The Portland daily press., 1888-07-09
PORTLAND SCHOOL HOUSES.
The Results of the Examination Of
the Secretary Of the State
Board of Health.

The report of the State Board Of Health
just published contains a very valuable chap
ter on the sanitary condition of Maine school
houses. The chapter contains the results of
very careful investigation, scientifically
made by Secretary Young. The Portland
school houses are noted separately. The
method Of heating and ventilating each build
ing and the plumbing arrangements are fully
described and the Secretary's opinion Of the
efficacy of each is plainly expressed. Con-
corning the
HIGH SCHOOL,
after describing the heating, ventilating and
plumbing apparatus, he says:
There are several reasons why we could
not expect the present system of ventilation
to be anything but failure. In the first place
the freSn air lnletS are much too small, they
are insufficiently heated, and they have too
many sharp angles In their course. AS regards
the foul air removal, the numerous brick fiues
which are now used for that purpose were
not designed for it, but were left rough on
the inside, as most such fiues are, and this
want OF smoothness offers considerable re-
slStance to the upward movement of the air
current. On account of their number and
small size, the inner surface of the brick work
which comes in contact with the moving col
umn, is much greater than ii would be II the
collective capacity Of the various fiues wsra
gathered into one large central fiue and
consequently, the friction which retards the
movement OF air Is greatly In excess of what
It would be In large central shaft. Each of
the present fues Is 28x10 inches, inside mea-
surement and this is about the size of the
opening in each register. after deducting the
part which is filed by the fret work. One of
these is set into the iue ON each floor, and con-
sequently the carrying capacity of each
livering air. Each flue, with its column of
air at times insufficiently heated, and at all
times retarded by excessive friction, can do
only limited amount Of work; and, per-
forming this for room on one floor, it can
not work for the rooms on the other floors.
The .ventilating capacity of the present hues
would, also, in minor degree be increased
IL they were placed centrally within the
building, instead of upon the outer walls. A
steam coil Is placed within each flue, except
ing one, on a level with the lowest register
which enters it. In the exceptional case, the
location of the coil had been changed to the
upper part of the fiue with the hope of there
by increasing its drawing power.
The air was tested for carbonic acid In only
rooms 9 and 10 on the first floor, and there
were found eighteen parts Of 1t in ten thou
sand of air.
The plumbing of the building generally
appears to be in a satisfactory condition.
The water closets, situated in the wing on
each side Of the building, are of the trough
sinks. This style of fixture. when looked
after carefully by the ianitor, as closets of
all kinds in school buildings need to be,
works very satisfactorily.
CUMBERLAND STREET GRAMMAR.
After describing the various rooms the re-
port says that 'the lighting Of three of the
rooms out Of the four in each end of the
building, is extremely bad. The
plan of this floor is most precautions In ever v
respect extremely bad lighting for six ont
of eight of the rooms, overcrowding, and de-
ficient ventil9tion."
BUTLER GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
OF this the report says:
"The school-rooms are all heatedl by indi-
rect steam radiation. The method Of yenti-
lating this building appears to be excellent,
| and the workmanship of the apparatus Is
| good. Each fresh air duct Is carried, sepa.
rate and distinct from all the others, from
| its intake through the basement wall to its
discharge within the room for which il Is
destined. Each galvanized iron fresh-air
pipe, fourteen inches in diameter, conducts
the air to the coil boxes, whence it passes tO
its room above. Each room has two of these
| fresh-alr inlets."
CARROLL STREET PRIMARY,
"The quality of the work." saws the report,
(which was done in putting in the ventilat-
ing system in this building and the Butler
school is generally very excellent. .
The average velocity of air movement
| through four of the registers which were
used was 225 feet a minute. At this rate,
with the upper register closed, as it ought to
! be in cold weather, and as 1t was undoubted-