National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1883-09-28
The Possibilities Of Loss Of Life By Fire or
Panic in the Schools Of the District
Twenty Buildings Carefully Examined
by Republican Reporter
Some Arc Reasonably Safe, Many Might Be Improved,
and Few Are Positively Dangerous.
Some OF the Wooden buildings Demand
Prompt Attention.

dronH To answer that question reporter Of
THE REPUBLICAN has, within the past two
days, visited and examined twenty Of the
principal school building. The examination
was made only for the purpose Of forecasting
tho result Of q panic, but, as recent horrors
teach, panics may be caused by other things
than fires, and even, as tho Brool1yn bridg
disaster proved, by nothing, tho investigation
was just as thorough in buildings whore all
possible precautions against fire have boon
taken.
Panic horrors in this city have not boon
frequent and have never resulted in loss Of
life; but at least enc young lady, perma-
nently crippled, will remember all her life
the panic which occurred nc the Wallach
school several years ago. Her misfortune can
be traced 10 tho terror Of her teacher. A child
in another room foil In flt. Another child
screamed, and In an instant the whole school
was in an uproar. Ono teacher, wild with
fright, ordered the girls in her room 60 jump
from the windows, although the outside door
was nearer than the windows. Some Of them
obeyed, and one fell with her hip upon rock
and is lamo to-day because Of IL. Another
panic at the franklin school, caused by puff
of dust which teacher mistook for smoke
resulted in the injury Of several scholars, but
all recovered. Both Of these affairs happened
years ago, and there have been great changes
and improvements in school buildings since
that time
Not single school building in Washington
to-day has any means Of escape from the
upper stories except by tho stairways II is
asserted by some people in explanation Of this
fact that any sort Of fire escape, such as are in
use on the outside of high buildings, could not
be used by tho children. In no one of tho
schools visited is there any "fre drill" or at
tempt to train the children TO 20 out OF their
rooms and building rapidly and in order in
case of fire or other emergency. All
of them are trained to rise at o word or
tap of the bell, face about and march
out in line, but this is only at recess and
when they arc dismissed The inadequacy
of this training for any emergency is shown
by the fact that when several of tho teachers
desired to show the investigating committee
how the schools were dismissed they were
compelled first to explain the unusual occur
renee to the children before they would rise
in concert at tho sound of the bell. The
teachers acknowledged that this training
would be useless in case of fire, but most of
them insisted that any other drill would be
rs useless, because the pupils would pay no
more attention to it than they would to the
teachers orders without tho drill.
In most respects the Peabody school build
ing is the safest in the city. 1t is four story
and basement brick building 90 by 81 feet.
The three lower floors are used for school
purposes On the fourth floor is halfwhich
is never used, The plan is the same on the
first, second, and third loors-a school room
in each corner, each opening ON wide hall in
tho center. Stairways of iron raise and slate
tread run up on the east and west sides OF
this hall. The steps arc divided q
narrow flight running on each side
of the stairway, half way from one
floor to another. At the top of these mar
row flights is very broad landing, and from
this broad flight, with dividing rail in the
middle, runs to the next floor. Double doors
swing outward at the bottom of each stair
way, and there is a door opening inward at
the north end of the hall, which could be
used if necessary. There are twelve school
rooms in the building, and they at present
contain about 1000 scholars. The building
is heated by steam, which is furnished by
two boilers in the basement which arc
securely arched over with brick on iron
girders. There is one grave fault with
the building, and the same fault exists
in q number of others. The play rooms
for tho children are in the basement, and the
only way of getting in or out of there is by
inside stairways directly beneath those which
lead from the first to the second floor. In
case of panic the crowd from below and that
from above would meet at right angles di-
rectly in front of the doors lead ing into the
street. The danger could be readily averted
and, it would seem, the convenience of
teachers and scholars suited, by cutting door
from each play room to the outside of the
building.
The Wallach building, in the same division,
is the Oldest large building in the city. 1t
contains twelve rooms and about 200 scholars.
1t is three story and basement brick, and is
heated by steam from boilers, covered with
a course of brick. The arrangement of rooms,
hall, and stairways is the same as the Pea
body, but the central hall ia not as large and
the landings are narrower. The stairways
are OF wood. Two single doors swinging
outward at the bottom of each stairway are
the regular means of ogress. There are also
double doors at the east end of the building
opening into the principals room, and from
this single doors open into the two depart
ments.
The Franklin school has peculiar arrange
ment of rooms. IL is a three story and base
ment brick building, has 16 school rooms,
and contains 1000 children. There are two
rooms at each end of the building and two in
the middle on each floor, with halls interven-
ing. Between the two centralrooms run two
corridors divided by a wall and connecting
the two halls where the stairways are. The
stairways, one in each hall, are fire proof
iron raise and tile tread, and seven feet wide
Either stairway can readily be reached
tn rough the two connecting corridors from
ev cry room in the house if tho other stair
way should DO burning. There is no " fire
teachers informed the reporter that she could
get the boys out of her room in two minutes
and out Of the building in three Ii would
require more time, she thought, for the girls
The building is heated by steam from two
boilers, 100 feet apart, under arched brick
The Jefferson school is three story and
basement brick building and contains twenty
school rooms and 1000 scholars. There are
no school rooms ON the third floor which is
occupied by largo hall with q seating
capacity of 500. The stairways, one in each
end of the building, are fire proof and seven
feet wide Double doors at the bottom of the
stairways Swing outward. There is tho mini
mum danger from fire, and tho building is so
arranged that it could probably be emptied in
five minutes
Tie Amidon building is now two story
brick, with eight rooms and about 700
scholars. The halls, with a stairway on each
side of them, are in the confer of the build
ing. The stairways are of wood and five feet
wide.
The Abbott is, in one respect at least, the
least safe of all the largo school buildings.
1t Is n three story and basement brick, and
contains about 600 scholars There are three
rooms on each floor, Occupants of the mid
die room are obliged to pass through one Of
the other rooms TO get to II stairway. Tho
starways, one at each end, are OF wood, and
the one at the east end, down which very little
children have to come from the third flOor are
not more than three aud half feet wide.
They are also unusually steop, with narrow
landings at the turns and the opportunities
presented for n crush with the smallest chill
dren in the building for victims are far too
numerous. The only exits from the play
rooms in the basement except by inside stair
ways, are two small doors opening inward, The
building il heated by three hOt-air furnaces,