ALSO SPREAD,
as is clearly to be een,-these spaces also acting
as vertical fiues, up which the fire was drawn to
the roof above. In many places the framing or
vertical strips to which the laths are nailed as
well as the laths. are burned out all the way up,
while in other places the marks left by the
passage of the flames i'm these spaces are
plainly visible, although the lath and plaster
still remain.
The elevated OF Mansard roof, which has
been not appropriately termed
ALUMBER PILE,
extended the entire length of the building. 173
feet, without any fire wall to break its continu-
ity, and was provided with heavy wooden cor
nice extending entirely around the building;
and when the fire reached the space under the
roof it speedily spread along it-one of the fire
men expressing it by saying that when the fire
reached the roof We could see it travel right
along.
The wooden stairs Of the lower story do not
appear to have been burned. as they still re-
main there among the debris having been
crushed by the falling of a portion Of the
walls at those points. In regard to
THE REPORTED EXPLOSION OF CHEMICALS
your committee are assured that there were no
chemicals in the building except an ordinary
electric battery Of six cells. which contained a
fluid that would not explode Moreover, the
battery was located i'll the eastern part of the
central portion of the building at least seventy
feet from where the explosion is reported to
have occurred. Whatever explosion occurred
was undoubtedly due to the gas eScap-
ing from the injured gas pipes: for if even
the gas had been previously turned off the gas
remaining in the numerous pipes would be
amply sufficient to produce an explosion on q
small SCALE especially when it is borne i'm mind
that one volume of gas mingled with nine or
ten times its volume Of air produces a CON-
pound as explosive as .gunpowder. In both the
eastern and western Railways the committee
found water pipe about three inches IN diam
eter connected with the street mains and ex-
tending up to the second story: and on the main
floor hose was found connected to these pipes
ready for use-the hose being
NICELY COILED UP IN BOX,
at the side Of the hall. for that purpose The
doors Of these boxes, although unlocked. do not
appear to have been opened, and the hose was
apparently not used at the time of the fire: ard
it is very doubtful whether they would have
been OF any avail. because of the notorious want
OF water in the mans-the engines being unable
to obtain supply until the water had been shut
off from Capitol HILL In regard to the
OCCUPANCY OF THE BUILDING AFTER SCHOOL
HOURS.
your committee ascertaned that an exhibition
of Edison's monograph was given to the teachers
and scholars in the hall above the school rooms
after the close Of the school; but
that it occupied only about three-fourths of an
no lights were used and that the
fires under the boilers had been allowed to die
down as usual at the close of school hours. and
We're not replenished at any time thereafter
AT about eight O'Clock some OF the men,