Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-08
CITIZENS PROTEST
Mass Meeting Condemns the johnson
School Building.
REPORT OF INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
Demand That Structure Be Placed
in Good Sanitary Condition.
ESOLUTIONS ADOPTED

The people Of Mt. Pleasant and Columbia
Heights. particularly those whose children
attend the Johnson public school in Mt.
Pleasant, held meeting last evening for
the purpose of taking action relative to
the alleged insanitary condition of the
school building. The meeting was held at
the Hotel Stratford, 18th street above Park
| street, nearly two hundred persons attend
| ing. report on the condition of the
school building was submitted by a COM
| mittee appointed at meeting held last
week and was adopted together with a
| series of resolutions prepared by the COM
mittee, and a committee of nine was APP
pointed to lay the report before the Dis
trict Commissioners and demand of them
that the school be closed until the evils
complained of in the report shall have been
removed or remedfed, and the building made
safe for the return of the children attend
ing it.
The meeting was called to order by Mr.
Alfred l.. Leonard a member of the COM
mittee appointed to investigate the school.
his associates being DR.. B. F. Gibbs and
Mr.. w. Fl. Robson. The meeting selected
Mr.. Leonard as its chairman, and Mr. l. r.
Hit, jr., secretary. Mr.. Leonard stated the
purpose of the netting. adding that ever
since its erection TIE Johnson school build
ing mas Deen disgrace to the community,
not having been properly built or designed.
and never having been in sanitary condi-
ton.
Committees Report.
The report of the investigating commit
tee was next presented being read by Mr..
Robson. 1t was follows:
The committee reported that it had made
a thorough examination of the Johnson
school building, it's inquiry being direct
ed to its not only general condition. but
more particularly to the sanitary methods
employed. finding the condition of the buii1-
ing as to superficial cleanliness good, from
basement to attic. The committee found
no fault of any kind with the management
of those in immediate personal charge.
The approaches to the building are not
paved. stated the committee. and in wet
weather are of course, muddy and dis
agreeable. An untitled well, boarded over.
in the front yard, was found by the
committee. The ground is low and the
walls of the building damp, this being par
ticularly noticeable in the play rooms which
are situated in the basement, and also
without heating facilities of any kind.
The old frame building situated on the
northwest side Is within few feet of the
main building and necessarily diminishes
the supply of light and air of the rooms
on that side.
There is no heat in the main hall. said
the committee, ard the furniture of the
rooms Is not suitable for many of the pu-
pills, reference being had particularly to
the small size of the chairs. The basement
entrances are too small, In the commit
tees opinion being entirely inadequate for
fngress and egress. The cloak rooms were
found to be without lockers, the wraps
hanging on hooks side by side, selected by
the pupils al random.
The fitting of the doors and windows is
declared to be faulty. creating draughts
which cannot be controlled. and rendering
| II impossible to keep the building warm In
very cold weather. the committee believes
and difficult in any weather to maintain
| an even temperature.
Heating Facilities.
The entire system of heating is primi-
| tive and poor stated the committee 1t is
the hot air system. There chambers
into which the cold air from the outside is
admitted. This circulating around the fur
naces is conveyed through pipes to regis
tiers placed near the ceilings of the study
and recitation rooms. 1t Is supposed that
| this warm air accumulates in such quantity
| that it finally descends to the neighborhood
of the pupils and passes out OF the rooms
through ventilators placed In the base
board. These ventilators seemed to the
committee to be Inadequate to carry off all
| the air Of the room as fast as 1t should
| be taken. 1t is to the source of this air
supply and the disposition Of it that its
| investigation was more particularly dl-
| rected.
| The closets says the committee, are sit
| uated in the basement and are constructed
| upon the plan known as the Smead system.
| After describing this system in detail the
| committee points out its defects as they
| are believed to exist. The report says:
| THE theory is that the heated air around
the furnace escaping through the vent pro-
| ViGed for that purpose creates a suction
! which draws down the air from the rooms
| above through the connecting ducts, and
| there is no doubt that it does so. The the
| DRY Is further that this air coming down
these ducts in strong draught and pass
| ing over the excrement will evaporate or
| dry it out. passing thence out the vent
the Up to the point 3b Of the
| seems supported by the facts. but in the
| matter of the safe escape of the evaporat-
| ing current the theory wholly fails. The
| vitiated air from the school rooms Is first
| received in the chamber from which there
| is the opening mentioned into the recep-
| tacle for the excrement, and when the FUR
| mace is hot this air comes In strong
| draught, passing through the opening over
| the deposits
| IF there were but one vent in this rectan-
| gular chamber this air would OF course seek
| that outlet; blu. in every seat opening there
| is an additional vent, and these are reached
| first by this strong current of vitiated air.
| Through these, as well as the vent above
the furnace. the air impartially finds Its
| way into the closets above. whence it is
| again distributed through the building, not
only not rid of the impurities. but sur
| charged with the foul odors and dangerous
| gases it may have gathered in its passage
| through the deposit chamber to the closet
| seats.
Down Draught Produced.
Down draught from the rooms is ere
/ ated" says the committee. by the heat of
| the furnace in this rectangular cavity. This
fire expires Friday evenings The result is
| that the draught then ceases, and from
this chamber. connected by the opening
| with the vault, the air rises through the
| same ducts to the rooms above entering
| this time at the floors This upward flow
| of air continues until the fires are rekindied
| Monday morning. when the direct trans
| mission of the foul air ceases, and its indi-
| rect transmission again begins. The pres
| ence of strong odors in the study rooms
| during the visit of the committee, between
the hours of and 5. entirely satisfies us
| with the correctness of the idea we have
| thus expressed.
! Thus 1t is that when the furnace
fires are burning some of the air drawn
| from the rooms above is returned to those
rooms with added impurities. When the
fires are not burning the draught is directly