The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-03
THE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.
Or. CrandaIl's Statement In the Ar
gus.

low his letter to the Argus Of Monday, rela-
tive to the High School building, which we
criticised yesterday:
To the Editor Of the Argus:
As Will be remembered, there has been dur
ing the last two or three years, almost con-
slant complaint regarding the imperfect sys-
TEN of heating and ventilation in the High
School. 1t has been generally known that
the sewerage was in bad and unhealthy
condition, that the building was uncomforta-
bic during the winter months, and that the
rooms were so imperfectly ventilated that
they often became positively offensive. This
miserable state of affairs had existed for
long time, and was believed to be the source
OF great amount of poor health among
both scholars and teachers. 1t gave rise also
to almost constant and universal complaint
among parents whose children attended the
High School.
Finally, the conditions became so intolera-
Bile and agitation so widespread and general
that the city government was obliged to rec
ognlze the situation and meet it. As result,
early last spring an appropriation of $1,000
was made, Tor the purpose of securing and
putting in proper system of sewerage, heat
ing and ventilation. When it came to the
matter OF letting the contract, instead of in
Vltlng proposals or bids from the different
responsible firms in Portland who do such
work. word was sent co the agent Of a firm
in Boston, which agent has influential friends
In Portland, to come ON and make plans and
submit an estimate, which he did. The plans,
submitted on paper, looked quite plausible,
and were promptly approved by the school
committee and accepted by the committee
on public buildings, Of which the Mayor is
chairman. Immediately the said agent turns
around ana subjects the job to firm in Port
iaud, to execute according to the specifica-
ti0ns of the sO-called system. The work was
carried on during the long summer vacation,
and was completed and ready for use when
the fall term opened
Before being tested by the severe weather
OF winter and proven to be useful and salts
Iectory, the bills were promptly paid and the
contracting parties went on their way rejoic-
ing. For time, while the weather was mild
and but little heat needed and ventilation
could be obtained mostly through open doors
and windows, everything appeared to work
well. As soon, however, as the weather be-
came cooler and the closing of the doors and
windows necessity, IL was found that the
system OF ventilation was practically fail
ure, as will be seen farther along. Later, as
the weather became still colder, it was found
that the heating arrangements were made
Quate and that 1t was almost impossible to
keep the room comfortable. This fact can
be proven by teachers and scores Of pupils.
Such in brief is history of the job up to the
commencement Of the more recent cold win
ter weather.
Now let us note the defects in the so-ealled
system OF heating and ventilation, and the
state of affairs which has prevailed Of late.
III tuC uIob pidcc, III has Dctu iOuuu liupOS-
sible to heat the many rooms of the building
to comfortable condition. This was the
case up to the time the new and admirable
janitor made some radical changes. There
was such faulty arrangement and instfi-
cient amount of the steam pipes that it was
found TO be impossible to generate steam
enough to afford the requisite amount of
heat. In many of the rooms IL has been
found on some days impossible to raise the
temperature much above fifty degrees Thus
for hnf ana hrr. rad 1otxr -
have been used. AS result, teachers and
scholars have been obliged to sit with their
wraps on, especially on the upper floors
Many have caught colds from Becoming
chilled, and two teachers and number OF
scholars are out, owing to sickness prob
ably so contracted. The diffusion of the
heat obtained has also been so utterly i'm
perfect that some parts Of room have been
cold while other portions have been too hot
Tor comfort. Upon several occasions it has
been necessary to dismiss classes in certain
rooms OF the grammar department of the
building because it was impossible for teach
ers and scholars to keep comfortable. More
over, owing to the inadequacy of the heating
apparatus, water, pipes have bursted in
rooms and water-closets and flooded portions
OF the building, which has caused great in
convenience and additional expense to the
city. In fact there have been so many leak
ages that there Is hardly a room the walls of
which are not more or less wet and stained.
tion, the defects have been quite as bad, and
1t has been proven to be about the biggest
failure ever palmed off on a confiding and
long-suffering people,.
In the first place, reliance was placed upon
old iues in the side of the walls, with regis
ters opening into them, for conveyance of
the impure air out Of the rooms. These fues
run from the basement to the roof, and all
the rooms, as situated one above the other,
have registers opening into the same flue. In
order to insure the passage of a constant
current Of air through them from bottom to
top small radiator was set in the bottom of
each one. theoretically this was a good
scheme, but practically it was about the
agined. The radiator does not insure the
necessary hot air current through the en-
tire distance of the tlues, and hence the draft
is imperfect and variable. During certain
states Of the atmosphere and certain direc-
tions Of the wind the currents of air from
the outlet ON the roof pass downward and
force the bad air in the flues out into the
school rooms. In other words, the bad air
formed on the first floor may pass upwards
as far as the second or third floors, there
meet the down current, and be instantly
forced out into the rooms mentioned. When
such condition occurs, which is quite the
rule In some portions of the building, the
rooms Of the second and third floors not only
have their own impure air retained, but also
have forced in the impure air from the floors
below. Hence 1t follows that the ventila-
tion Is a miserable failure, and the scholars
In certain rooms are at times made the vic
tins OF an enormous amount Of impure air.
Moreover, these tiues convey coal gas and all
manner OF bad smells way up to the rooms
ON the third floor. Such was the case to day.
as can be proved by both teachers and
pupils. Another part Of the scheme was to
Introduce cold fresh air into the basement
through long, square wooden fues made Of
matched boards.
These fiues are fastened just under the
hrst hoor and pass along toward the center
OF the building to the Vicinity of the boiler
where steam pipes enter into them for the
purpose of heating the cold air which has
been admitted. This too is all very nice in
theory. but it happens that for some time
past the inlet, or that portion that passes
through the foundation walls of the building
for the purpose of admitting cold air, has
been buried under from two, to four feet of
snow, and therefore no cold fresh
air has entered at all. The ends or inlets of
these flues ought to have been carried above
the damp air of the ground and the snow
banks. Hence no fresh or pure air has en-
tered the school building for days, otherwise