The record-union., 1891-09-29

criminal negligence-had not stopped
with the roof. Beneath the ground floor
! the very piers or supports themselves
We're not sufficient to support the build
! ing with any degree of SAFETY, Nine-inch
! brick piers had been put III, and they
! were very scarce, too. y man could, by
pushing against them, knock them down.
in one place there was span Of thirty
six feet where there were absolutely no
supports at all. Then ali through the
building the timbers had been thrown to-.
ee!her with only one or two nails to hold
them III place. TWO-thirds more nails
should have been used all through, par
ticulaIly on the roof. A painter who had
been sent up to paint the roof, said he
would not venture upon il again for all
the money in the country.
NO MORE DANGER.
But" said Mr.. Seadler, 1--WE have
completed the repairs now, and I con-
slider the building rs safe as any in town.
/ The roof has been thoroughly trussed and
braced, and braces have been put in ali
around-wherever they were needed.
watched all Of the repairing and know
that il was done properly. Parents need
/ have no fear now about sending their
children there. They can all dance jigs
there and will not hurt it. The delicate
brick piers have been replaced with
plenty Of stout wooden ones. But all this
talk about the contractor not putting up
the building properly in the first
place, because the specifications and
plans of the architect did not
call for proper hracing, is nonsense. No
contractor can tell me that specifications
are made up in that way by ANYBODY
Sometimes architects, instead of describ-
ing the bracing minutely, leave the mat
ter to the common sense Of the bUildar
and simply write in the specifications,
With proper bracing where necessary
You don't suppose that the architect
should specify in his plans just how
many nails should be used in a building
DO you? But, judging from this Twenty
first and l. streets job. | guess it would
have been better if such had been done.
as there were scarcely enough nails III it
TO hold it together"
Mr.. DAVIS EXPLAINS.
When the board was called to order and
was proceeding with its regular business,
Director Davis, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Buildings and Repairs, brought
the whole matter Formally before the
board by making q report on the repairs
he had ordered made. He told, too,
how he had happened to learn Of the
| condition of the building. OF course
there had been rumOrs that the build
ing was shaky, but he had not
learned anything definite until Mr.. Cass,
the painter who had undertaken the con-
to him that he did not think
the building was safe Mr.. Davis
said he went and looked at the
building himself, and was con-
WINGED that all was not well. But not be-
ing an expert, he thought it would be
better to have an architect look at the
building. He therefore called upon
James Se2dler, and requested him to in
spect the building. Mr.. Seadler cid So
and his report TO the Director was to the
effect that the building was in an alarm
ingly dangerous condition. AS the
school was about to reopen, and as he
Mr. Davis did not deem it advisable to
let several hundred children occupy the
building and thus expose themselves to a
possible disaster, he instructed Mr.
Seadler to proceed Immediately and put
the building in a safe condition.
Acting on these instructions Mr..
Seadler had put III considerable work at
the school, and had reported that it was
now as safe IS any building in the CITY,
and parents need have no fear now Of
sending their children to the school. The
cost OF the repairs amounted to about
500.
STRONG TALK.
The board approved Mr.. Davis course,
and the repair bills were allowed. Then
there was some rather strong talk.
Chairman Erlewine said that the
scarcity of nails in the school building
was appalling. He considered it GRIM
inal 10 erect such a building and then
turn it over to the board as fit place for
several hundred innocent children. He
was satisfied, too, that much lnforma-
ton that the board should know had
been covered up.
al understand that Contractor Bovyer,
who erected the building, has made the
assertion that he told the Board of Edu-
cation that that building was unsafe"
said Director Tufts. Now | want to say
right here that if he did say that he told
an untruth. | have asked all of the old
directors and every one of them say that
he never made such q statement to them.
! even asked ex-Superintendent Beard.
and he. tCo says no such q statement
ever came from Bovyer."
IL was the most damnable job I ever
saw" said Director Sherburn.
Never saw the beat Of it in my life,"
quoth Mr.. Payne.
Director Harrison said that somebody
was to blame for the condition the build
ing had been left in. Whoever it is"
he said, ought to be hung"
I'm places where good, strong braces
should have been put in.'' said Mr.. Sher-
burn, there were nothing but q lot of
scraps thrown together"
Several Of the Directors wanted to
prosecute the contractor, or whoever was
responsible for the work The others,
however, thought it would be wiser to
drop the whole matter. They argued
that enough of a row had been raised
already to warn others from follow
ing Bovyer's example, and beside, the
board had learned thing or two. This
course was finally decided upon.
OTHER MATTERS.
The regular routine business of the
board did not amount TO a great deal at
this session.
Professor Wharf, teacher of German at
the High School, asked the board to pur-
chase number Of German dictionaries
for the use of his classes. The request
was granted.
Miss Weeks, Vice-Principal of the Sac
ramento Grammar School, was granted a
| four-monthS' leave of absence.
The request of the proprietors of the
Bee for permission to offer prizes to
school children under fifteen years of age,
: who produce the best specimens of draw
ing. was also granted.
Mr.. Tufts, on behalf of the Committee
on Supplies, reported that an organ had
been purchased for the school at Fourth
} and q streets; there had been consider
able cleaning done, stoves purchased and
fuel stored for the coming winter.
Mr.. Davis reported that the work OF
filling in the lot surrounding the Six
; teenth and j street school was progress
ing slowly, but was being done well.
Seine leo lO9aS Of dirt had alrprdy bnnu