The times., 1899-03-15
NEW SCHOOL HOUSES
FALLING into DECAY
An Amazing Report to the
Board of Trustees.
Poorly Constructed Buildings Palm
ed OFF on the District.
CIarin:: Defects Eound by the Com
mittec study Disturbed by
snow Drifts and Floods.

At meeting OF the Board of Trustees OF
Public Schools held yesterday afternoon
report was made by the committee on
buildings and grounds, through its chair
man. Mr.. Harries. wherein ii was shown
that nearly all the recently constructed
school buildings in the city are in con-
dtion bordering closely upon dilapidation.
The report opened with the statement that
last winter the attention of the committee
was attracted by the numerous requests for
large amounts of money with which 10 re-
pair new buildings. and an investigation
was decided upon. \ tour OF inspection was
made last week upon which, the report
presented yesterday is based.
The first building visited was the West
ern High School. The committee asked
Dr. Lane for written report of the de-
fects of the building. His report set forth
that the Western High School building has
many defects. Nothing had been done 20
deaden the sound between the floors. and
the lecture work and devotional exercises
we're often interrupted in the assembly
room by pupils marching overhead, which
sounded like troop OF cavalry. as DR..
Lane put il. Throughout the building
there vas evidence of bad workmanship.
The floors had sagged and along the line
Of the iron girders the boards hid broken
away.
1t was utterly impossible the report said,
to heat the building although the boilers
had been strained to their utmost capacity.
During the storm of February 1S, snow
drifted into the study room through cracks
in the windows, making a drift fifty-four
feet long and one and one-half feet deep.
one hundred tons of coal had already been
burned in the school during the winter.
which was more coal than had been used
10 run the Tenleytown power house. The
woodwork had shrunk so that it was pos
sible TO look out of doors through the
gaps in many places around the doors
and windows. The roof over the wing Of
the building was not properly constructed
and gave no end of trouble during the
winter Snow storms. Added to this was
a long list CT minor repairs that were
needed in this building The bolts on
the doors were all put on the outside and
Miss Wescott reported that there was not
door in the building that had not been
forced.
At this point one of the trustees asked
who the contractors were that built this
building. Mr.. Harries replied that Bald
win & Peck were the contractors. He then
continued with the report.
Gas Used for Heat.
The insufficient heat in the building
during the winter had made it necessary
TO heat the specimen room with gas. and
for the month of January the gas bill
amounted to s67.27. The brick work
around the boilers was also defective. The
blow-off pipe for the boilers was run
through the back of the furnace, which
caused 1t to burn out very often.
AR. Barnard. acting chairman of the
board meeting. wanted TO know who in-
spected this building. MIR. Hsrries re-
piled that il was inspected by the Building
Inspector OF the District, and accepted by
the Commissioners. The material usei
seemed not to be bad, he continued. but
ing. he said one portion Of the roof had
not the proper slant, and every time it
rsined the building was flooded.
The balcony in the gymnasium was un-
safe and dangerous. 1t was constructed 10
hold 125 people, but Mr. Harries said it
would collapse If half that number were
permitted TO occupy it. The water in the
shower bath. he said, runs the wrong way
and foods the floor and in the Iavatories
the drains In the sinks are the highest
place in them. so that they have to be
mopped out The areaways around the
windows were not drained. and all the
water falling in them soaked through the
walls OF the building, and after the Christ
mas holidays the walls in the lunchroom
had to be scraped of mold that had &C
cumulated on them.
The Chevy Chase School. which is also
new building, was then taken up. The
roof in this building. the report said, is
also in very bad condition. The orna-
mental bslustrades on the roof were Sc
constructed that the cutters could not be
repaired without more than double what
the cost ought TO be. The paint was o
the poorest quality and was fast coming
or
The walls OF the Reservoir School on tht
Conduit Road, were said to have settled
and the grade OF the yard was such as Il
cause all the surface drain to run into
The building and the basement is flooded
when It rains. The brick work was saiC
to be very poorly done, and the flooring
OF the basement WAS never finished.
Dangers md Discomfortx
At the Gross School the condition of tn,
yard was reported to be very bad. Th
paint used on this building was also com
planned Of.
In the Johnson school one Of the seriou
mistakes was the failure TO plaster tn
ceilings. The foors, according To the re
port, are loose, having been impropeTl
laid, and it is practically impossible L
heat the building. The difference Of th
temperature between the basement and In
nttic in cold weather is from 40 to 80 de
Rrees. the heat all being in the attic. TIL
wainscoting is loose, and wherever thsr
Is an iron girder in the building the rus