The herald., 1894-01-11
The Ice Palace Created by the
School Board.
A Condition of Affairs That Will
Not Down,
In Spite of Director STEMS Gag
Rule-A Visit to the Build
ing and what Was
Seen.

nigh school.
A merciful Providence might then
either remove them to different scene
OF action or press in upon their solid
craniums the fact that the several hun
dred pupils in the building are herded
together like 80 many animals to get
along the best way they can, the tttest
to survive.
The HERALD has been receiving com-
plants about the heating of the nigh
school, and yesterday reporter visited
the building to thoroughly investigate
its condition.
The time chosen was just noon, when
the outdoor temperature was most
genial and the building would be
warmest.
The highest temperature registered
during the dsy was 6S. 1t was bright
snd sunshiny, a typical winter day Tor
this section.
When the reporter entered the front
entrance the principal, Mr.. Gates, said
that the rooms would probably be found
pretty cool, as it was the noon recess
and the doors had probably been opened.
Only few steps had been taken into
the central hall on the fret floor, when
decided charge in the temperature
was disagreeably noticeable.
In the halls were still number OF
boys and girls. They were shivering
with the cold. Nearly all the girls had
on heavy wraps, and there was much
coughing and all the accompaniments
OF colds ad libtum.
! Many of the pupils were questioned,
| hod an n,la fO foil
suffered from the cold that prevailed in
the rooms and throughout the building
They knew of numerous instances in
which pupils had been taken sick from
the exposure to which they had been
subjected.
There was not a sign OF the slightest
attempt to heat the halls from basement
to garret, and the drsughts that rushed
around the corners OF dark, damp cor
ridors was enough to give chill to a
brass monkey.
The rooms upon all the fioors were
visted. The coldest rooms are on the
north side of the building, and an at
| tempt was made to ascertain the exact
temperature in the rooms.
Two OF the lady teachers accompanied
| the reporter into one room, where lit
tie gas stove was vainly endeavoring to
warm the atmosphere an incn away
from it. A thermometer hung not more
| than ak feet away from the stove, on
the wall. 1t registered So degrees
One of the teachers said that the tenn
perature OF the rooms Of the building
averaged 55 degrees, with the gas stoves
going This on warm, pleasant day
The names of these teachers will not
be given for the school board to put
down in their private terrorum books.
Another teacher went into a room
where a number of high school girle
were trying TO keep warm in heavy
wraps. An inquiry about the tempera-
ture caused one OF them to say there
was thermometer. 1t was taken down
from nail and showed the temperature
was 65 degrees. A closer inspection
showed that the bulb was broken and
the mercury had all run up to the top
of the instrument.
The two thermometers mentioned
were all that were noticed, though there
may have been some in other rooms.
On the south or sunny side of the
building several girls were sitting in q
room which was chilly, although the
sun had found it's way slightly through
the windows. They all wore heavy
wraps. In each OF these class rooms
one small gas stove was the heater that
the board of education has considered
good enough for the pupils of the high
school OF Loa Angeles. In the large hall
on the third floor called the auditorium
used as a study room. four gas stoves
were found-turned off.
When Mr.. Gates was asked about
this he said the room had not been used
| =. kt,1 tt.k l..
the afternoon. He said it was no use
turning them on; they did no good.
The boys were much more noncom-
initial about the outrageous state oil
affairs than the girls. Some of them
would only shrug their shoulders and
say that it was pretty cold, while others
came right out and said the cold was
almost unbearable.
/ One of the teachers said Mr.. Gates
did all he could, as all the teachers did
to mitigate the sufferings of the chill.
dren. When one class bad been in an
extremely cold room for a certain length
of time, it would be changed into 6
warmer cold room, and the pupils there
in would go into the cold room.
The complaints made public hereto.
fore do not come up to the truth by 6
long way. The pupils and teachers
spoken with were themselves, many o.
them, suffering from bad colds contract
ed in the jail-like structure, and the in
difference of the board of education to 8
state OF facts OF which they are thor
oughly apprised is something that, wher
fully known, will arouse the indignation
of the community.
4 AS one of the teachers said: ''If yor
think this is bad. you ought to come
here some rainy day."
At the board OF education meeting
on last Monday night, Mr.
Hughes brought up this question o
heating and asked the architect if the
fues already in the building could no
be utilized at once for using stoves tC
make some change during this cold ahe
the rest of the winter. Then it wal
that M. Stein, one of the solid ak
choked off discussion, for what purpose
only be and his contederates know, anC
the subject was eheyed.
at this same meeting Mrs. HugheE
called attention to the elevator well, iti
open doors, and heap OF debris at the
bottom chucked down by janitors and
allowed to accumulate. Yesterday ths
doors to the well on the different floor,
were locked, but the one IN the base
ment WAS unlocked. and upon beinl
opened, there WAS big mass OF paper'
and rubbish. 1t was just this thing OBJ
iected to by Mrs. Hughes, and correctly
as dangerous. The basement is visited