The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-06
A DEATH TRAP
Mayor Hoos Tells Finan-
ciers School No. 2 Is a
Disgrace to the City.
DEMANDS A NEW BUILDING
Lives of Children Endangered
By the Tumble-down
Condition of the
School.
DEMANDS A NEW BUILDING

0OAO04s
Mayor Hoos sent letter to the Board
of Finance at its meeting this afternoon
urging that something should be done at
once to build new public school in the
place of No. on Erie street. The con-
dition of the present building has long
been a subject of severe criticism.
Builders and architects have repeatedly
condemned it as unsafe. Should a fire
occur in it the loss of life would be APP
palling. Over and over again has His
Honor appealed to the city authorities
to give a new school for the Third ward,
but somehow other wards have received
new schools and the Third Wards plea
has been pfgeonholed. His Honor doesn't
mince matters in his letter, which reads
as follows:-
Honorable Board of Finance
"Gentlemen-The fire in the basement
hall Of Public School No. S3 on 109tn
street, New York City, where so many
children escaped with their lives by. a
narrow margin, as reported in the public
press yesterday prompts me to again re-
quest that your honorable Board take inn
mediate action in the matter of building
new school in the Third ward to relieve
old No. 2. The Board of Education has
passed different resolutions touching on
this matter ana mas appeared pelOTS SOel
Board. have urged the matter in every
possible way and have tried to present
the facts clearly to you, but no action has
been taken.
.',The reason for this canot understand.
Is it because am a resident of the Third
ward? II some people have personal
grievance and fear that some credit
might reflect on me by the erection or a
new school they should show their feel
ings in some other way and not endanger
the lives of so many children daily by
tl1Naer
which has outlived its usefulness.
When No. 2 was built some fifty years
ago | think it is safe TO say not four hum
dred children occupied the class rooms.
Today we find over twelve hundred chill
dren housed in that building with old
fashioned staireases and no avenue OF es-
cape in case of fire; hemmed in on both
sides and rear with buildings, narrow
doors in front, wretched sanitary condi-
ton and light and air practically shut Off
from the building entirely. The license
money is now pledged for a new building
in the Twelfth ward-weil and good-but
if we have not alternative then the Legis-
lature should be appealed to and bill
pasesd authorizing the city to issue bonds
to rebuild this school or rather to build
school in some other locality in that
''The old building could then be used
as a Grammar School, provided the
wings-which by the way, according to
were taken down. This would afford
space for play grounds, light and air
would reach the clas rooms and above
ALL exits could he furnished which might
some day save the lives of many chill
dren. BY this the outlay of money
w9ua nqS ne 50 g ad ThnE e OF gge ge.
tlenlen, the loss of one child by reason
of the fact that the city failed to pro-
vide safe buildings in which to educate
our youth would be an everlasting stain
Il am not sounding this alarm for a
purpose-I feel that it is duty Very
little parents think when starting their
children off to school in the morning that
perhaps such an accident as the one re-
ported yesterday would rob them of their
dear ones. The condition of our High
School is practically the same as I have
.sThe Principal, Mr.. Hopkins has ap-
peared before your Board and made
statements to that effect, but some wise
acres of men who for a purpose object
and were never contested, find pleasure
in giving vent to personal spite and by
so doing make the innocent masses suf-
fer. 1t is our duty to provide safe build
ings and keep same in a proper sanitary
condition. We compel private parties to
do this and we compel proprietors of
theatres and places of amusement to
make their places safe and secure ac far
as possible, and to these places we go for
amusement-not so with our school
I'VE all know how ESSENTIAL it is that
our youth should receive an education
and parents are compelled to send them
to school for this purpose. 1t is our duty
to provide safe public schools at all haz-
ard. No matter If the tax rate will go
up. The lives of our children should not
be endangered when dollars and cents
can prevent it,
Very respectfully,
EDWARD HOOS. Mayor.
Finance Commissioner Jacob Ringle
heartily agreed with the Mayor that a
new school should be built and he said
he would do all he could to further the
object.
Nineteen years ago." said Commits
sioner Ringle, II was on committee ap-
pointed during the administration of
Mayor Orestes Cleveland to inspect that
school On that committee were build
ers and contractors who stood high then
in the community. We made a careful
and thorough investigation of the school
and we unanimously condemned it as un-
fit for school purposes. Mind that was
nearly twenty years ago. What must be
the condition Of that school now? I am
thoroughly in unison with Mayor Hoos
in his efforts to have "a new building and
! think it is high time we built one. To
keep it standing and permit children 70
go there for their education is nothing
short than crime. can find no strong
er word that that
SThe Board referred the Mayors com
munication to Committee of the Whole
Ii is understood that prompt action will
be taken towards securing a new build
Ing.