The times., 1899-03-25
COLONEL HhRRIES Files
His SECOND REPORT
The Bad Construction of School
Buildings Emphasized.
Over $iO,0 900 Expended for Repairs
in the Last Half Year.
The District Commissioners May
Now BE Inclined to Take Some
Official Notice.

Following a loss of several days, brought
about by the refusal of the District Com
missioners TO take action upon the IN
signed report of Colonel Harries on the
dilapidated condition of local public school
buildings. the signed report was returned
to the District Building yesterday and
steps begun finally to fix the blame for
the bad construction and imperfect and
worthless inspection.
The report reached the District Offices
early and was handed TO Commissioner
Ross. 1t consists of two written state
ments prepared by Francis r. Lane,
Principal of High Schools, and several
typewriter pages of comment and memo
randa thereon by Colonel Harries. Chair
man of the school committee on buildings
and grounds. which conducted the in
vestigation of the bad condition of school
buildings.
Commissioner Ross declined to make
any statement as to the manner in which
the charges contained in the report would
be taken up and investigated by the Dis
trict Commissioners He inferred that the
report would be referred to Engineer Com
missioner Beach and by the latter to John
b. Brady. District Inspector of Buildings,
who will be asked for a statement regard
ing the serious allegations of the school
committee.
Colonel Harries visited the District
Building yesterday. He had conference
with Engineer Commissioner Beach At
ter the interview he stated that he thought
Captain Beach would give the report
prompt consideration. Colonel Harries
said that the school trustees were not de-
sirous of entering into any controversy in
submitting their report to the Commits
sioners. He said the defects were very
plain to the committee, of which he is
chairman. and thought that in justice TO
the public and the school trustees the
faults should be given publicity so that
proper action might be taken to fix the
| responsibility and measures taken 10 pre-
vent a repetition of bad work.
Although the Commissioners appear TO
| be unconcerned they realize the grave i'm
portance OF the charges that have been
made and feel very keenly their interest in
| the matter. Inspector of Buildings Brady
has been investigating the charges for
several days, and although the report has
not yet reached his hands in its entirety
| in an official way. he is fully aware of its
contents and is preparing to make a state
ment. He seems TO realize that his Office
is very much to blame as it is apparent
to almost everyone that that official as
well as the Commissioners have grossly
neglected their duties.
After the report was originally referred
TO the District Commissioners a request
was made of l.. E. Bond, Superintendent
of Repairs to Public Schools, to submit a
statement regarding the amount of repairs
| made TO buildings during the present fiscal
year. This action was taken in view of
the fact as already stated in these col
umns, that attention was drawn to the
faulty construction of school buildings by
reason of the large amounts of money paid
for repairs on comparatively new build
ings. II was thought very strange by the
trustees that new buildings should require
SO many repairs. and steps were at once
taken 10 learn where the trouble lay. The
Harries report Was the result.
In this connection it is a matter of COM
ment that although the Commissioners re-
fused 10 recognize the report Officially
until after il had been signed they never
theless requested Superintendent Bond 10
make special statement regarding repairs
in his official capacity as superintendent.
The report OF Superintendent Bond gives
list of The work done in the way of re-
pairs since July l. 1888, and includes ex-
penditures up 10 March l last. Ii begins
as follows:
"Aal material delivered to the shop has
been used in work on the various build
ings. In the accompanying list only the
cost OF the material and contract work has
been mentioned the cost of labor is given
in total. 1t would be impossible to keep
the cost of labor separate on each building
unless an account was opened with each
| school. and this would require the services
of bookkeeper regularly, and in my opin-
ion this is unnecessary.
You Will, perhaps, notice that a num-
ber OF the schools have only a small
amount mentioned for repairs. which may
not mean. necessarily, that there was not
very much work performed at the building
for instance all the paints, timers sup
plies, and great deal of lumber and
hardware are delivered at the shop, and
! from there taken to the buildings. and there
is no mention made OF this in my list for
reasons given above and because it would
| be equivalent to charging material twice
on the same work. since it has previously
been charged 10 the shop deliveries.
The buildings are in a fair condition
although there is still a great field fol
improvements in many respects. which are
| being taken UP as rapidly as time and ap-
preparations will permit.
Following is list of the work by diyi-
| sions, and following each division report
is synopsis of the work performed il
| that division:
First Diyision-Phelps. $50: Thompson
Si47.39; Dennison. slS2.75; Force. SI3971
soyf-oVs So.bU, ADAMS
S3S; Berret. SIG. Total, s92725. Repair.
were made 10 furnaces. steam apparatus
new ceilings, calcimining, iron railings
plumbing, glazing. material furnished
janitors, painting, and picture molding.
Second Division-Webster, s293 80
Henry, s661.3S; Abbot. s56; Twining, s226
/ Morse, s1i3; Polk, 1898; Seaton, $i0I. 40
| Total, sl,seI.26. Repairs were made ts
heating apparatus, floor oil, plastering
calcimining. glazing. graining woodwork
paving. plumbing. material furnished jani
| tors. carpentry. painting. and roof work
| Third Division-Brent, $4S6; Carbery
| s35: Lenox. S312.6s; Mccormick, $25
Iaaury, ss4l.20; Peabody. s5394O Towers
| sss4.l4: wallach. Sl,00s. Total. SO, ,s09 AZ
Repairs included grading, paving, plumb
ing, heating apparatus. granting. wood
work. floor oil. iron fencing, plastering
calcimining, repairs to brickwork, ma
terial furnished janitors, and two new fur
naces for the Maury.
Fourth Division-Amidon. SIS; Bradley
slI3: Greenleaf. $7s.70; Jefferson s5S9 40
10