The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-02-02

New Things AT the High school.
Since Prof Leslie has taken charge OF the
high school there have been several changes
made which are of great and almost OF Vi'al
importance. The curse Of the High School
from the day of its completion, has been the
execrable manner Of heating and the total
lack of ventilation. The fact is that over two
hundred pupils have, nj nearly every term
been forced 10 breath the same air over ana
over again, air drawn from damp and un
wholesome basement. This can be better COM
pretended by description of the heating
apparatus as it existed previous TO the pres
ent improvements. First, the furnaces are
at either side Of the basement, aud the air
chambers were so arranged that all the air
through iron gratings in the walls. The
basement WAS always damp, and the water
closets, being open to certain extent the
. air thus drawn upward WAS necessarily foul
when il was inhaled the first time and its
founess greatly increased by lis being in
hailed numerous times by the many scholars
Not only did this abuse exist, but the case
was further made obnoxious by the toial
lack of ventilation, in consequence of which
the rooms we're always cold excepting with,
. in just a few feet of the register.
q Mr.. Leslies remedy for these evils was
very cheap in cost, and very effective lie
caused box,like passage to be made
from each furnace, under the floor, TO the
outside air, and by this means the air drawn
into the furnace is pure, as near so as city
air can well be. Then, in order to give the
building good system of ventilation he
caused registers to be constructed on the
opposite sides of the room from the hot air
registers, and by this means the air is taken
off the floor, giving room for the heated air
alone to descend. These registers, on the
east side of the building, are connected with
ventilator shaft, in which stove has been
placed, and when the stove has been heated,
the air in the room is Withdrawn very rap
idly, causing corresponding inflow of heat
ed air. On the west side Of the building,
ventila,or shafts have been constructed in
each corner, into which the registers are let
directly. These are fitted up with gas stoves
which have the same effect as the coal stove
in the ventilator.
By this new means Of heating, the build
ing is ventilated in the best possible man
ner, and the heat is uniform not only in all
the rooms, but in al parts of each room.
The coolest morning of the winter found the
building just as warm as it was on the balmi-
est day.
The new gymnasium is great help to the
school in more ways than one, but its great
exert over the boys, causing them to give
up the rough horse play for which they had
become so celebrated The gym - as the
boys call it, (perhaps because it is thus
known in college TALK is furnished with a
ladder, climbing board, a pulling machine
a sliding " boss" and boxing gloves. Other
tulISS Will DC Huueu as ING luuNS VI lu'
school increase.
The library and reading room have beer
made more valuable by recent additions
About thirty volumes of English literatur;
have been placed on the book shelves within
the past month. and The desks of the reading
room are garnished with late magazines anC
periodicals, as we'll as with the home pa
pers.
The school now has two hundred and for
ty'fve pupils in attendance, and is in mos
prosperous condition All that can be done
for the betterment of the minds and bodies
of the pupils is being done, and all that it
now botberiug the trustees is the fact thai
many of the young people who should com,
here are going elsewhere. The school car
accommodate about fifty additional pupils
without serious crowding. and this number
will be very nearly approached in the fall