Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1903-03-14
The School House Question.

The present school grounds and build
/ ing are complete unit in themselves and
taken together make the most beautiful
school surroundings in the state if not the
northwest.
An annex or another building on these
grounds would ruin this effect and destroy
much Of the utility of the plant. An an.
mex or another building on the old site
would of necessity conform in architect
ure to the present building, which would
be expensive On new site plain, neat
building could be erected and at the
same time not be an eye sore.
An annex would stand over two cess
pools that have been used for ten years
by over $50 children, in which hundreds
of tons of human excrement have been
deposited. This excreta has leached away
into the soil for many feet around and UNI
der these pools, 1t would entail a large
expense to clean the sludge from these
deep pits, while the ground soaked full
of corruption would never be removed or
purified, but would be left under the new
building to befoul the air and endanger
for years to come, the lives and health of
the children who were SO unfortunate as
to be placed in the annex. The State
Board Of health is authorized to prevent
the building of such death traps.
The annex will not care for the needs of
the district more than three years at the
outside. At that time the district would
have to buy lots and build in some other
part of town.
On block 10 the house should be so de-
signed that four rooms could be built now
and four more later, finally making a
complete eight room ward school.
The annex with the long corridor con-
Meeting it with the old building, requir-
ing long, high brick walls, and about 90
feet or more of roof, is a more expensive
plan than to build plain building on
lot donated to the district, An annex of
necessity will not only spoil the beauty
of the present building, but must conform
to its expensive style of architecture.
An annex to the west of the present
building should be on level with Church
street. Its first floor would then be about
seven feet higher than the first floor of
the present building. The plan is to con-
meet the two buildings with a corridor,
10 feet long, containing stairway to
make the seven feet of elevation. The
roof Of the corridor would extend on to
the old roof, cutting out two sky lights
and one dormer window, which now fur
nish light for the high school room. Such
a plan would entirely ruin this room for
school purposes. 1t was too dark until
these sky lights were put in, now it would
be too bad to cover them with roof and
destroy the Lighting of so fine a room.
The annex would throw the northwest
corner rooms of present building in the
shade and seriously damage their light
ing.
Even now during part of the year par
ents have to send their children to school
at eight O'Clock in the morning on ac-
count of badly lighted rooms in the after
noon.
The proposed annex would still further
damage the lighting and necessitate earl
Ter dismissals or damage to the eyesight
ofgrowing children.
This plan would cover the place where
wood is usually piled and would necessi-
tate making woodward north or south
of the present house, also long wheel
barrow haul to get it to the furnace. Wag-