The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-09
OUGHT TO BE- IS.
School No. IL Seems to
Have a Hoodoo
In It.
SNYDER AND QUINN DISAGREE
Superintendent Thinks Build.
ing Should Be Opened
Director Says It Is
Unsafe.

The deplorable condition of No. IL
School, told exclusively in "The News
yesterday, has caused much comment on
the Heights. Residents in that vicinity
said they had no idea such state OF
affairs existed.
i A News reporter learned yesterday
| the cause. of the especially bad spot de-
| scribed in grammar class room No. 8.
over this spot the tin on the roof Is SO
4 badly rusted that there are several large
holes in the roof The water is thus
allowed to leak through.
Director w. H. Quinn, who has charge
of No. Il School, was seen at his home
last evening by a News reporter. He
was shown 1.-THE News" article detailing
the discoveries of the reporter. He was
| asked if he was opening this school Mon
day on his own authority or by direction
of the Board of Education.
Personally, I am very much opposed
to holding sessions in that building until
repairs are made he said. 81 have real
lied the deplorable condition of the walls
and ceilings for a long time and have
urged the Board to make the repairs. I
am tired of the whole thing. II is simply
a matter of work. work all the time and
accomplishing nothing. Time and time
up and look the building over. but few
| have done so. Three times week do I
visit the structure, and l know that the
i repairs should be made before the school
| is opened.
You can state that / would not open
| that school Monday, or any other day,
until a new roof has been placed thereon
| and new ceilings put up. l have had
| the loose plaster torn down, thus lessen
ing the danger of accidents, but it will
continue to fall until it is all ripped out
and new ceilings put up. No one knows
the state of affairs in the building better
| than 1, but some of the members of the
board want the school opened Monday,
and I suppose it will be opened.
Il conferred with Superintendent Sny
der and President Firm relative to the
opening, and they are in favor of holding
the sessions right off. This, in spite of
the condition of the roof and ceilings.
The building may be safe, but 1t is best
not to take any chances.
Several times have l asked the Board
of Finance for money to repair the roof
| and ceilings, but I was always put off
with the plea that there was no money
ON hand. Let the Board curtail expenses
on other things and let us have the nee
essary funds with which to make alter
atfons.
For $1,000 I could have new roof put
on. and metallic ceilings put up in every
one of the twenty-five class rooms. This
| work could be done in thirty DAYS. Still
the money is not forthcoming
Finance Commissioner Jacob Ringle was
asked if the Board had refused to appro-
pirate the requisite sum to repair the
| school in question.
'"The board has never been asked for a
definite sum-, he said I'VE have been
told that about so much was needed, but
we cannot go ahead and appropriate
about so much money. If a definite sum
were asked 1 have no doubt the money
! could be had without any difficulty. 1
believe if repairs are to be made let them
be made and never mind the expense.
Schools are necessary and should be kept
in the best of condition.
my Superintendent visited No. IL
School recently and told me that the roof
in some places was badly rusted. This
is due to the lack of paint. Whoever
painted the roof neglected his duty for
many places were left untouched. Those
! places have rusted away and / presume
the water comes in there. Tin roofs
need painting regularly and unless they
are looked after they will soon be destroy
4 ed My opinion is that these bad spots
| could be repaired in less than week.
A new roof will then be unnecessary.
i "As for the ceilings they could be torn
down entirely to insure safety. Those
bad patches should certainly be ripped
out. I think that with a few repairs to
the roof and the ceilings the school will
be in a safe enough condition for ses-
sions. but the repairs should be made. The
members of the Board of Education will
i come forward with definite sum for re-
/ pairs l am sure the appropriation will
be made
| II am going before the Board of Educa-
tion tonight, and 1 will make few sug-
gestions for keeping the schools in good
i condition the year round. My idea is to
have an expert architect appointed to visit
each school in the city with the school Gil
rector before vacation time, and have a
thorough examination made
! LET them make note of what repairs
are to be made and after every school
has been visited then advertise for bids
for the repairs. BY vacation time the
1 work of making the necessary repairs can
then go on without delay"
Mr.. Rfngle is confident of having his
| plan adopted.
i Superintendent Henry Snyder was asked
| this morning if he thought No. u was
safe enough to hold sessions in.
1 II am in favor of opening the school
/ without delay" he said. If there are
any dangerous patches of plaster, let
/ them be torn out The ceilings need not
4 interfere with the sessions. For that
matter all the ceilings could be torn out
! if they are in bad condition and the school
| could be opened just the same.
! 1T is the intention of the Board of
Education to repair the bad portions of
the roof when the snow is melted from
| the room No children should be put in
/ the school until the plaster is torn down.
/ The building can be rendered perfectly
/ safe in q few days. feel sure. But you
/ can rest assured that If Mr.. Quinn thinks
/ it unsafe for the pupils to be put in the
| class rooms it will not be done.
"Hasbrouck Hall is costing US $40 a day,
and if we use No. II now the money that
! is saved can be used for repairs to be
/ made in vacation time. 1t will take at
| least three weeks to make all the re-
| pairs needed in that school, You see il
/ this work is begun now the expense of
hiring Hasbrouck Hall keeps on piling
up.
i for sessions Monday. The extensive re-
| pairs can then be made In vacation time"
Mr.. Snyder said he had not been in the
school for week, and did not know the