National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1883-09-28

Of che play rooms is full of holes and 80 broken
up rs to he dangerous for the boys at play
The Analostau building offers less chance
for fatal results from panic than any other
for the reason that the rooms are so arranged
that connection in one could not be noticed
by the occupants of any others. Thore is n
wide hall in the center Of the building with
wide fire proof stairways on either side of It,
There are wide entrances, with outswinging
doors on three sides of this hall. 1t is heated
by steam, and contains $50 scholars.
Tho worst large school building is the
nameless one at the corner of Twenty-second
and ! streets northwest 1t was once q mess
house, but has been used for q school for many
years. 1t is a two story wooden SHE'LL $50 by
30 feet, has twelve school rooms, and about
600 scholars There lisa narrow wooden stair
way in each end Of the building, and fire
in either one of them would cut of the occu-
pants of ono or moro rooms from an escape
except by the windows. Fortunately tho
windows of the second story arc not moro
than fifteen feet from the ground, and the
scholars could jump out without very great
danger. The building Is heated by coal stoves
The Curtis building, in Georgetown, is u
ten room brick house, and has large hall on
the third story with seating capacity of 500.
It has about $50 scholars Tho Railways are
in tho center, withssix feet wide wooden
stairways on each side of them. 1t is heated
by two boilers outside the building. There
arc wide doors, swinglg outward at both sides
and ono end of the ground floor. One precau-
ton was taken there which does not oxist in
any other Washington school building ex-
cept possibly one. There is an inch and a
half fire plug on each Of the first two floors,
and the floors and stairways can DO readily
flooded in very few minutes
The Forco building is three story and
basement brick, containing twelve rooms and
coo scholars IL has confer halls, with wide
hrcproof stairways on each side. Double
doors swing outward at tho bottom of the
stairways. The same fault exists there as in
tho Peabody, and 10 Is rather more dangerous
as the boys plAyroom in tho basement is very
small, and, even without a panic, there is
danger Of crush between those coming up
and those coming down as they meet at tho
entrance Thore is no outside door from the
basement play rooms. Otherwise the build
ing is we'll arranged for safety. II is heated
by hot air furnaces.
Tho Henry, Webster and Dale schools arc
each three story and basement brick buildings,
with twelve rooms, containing about $50
scholars. They arc all heated by steam, and
tho arrangement Is the same; center halls,
with two fire proof stairways and exits at
both sides and at ono end. All are steam
heated At the Henry building tho boilers
are under the sidewalks.
Tho high school building has every appli-
anco for safety, except outside FIRE escapes.
There are twenty-six rooms of different sizes
used for school purposes, and n largo hall,
holding over 200 people. There is a sixteen
feet wide entrance TO this hall, besides two
narrower ones. There are fire proof stair
ways at each end of the building, and four
largo double doors swinging outward at each
end.
Four of the colored schools were visited
The Chamberlain building in Georgetown is
trap. IL is an old franc two story building
in bad condition. It contains eight rooms
and about 600 children. There are two very
steep and very narrow stairways which empty
tho children into narrow corridors about fifty
feet long, through which they have to pass to
reach the streets The second story windows
are too high to jump from with safety. Tho
building is heated by stoves and offers o very
promising opportunity for a holocaust.
The Sumner building has nine school rooms
and about 800 children. The halls and two
iron and stone stairways arc in the center. 1t
is heated by steam from two boilers in sub
base. The Miner school has thirteen rooms
and $50 scholars 1t is heated by four hot air
furnaces, which were put in this year. Its
arrangement of halls and stairways is the
same as in the Sumner building, but the stair
ways are of wood. The same fault exists rs
in tho Peabody and Force buildings,
only it is graver herb because six
schools of over 300 scholars are held
in the basement. There is little
hidden unused door, opening from the base
ment outside, but the children have to 20 up
inside stairways to meet the swarms coming
from the two upper floors. With q fire in the
building or with any kind of a panic the
children would suffer.
The Garnett is the safest of the colored
schools. 1t is three story and basement
brick building, with twelve rooms and 500
scholars. There is wide hall in the center,
with two wide fire proof stairways with out
ward swinging doors at the bottom of each.