The Portland daily press., 1885-12-14
MONUMENT STREET SCHOOL.
No Sanitary Defects found in the
Building.

A special meeting of the School Board was held
Saturday afternoon at five o'clock, the Mayor pre-
siding. Present: Messrs. MCGOWAN, Holden,
Merrill Ring and Bradley, also several other citi-
zens.
The record of the previous special meeting was
read and approved.
The Mayor remarked that the committee had
been called together to consider further the Mon
ument street school. Since his return, he with
other members of the committee on Public Build
iRgs, and with Doctors Baker and Ring OF the
special committee of this Board together with the
City Engineer the City Physician and MI. Josiah
p Wescott, the mason who some years ago made
the changes under the rear extension, had visited
and carefully inspected thisl building. While
nothing sanitarily defective could be discovered
necesstating the keeping of this school closed the
committee had directed Mr.. Wescott to proceed
Immediately to place windows under the rear ex-
tension and clear out thoroughly the rear cellar,
to examine all the traps connected with the piping
of the building to put in new ones, if needed, and
to further ventilate all parts of the cellar by an
additional air-duct, or shaft containing steam
coil leading out through the roof of the build
ing.
With these precautions taken, he believes, as
others do, that this must be one of the best pro-
tected school houses in the city. He further
states that it will require but short time to do this
work, and meanwhile the school may be resumed
with safety.
Mr.. MCGOWAN expressed the opinion that under
the circumstances it is unwise for the committee
to keep the school closed, or for parents to keep
their children longer out of school, and that re-
port of facts from the committee will satisfy the
people of the district. Otherlmembers concurred
In this opinion.
r,... o@.<..
that the rear cellar is to be cleared out, lighted
and ventilated, that this willdo more than any,
thing else to quiet the apprehensions of parents,
as they were more suspicious of that part of the
cellar than of any other portion of the premises.
The superintendent stated that he learned from
Mr. Pray, who has the supervision of the school
houses, that no brick or woodwork that had pre-
viously been exposed in any way in the vaults
was retained in the building when the two small
rear rooms were fitted up; that all such was re-
moved from the building
Mr.. Bradley was of the opinion that more had
been expended to put the Monument street school
house in good sanitary condition than for the
same purpose on any other primary school build
ing in the city. He and other members of the
Board expressed the opinion that while it was best
perhaps to close the school pending the examine
ton of the school house, it may now be properly
opened as soon as our committee report to that eff
feet.
Col.Merrill introduced the following order which
was unanimously passed:
Ordered "That as soon as the committee ap-
pointed to confer with the Committee on Public
Buildings of the City Council report to the super
intendent that the Monument street school house
is in good sanitary condition, that the sessions
of Primary No. be resumed"
Mr.. Chase, principal of the High School, sug-
gested to the Board that for the convenience of
the pupils Of his school the morning alarm bell in
every inelement weather. should be sounded as
early as quarter before eight o'clock, since the
more distant pupils, after waiting until eight
O'clock and no bell sounds have not time to reach
the school before the morning session begins.
On motion the Board
Ordered That the time for striking the morn
ing alarm bell for 'no morning session of the
schools, shall be at 745 a. M instead of o'clock.