The evening times., 1896-04-15
DtlTHTRAPF FOR Children
Anthony Bowen School in a
Shocking Condition.
ALMOST READY TO TUMBLE
Cracks Large Enough to Put IA Hand
Into on Inside and Out side Walls.
Sunken Floors und Two Terrible
Stuirways-Ilaster Falls From tue
Ceiling Nearly All the Time.

With the exception OF the Government
Printing Office, no greater deatii-trap rx-
istsin Washington than the 4 mt hony Bo wen
School, for coored children, located at the
Corner of Ninth and streets southwest.
To all out tward appearances il is only old
and weathcrbeaten, but a close eXaniina-
ton of the Interior reveals sunkcn floors
buging walls, cracked ceilings with fall
ing plastering, and a double stair way, which
seems to have been constructed just FOR he
purpose OF prccipltating children To TIE
floor below.
The building has a rear md front sn
trance directly opposite each other. just
between these entrances, but IA iItt c to Tie
rlHht, rises Il stairway from the front ana
from the rear AT an angie of 1T least
5O degrees these stlirways ascend ana meet
At thc top at a landing no larger than SIX
feet 10y SIX.
standing on this landing IL Times repre-
sentative looked down the steep e.cVa-
tion. II Is twenty feet to the hotI oni.
So steep is IL tnat should Il child slip IL
would not stop IA Hing until il rolled against
the wall, which rises up a few feet away
from the bottom step.
A DANGEROUS LANDING.
The landing ar-thc top is so small that
six children cannot with safety stand upon
it, lest 10y "A misstep they are started roll
ing down one or the other stairs. II is
danger to the right Of them and danger to
the left of them.
Some time ago the school officials prU-
claimed it desirable that Il fire driIl should
he prIcticed III each of the public schools.
1t was attempted i'll the Bowen school, tut
was soon stopped because of the danger of
having the puplls run down the stairs
Tse pupils from Tour Rooms are Obliged
three Tunes day To descend the scstiirs Il nj
ii is wonderful that no fatal uiishap has
been reported from the school.
MISS Julia {. Grant, the principal OF the
school, showed The Times REPRESENTATIVE
about the building. She explained The dan
SItrTnnntfDh lac nj
OF an occasion tnly a short time ago when
a slight fire nearly caused Il panic amuny
the children
On the ilrst floor there is an open space
between the two stairways. 1t is here that
large stove Is located. The dangerous
part OF this heating arrangement is that
thcplpe goes up through n q ahOve-mentiGn Gnea
iandingand through thereilinE onthc second
lioor In the winter time tins pipe Is hot
so not thHt the cniidren must not get too
close for fear OF being burned. At first
there was no protection To keep this noI
pipe from isnIting the wood around the
stairway and II WAS then that the firc took
place II became heated and burned the
flooring through which IL passed
AT THE MERCY OF FLAMES.
This being reported to the authorizes.
a terrd-cotta pipe was put between the
wood and the pipe. 1t is not entirely safe
yet. and should fire get start it would
1rst consume the stairway. thus burning
away the only means of cscI ne open tnth,.
of the flames.
From these death productive cons,ruc-
IONS Inc Times representa- i've ilsI..C,pJ
the rooms occupied by the children. Tie
most nihSeroaS room up stairs i- the south.
eastern. In the northeastern corner OF
this room the flOoriu. has suuken ,hc out
side walls have commenced to bulge and
50 great IS the strain that the Dla sterinr in
the corner has been torn apart an 4 "A Cracr
Large enough to insert the fingers extends
rom y, lhe Iioor to the ceiling. The bullying.
IN thls eastern wall IL very plain from No
outside, where even cracks are uotic,atIc
among the bricks. In one place /, can Ne
seen that the wall has sIuken in a Iit,ie
In the room adjoining the one ALREADY
described these cracks are as pIa inly seen
IL Is only "A continual ion Of the defect in
the wall, ana here the cracks are. 50 I,rr,
That one ca IN insert the hand
II is exceedingly dangerous. IN. w.,li.
iorn apart as they are. The floor bcre is
also sunkcn- The same condition eyiSts
III thc Othcr two rooms upstairs and in
each room there is more or less fIlIIn,.
pldslcIIhE. MISS Dfih', speaking TO the
reporter. said:
PLASTER ALWAYS FALLING. n.
Il am very fearful or the falling plaster
ing. Tie children become so easily fright
ehed al II, as they realize that the building.
is dangerous. Every time pln>tering fail.
you can see Them start and AT one time one
hoy started TO jump ont of the window..
Iheybelieve when tie plastering ommcnc.s
10 1all that the building is tumbling in and
nave several times Jumped to their feet
win the purpose Of rushing out. II has
oiiy Dtcn by the Will of The teacher that
ihcy nave been restrained. Should they
become panic stricken and get to the
stairway the death would he terrible.
The plastcrnc is continually falling.
and there is not a room which has noi thar
defect. Last year they plasterci anew
he southwestern room, but Il large hit