New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-29
MIsMANAGEMENT OF THE SCHOOLS.
TAMMANY's CARELEssNESs OF THE CHILDREN's
WELFARE APPARENT.

| TAMMANY's CARELEssNEss OF THE CHILDREN'S
WELFARE APPARENT.
| Incidents daily are coming TO the surface OF
| the disgraceful condition of the Public Schools,
| owing to the negligence Of the Iammany trustees
who have charge of them. These incidents by no
| means are isolated but they are found i'll pretty
nearly every ward. One Of the most giaflhg eN-
hibitions of Tammany maladministIation OF the
public schools is in Mayor Grants own Assembly
District, the XIXth. Here. in connection with
| Grammar School No. 81, which is at Columbus
ave- and Observation-Disclosures is condition
of affairs that probably could be found in no other
city, This schoolhouse is so crowded now that
there are three pupils to each seat On account
Of the number of pupils in the school three or
four wears ago an annex at No. PA West One
| bundred-and-dfth-et was rented at the rate OF
81 800 a wear This is an old, twostory building
with a ward for the children to play in three
or four feet below the level of the sidewalk.
This ward is always damp and the pupils daily
are in danger of contracting severe colds on that
account.
Ahout a wear aao another annex hired.
This was the ground floor in a tenement house al
Columbus-ave. and undred-and-seventh-st
The building is five stories high has from three
"a four families on floor and is directly in front
OF the Lion Brewery The builder who put up
this structure said yesterday that when ne was
at work on the basement he was compelled 10
% down 10 q considerable depth before he coud
find n suitable foundation AS it was, he struck
an old sewer through which ran large stream
of wafer The stream could not be checked, so
q hole was left in the side wall and another IN
the rear wall for the water TO run through lhch
thc excavation was filed up with ashes up 10 the
bottom of the sub-cellar. When the building
WAS rented as an annex to Grammar School NO.
a. there were three feet of water in the SUD
cellar. and an effort was made TO keep the water
out by filing in with concrete to Depth Oh
three or four feet. The bottom Oh
the sub-celar still is three or lour
feet below the sewer connections, ana 'here u
constantly considerable water in it. The hoor oil
tbe room used for the school is flush with the side
walk. and the playroom is in the cellar, which
is so dark at midday that gas has TO be used
The trustee who has immediate charge of this
school is William +. Stillings, counsel 10 inc
Sheriff, and n personal friend OF Mayor "rant
lie also is member of the Iamlnany cOihmiIee
ON oroani2ation from the XIVth Assembly District
Mr.. Stillings lives in One-hundred-ahd-hitY-
eccond-st. over two miles from the school. which
he can rcaon only by taxing two lines OF cars
While the renting OF such buildings for pubic
schools is not contrary to TIE Nv II # contrary
10 the spirit of an amendment to the Cons0 lda-
ton Act, introduced last winter in tie Assembly,
by Asscmblyman Farquhar, the Iamm2ny Hal
representative Of the llIG Assembly District: IL
is Charter 2O4 of the Laws of 1891, and it is as
follows: No building OF premises while occd-
pied for tenement-hOuse, shall he used Tor a
iodging-house, private school, stable, or for the
storage and handling Of rags.
Tie building last mentioned is owned by Peter
Mitchell. Of the law firm OF 2. Dc ID. Mitchell.
no. 49, Broadway, in whose office DIR. }: H.. y
Hunt the president of the Board of Education, has
hal a desk for many years. The school BoaId has
leased the building for three years: with the
privilege of renewal al the expiration o. that
time