The times., 1899-12-08


the schools in the District developed the
fact that the johnson building and one
other, were constructed in such manner |
as to be a menace to the children attend
ing them. and recommendations were made |
to the Commissioners at that time to
have the matter attended to.
The Johnson building was inspected by |
the Health officer and he stated, only |
last week. that aside from the defective |
ventilating system the school was in good |
condition The system referred to is |
known as the Smead system, and is in |
use in many of the public schools of the /
District. The people living in Mount |
Pleasant claimed that most Of the cases |
of whooping cough, mumps, scarlet fever, |
and diphtheria in that section were traced |
20 the exposure the children were sub
1ected to in the school room and they |
have petitioned the Commissioners a Lum- |
OF times with the object of having the |
defects corrected. Receiving no encuuT- !
agement from the municipal authorities
the citizens took the matter in their own
hands and appointed a committee to in
Vestigate the conditions existing in the
school 1t was the report Of this commit
tee which was read at the meeting last
night
Report of the Committee.
The gathering was called to order by
committee, w. H. Robson, when called
upon, read the report, as follows:
Your committee have, as directed made
thorough examination of the Johnson
School building, their enquiry being di
Ieeted not only to its general condition but
| more particularly TO the sanitary methods
employed.
The condition of the building, as to
| superficial cleanliness, is good from base
ment to attic and no fault of any kind is
| 10 be found with the management Of those
/ in immediate personal charge. The ap-
! proaches to the building are not paved
and in wet weather are, of course, muddy
and disagreeable There is an untitled well
| boarded ever in the front yard. The
| ground is low and the walls of the build
! ing are damp. This is particularly notice
able in the playrooms, which are situated
! in the basement, and are also without
heating facilities of any kind The old
| frame building to the northwest side is
within a few feet OF the main building and
necessarily diminishes the supply of light
and air for the rooms on that side.
There is no heat in the main hall The
furniture Of the rooms IS not suitable for
| many of the pupils, reference being had
particularly 70 the small size of the chairs.
The basement entrances are too small, be-
ing entirely inadequate for ingTess and
egress in event of fire. The cloak rooms
are without lockers the wraps hanging on
hooks side by side, selected by the pupils
at random. The fitting of the doors and
windows is faulty, creating drafts which
cannot be controlled and rendering ii i'm
possible to keep the building warm in cold
weather and difficult in any weather to
maintain an even temperature.
The entire system of heating is poor
and primitive There are chambers into
E.s,.I, a.. .fss I1 ID
mitted. This, circulating around the fur
naces, is conveyed through pipes to regis
ters placed near the ceilings of the study
and recitation rooms. 1t is supposed that
this warm air circulates in such quantity
that ii finally descends 10 the neighborhood
of the pupil and passes out of the rooms
These yentilators seemed to your commit
tee to be inadequate to carry off all of the
air in the rooms as fast as it should be
taken In. II is to the source Of the air
! supply and the disposition Of 1t that our
investigation was more particularly di-
rected.
Pupils Exposed to Diseases.
I'VE are advised that scarlet fever, ty-
phoid fever, as we'll as some low fevers, car
r be contracted through this medium. In
any event. the human system, constantly
exposed TO these odors, becomes enfeebled
catarrhal troubles are aggravated, the mu-
cous membranes are irritated, and a falloN
/ field IS prepared 10 receive and germinat,
I the seeds of dangerous diseases. That thest
> suggestions are not merely theoretical Il
> proved by existing conditions. There are
| large number OF cases OF whooping cougl
in the neighborhoOd There have beeI
twelve cases of scarlet fever and three 0
diphtheria among the pupils of the school
Most of the cases have occurred among tn
pupils in the northwest room on the secont
floor, which from its position, cannot re
ceive the morning sun. The things whic
are to be done are here presented for NOR
j., inte gent consideration.
II The report then gives the number Of i'm
?. provements which the committee propose
+ TO introduce, including among them th
l. paving of the streets from Park Street {
>. Kenesaw Avenue, and the entire reconstruc
= ton Of the sanitary system on a mOder
N basis At the conclusion Of the reading c
~ the report the chairman of the meeting re
Quested the citizens present to make what
- ever comments they desired on the mat
a ter.
- Leo Simmons, member OF the schoC
: board and resident Of Columbia Heights
- requested that the committee would nc
NJ act rashly in the matter. He said tha
~ while it was undeniable that the subuT
y was IN need of new sidewalks he did nc
ID port. which was to be submitted to th
81 Commissioners and to Congress If neces
sary. Mr. Simmons was frequently inter
rupted by a member seated near the cent?
of the parlor, who questioned the speaker
right to talk on the Subject intimatin
l. that he was not acquainted with the fac
in the case Mr. Simmons paid no after
Of ton to the interruptions, however, an
n finished his address. Charles Hamilto
lie sthen addressed the meeting in defence
= the report and suggested that II be adop
Up ed and a committee appointed to convey
G, to the Commissioners. Mr.. Robson the
le read q set Of resolutions which set fort
a the need OF immediate repairs to the builC
q, ing, requesting that it be closed while Il
repairs were in progress 1t was al.
IN stated in the resolution that it was II
IN opinion OF the meeting that the buildir
De was not properly constructed. Mr.. Sin
nt mons spoke in a deprecating manner of Il
es closing of the building and Mr.. Some
le Vile took exceptions to the use OF Il
10 phrase condemning the construction. I
= said he had visited the school while it VI
I being built and could state positively tn
there was nothing the matter with the COZ
81 -, IN he sv