The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-27
Menaced by a Concrete Wall Just
Finished at a Public
School.
PLAIN INSTANCE OF JoBBERY
Deep Ruts in a Newly Asphalted
Playground Planked Over to
Save Children.

Inc North Cosmopolitan scnoOln0uSe,
on Filbert street, between Taylor and
Jones, was recently remodeled and re-
paired. The children who attend the
school are now in danger of their lives
from the falling of concrete walls or OF
serious injury to limb by stumbling into
deep chasms in the newly concreted play
ground. Just three months ago the School
Directors were congratulating themselves
on the clever work they had done in max
ing practically new schoolhouse out OF
the old building. Last Saturday Miss
Margaret Mckenzie, the principal. made
anxious appeal to the Buildings and
Grounds Committee of the board for relief
from the ruin that menaced the pupils.
1.-THE concrete sustaining wall is still
pressing inward upon the yard" she
wrote, land it is liable to fall in at any
moment. / have to keep the childre n
away from it lest the wall might cave in
upon them"
The letter was directed to II. G. Hender-
son, chairman of the Buildings and
Grounds Committee, who in discussing
the subject yesterday declared
"This is about the worst case of jobbery
that has yet come under the notice of the
board. The utmost care has to be taken
lest the children attending the school
might be killed or injured by falling walls
that are not three months old.
1.-The North Cosmopolitan School build
ing was moved back from the street and
two wings were added. New Railways
were put in and the yard in front was
filled about twelve feet. With the new
arrangement the yard is on the south side
OF the buhding, and this gives the pupils a
chance TO play in the sunshine, where it is
dry and pleasant. But the sidewalk is
still considerable height above the yard
level, say fourteen feet at one end and
about ten feet at the other end. This ne
cessitated the building of concrete sus-
tanning wall for the sidewalk.
ga contract for the whole work was let
to Thomas Brannan 81 Son for $4,000.
These contractors sublet contracts for the
sustaining wall and for covering the yard
with bituminous rock. Ransom, Leonard
& Heating built the wall. Hardly had
the boards been removed than the wall be-
gan to crack and bulge in over the yard
The work was so poorly done we retained
$500 to be used in reconstructing the con-
crete wall, but l understand that the con-
tractor is going to sue the board for that
money. He will have hard time get
ting it.
81 am writing report on this jobbery
to be presented at the next meeting of the
board Wednesday night. l shall recon-
mend at that meeting that the board adj
vertise for bids for the reconstruction of
the wall, and also that the present one be
torn down without further delay. An ex-
animation of the concrete has revealed the
fact that there was not one-tifth enough
cement used to make it good and lasting
job.
miss Mckenzie, the principal, informed
me yesterday that the wall was still fall
ing, and had pressed inward seven inches
or more in the last week. AS the wall is
about fourteen feet high where weakest it
is very dangerous, and the pupils are not
allowed 10 go near it at any time. 1t is
liable to crumble to pieces or fall in upon
the yard.
THE yard itself is another instance of
rascality. II has settled fully two feet in
places ana is in a disgraceful condition
Mr. KIncaid, the inspector of buildings for
the board made an inspection of it last
week with me. and we came to the conclu-
sion that the deep ruts should be planked
over to prevent children from being hurt
through falling in.
Even the asphalt-covered playground is
a menace to the children. All over the
bituminous coating is cracked and sunken,
having followed the imperfect filling, and
the result is that the yard is a series of
deep puddles and little lakes, through
which the pupils pass with difficulty.
'We notified the Street Superintendent
to stop work on the sidewalk, which had
been filled to level with the curb Had
he finished his part of the work it would
have to be torn up for rebuilding the wall
The finished portion that had bitumen
laid is in as bad condition as the school
yard-another evidence of jobbery."