Evening star., 1897-02-10
HEATING SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
A Correspondent Thinks He Has
Found the Cause of Complaint.

A Correspondent Thinks He Has
Found the Cause of Complaint.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
The coud weather of the past month
again made prominent the fact that 1t Is
difficult to keep the rooms of the school
houses throughout the city warmed to the
point Of comfort. II not Of health, for the
children. The minimum temperature Of
the point In q room farthest from the
source of its heat should be 6I degrees. The
thermometer ought always to be placed on
the opposite side of the room from that on
which is the register, radiator or stove,
and should be consulted by the teacher
during cold weather at least once an hour.
There Is radical defect in the plan by
which the school buildings of the District
are heated to which l wish to direct the
attention of the superintendent of schools.
the Commissioners and all gentlemen who
nave 1t in their power to contribute In any
way to the prevention of this defect in any
of the school buildings which will hereaf-
ter be erected in the District. .
This defect will become apparent when
we nave described the method Of construc-'
uon now used and have pointed out its
remedy. The eight-room buildings all have
basement, where the heating apparatus
Is placed.
There is a central hall, which contains
the stairways, and is therefore in open con-
nection with all the rooms. In each of the
rooms the pupils sit with their backs to one
or the outside walls of the building while
the teachers desk is against one of the In
side walls.
The heat ducts from the furnace in the
basement como up one Of the inside walls
usually the one where the teachers desk is
located, and the register for allowing the
escape Of heated air into the room is close
by the teachers desk. Here is where the
method Of heating the rooms is defective.
Instead OF having these heat ducts and
registers In the inner walls, they should
be built into the outside walls
Instead of being placed in the walls that
are next to the inner hall, which is f1lled
with warm air direct from the furnace.
they should be interposed between the chill
dren and the outside cold. AS 1t is now.
the teacher, being in the warmest part of
the room, close by the hot air duct, be-
comes too warm and closes the register
when the children fringing the cold outside
walls, with their poorly fitting windows
are uncomfortably cold.
AS 1t would be under the new plan. the
warm air would come In ON the cold side of
the room against the backs of the children
(Which Is the most satisfactory way of re-
ceiving heaD, while the teacher would have
the thermometer On her desk at the oppo-
site side of the room. There would then be
no danger OF any child suffering from cold
II the heating apparatus and heat ducts in
the building be large enough to meet the
demands of cold snap, such as the one
through which we have just passed. Why
SO reason able a method of construction has
been unused would be astonishing If we
did rot know that human progress III
everything is accomplished by very small
steps with long intervals of waiting be-
tween the steps.
l hope that this article will attract the
attention of the gentlemen who will con-
troll the plans for the erection of the school
buildings during the coming years, ard
that they will enbody my suggestion In
those plans and cause the contractors for
the heating apparatus to comply with the
improved plans. l am one will
ever have cause to regret the improve
ments. 4. c. PALMER.