St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-21

III was necessary 10 put III so many Drlck ana
spend so much money in preparing these old
buildings was that when these buildings
were built they were not provided with any
warm air or yentilating tiues or ducts OF suti-
cient size TO produce satisfactory results in
either warming or ventilation, and II was
necessary TO build in this work. Neither the
Board of Education or the architects are to
blame for constructing these old buildings
Without the proper sized flues and ducts. for
the Importance Of good ventilation
or understood by the Board or its
architects previous TO 1884: Then this mat
ter was taken up by DIR. Schitlmann and l..
A: Gilbert, who were at that time members
of the real estate committee and Mr.. Mill
ard, architect of the Board. but nothing was
done TO provide better warming and ventila-
| ton OF the public schools until March, 1886.
A great deal has been said about the cost
| of preparing the new school buildings for
the Ruttan system of warming and ventiia-
| ton and dry closets, and all these statements
| are grossly exaggerated. tits true that in the
new buildings containing The Ruttan system,
| the plans were prepared for the system and
Smead dry closets, but it was done to save
money for the taxpayers of st. Paul. and any
contractor who understands his business
| will tell you that 1t will cost much less TO do
| this work while the building is being built
| than TO let it to some outsider as an extra.
In the report of the committee on retrench-
ment they say: I'VE have endeavored to find
| out the cost of preparing the Van Buren,
| school for the Ruttan system, not including
the Smead closets; the cost has been two
| Thousand six hundred and seventy-two dol
| lars 60. 672. 00)." This statement is as mis-
leading as it is unjust, and for the following
| reasons:
| First-In 1886 the Van Buren, school build
| ing was tweive-room building, into which
we put the Ruttan system of Warming and
| Ventilation and Smead's Dry Closets, we fur
nishing all material of every kind for COM
| pleting the work ready for use, including all
mason and carpenter work, plastering and
| painting.
Second-An addition of eight rooms was
built on TO this building in 1887. and the
contractor that built it has been in Seat
| lie over year, and is the only man that
could tell what the 1ues and closets cost in
this eightroom addition. This committee
could not get their figures from reliable
source.
Third-lt is well-known fact that oil of
the warm air and yentila,ing fiues and duets
and the Smead Dry Closets can be built into
building during its construction for less than
half of what it would cost to build
the same work into an old build
ing, and the same contractor who
built the eight room addition 10 the Van
Buren, school. including the preparation of
this addition for the Ruttan and Smead Sys-
TENS, has also done for us and at our ex-
pense the work necessary in building warm
air and ventlating tiues, Smead Dry Closets
and all mason and carpenter work to put
the Ruttan and Smead Systems in the old
school buildings for less than the retrench-
III
new eight rooms Of the Van Buren,.
The price named. two thousand six hundred
and seventy-two dollars (S2,6I2.OU), is about
what 1t cost TO prepare an elght-room old
building for the system, but in the new build
ings il costs less than one thousand dollars
(Sl 100000 Now, it should not be forgot
ten that in building q school building for any
other system, even stoves. it is necessary to
build chimneyS for smoke and ventilation.
This cost should be deducted from what it
cost to prepare a building for the Ruttan and
Smead systems, and it will be found that to
prepare new building for the Ruttan and
Smead systems 1T costs not over One-third of
what has been stated in a st. Paul paper. 1t
is said that eight-room school buildings cost
more to build in st. Paul with the Ruttan and
Smead systems than it costs to build
these buildings before any Ruttan work
was put Ill. This may be true in some
cases, but the Ruttan and Smead systems are
not responsible for the increased eXpendi-
ture. as the following will show:
The Washington school. au eight-room
building, was built before there were any
Ruttan or Smeau systems In St. Paul. and
this building cost thirty-one thousand (S3i,-
OJO) dollars. and the steam heating appa-
ratus inthis school cost three thousand two
hundred and seventy five S3,273) dollars;
cost of closets used in this school, nine
hundred seventy-one (S97D dollars. Total
cost of steam heating plant ana water closets.
(Sf.446) dollars How do these prices CON-
pare with eight-room buildings containing
the huttan and Smead systems? There are
two eight-room buildings now being built in
much better buildings than the Washington,
and the contract price for these buildings
including the preparations for the
Ruitan and smead systems. is less
Washington school without Ruttan and
Smead systems; then the cost of the steam
heating plant and closets in the Washington
school is four thousand two hundred and
for rr-cixy 6o11o hi 10 3,
in the new eight-room building for Ruttan
system and Smead dry closets is about two
thousand six hundred dollars (S.,600.00), or
over sixteen hundred dollars (S1,60O.O0)
less than the heating plant of the Washing
ton school; and while the Washington school
may be well warmed it is unreliable and not
up to the standard of good ventilation.
Does this not explode the theory that the
Ruttan system is expensive? Suppose this
kind of a plant had been put into all eight
room school buildings in ST. Paul where
Ruttan apparatus is i'll use. it would have
cost over $4,000 more than the Ruttan
has cost. is this item worth saving?
Don't forget that IL cost the board of
education as much. or more, to prepare the
Washington for steam as it did any eight
room building prepared for Ruttan. 1t has
been demonstrated in all the principal cities
of this country that steam heating plant
with natural ventilation, such as is in the
Washington school building in st. Paul. does
not and cannot venrilate school building at
Washington school has been abandoned in
ali the principal cities of this country.
Below will be found comparisons with
other schools. which clearly show that the
Ruttan and Smead systems are much the
cheaper.
Let us now look at the cost of the different
heating and ventilating plants and the cost
of running the same.
The Lincoln school contains twelve rooms,
has steam heating plant and mechanical
ventilation. Cost of this plant to put in, in
Guiding boiler house and water closets, four
teen thousand four hundred and eighty-three
dollars Is 4,4S3.OO).
The Rice school contains twelve rooms.
same as Lincoln, and the Ruttan System of
Warming and Ventilation and Smead Dry
Closets. Total cost of plant in Rice School,
preparing building, six thousand eight hun
dred and ninety-two dollars S6.892.O0), or
over seven thousand five hundred dollars
less than steam plant in Lincoln as both
are same sized buildings, and were old build
ings when the plant was put in.
Now look at the cost of running the plants.
The fuel for the Lincoln school tor the win
ter of iSS9-9O was seven hundred and sixty
six dollars and sixty-siX cents (S766.66).
The fuel for the Rice school for iSS9-9U was
five hundred and ninety-fonr dollars
and and on ninetythre eorr cents
and janitors and assistants TO run
the plant in the Lincoln school for 1881
g. was one thousand nine hundred and forty
one collars ana Slxty-SlX cents (Sl.S4i.6O)
besides water tax. The cost of janitor serv-
ices for running Ruttan and Smead plants in
the Rice School for 1899 9D was seven hun
dred ana twenty dollars (S720.00). 1t will
thus be seen that the fuel engineers and
| janitors services in the Lincoln School was
two thousand seven hundred a..d eight dol
lars and thirty-two cents (S2,70S.32), while
the fuel and janitor's services i'll the Rice
| School for the same length of time was one
| thousand three hundred and fourteen dol
lars and ninety-three cents (S1,3l4 93.)
and ventilation and dry closets that costs
| over seven thousand dollars $4,000. OO)
less to put into building, and save you an
nnally over. one thousand three hundred
| Isl, 5000 dollars in running expenses, worth
| having? Nor is this all The dry closet sys-,
tenn in the Rice School costs nothing for re-
| pairs or water, while the water closet plant
| in the Lincoln costs one hundred (SlO0) dol.
lars per year for water, and nearly that much
| for repairs.
The Webster is another twelve-room build
mo ipin Pr1tt Of Nor air,cr