Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-05-20
Facts Regarding Capacity of Old
School Building.


about town to the effect that new
building ought to be erected in prefer
ence to rebuilding the old structure, and
the reason advanced was that the size of
the old structure was wholly inadequate
to the needs of the district. To those
given to making and accepting of-hand
statements this perhaps has seemed a
plausible excuse for the squandering of
$4,000, for squandering it must be to
tear down the standing walls after ac
cepting them from the insurance COM
panies in lieu of S12 ,000 "A Register re-
porter, in company with two of the vii
lagos best known and most reliable citi
zens, yesterday spent two hours in Sc
curing measurements in and about the
dismantled structure, and those meas
urements show conclusvely that the talk
of "inadequate room" is only talk, and
cheap talk. The building is approx
mately 82x59 feet on background with
slight projecting wings 27x9 feet at both
front ard back. Taking the dimensions
of thel room occupied by Grade as the
average of all the rooms, and the differ
ence is very slight, we have a room %
feet inches by 26 feet inches and in a
three-story structure, with four rooms on
a floor, which is possible in the old build
ing, this means 12 irooms with an ap-
proximate aggregate floor space of al
most 5000 square feet.
When the old building was in use 81
pupils have all been accommodated with
seats in grade /, taught by Miss Mcneil,
and in grade 2, in charge of Miss Palmer,
80 pupils have all found seating accom-
mediation; No. 3, Miss Foote'S room, had
80 pupils No. 4, Miss Mead teacher, had
Sc pupils, or total of 213 scholars were
easily accommodated upon the first floor,
and vet there remained on that floor a
room q ft 4 in. 10 ft in, which GER
tainly would accommodate 20 or 30
pupils. This would mean about 240
scholars on the firsttfoor.
On the second floor there were grades
), and with Miss Drake, Miss Mcneil
and Miss Barry in charge respectively.
No. had 80 pupils, No. 6, 40 and No. Z,
35 or total of 105 pupils ON that floor,
which certainly does not tend to show
anything in the nature of lack of room
This floor could easily be divided, as was
the first floor with four rooms each
accommodating 30 or more pupils. On
this floor was also the laboratory capable
of accommodating the same number as
the room directly beneath, say % or 30
scholars. This room and the one beneath
were certainly available for seating
pupils, and in the event of rebuilding
should be so arranged, SO it would seem
to the writer.
The third floor was devoted to the
high school in charge of Mr.. Howes, who
had 81 pupils at the time the building
was destroyed. The grammar depart
ment under Miss Bond had from 80 to 81,
and these easily found seats in the room
although portion of the recitations
were heard in an adjoining room by an
assistant. There was also a room djoin-
ing the high school devoted to recitations,
and small room above the laboratory
corresponding in size to the laboratory.
The total number of pupils on the third
floor was accordingly IA, and adding
this to the first and second floor pOpula-
tions we have Ago pupils, and five rooms
in which, at the least calculation, could
| l.,
Or the building can be divided into -
school rooms, four on each floor, that
would accommodate from 80 to 55
pupils in each room, making total of
600 or $50. IN addition there can be
three good sized rooms, one on each
floor that can be used for other pur-
poses, or if used for scholars would
readily accommodate rs more, and in
addition to these there might be two
good closets on the first floor and
the same number on each of the other
two floors, or the stairs could be so ar
ranged on each of the upper floors, that
two more rooms of equal size, and well
lighted, could be had in each hall.
There is no need to remodel the win
dows upon the strength of the sugges'
ton and statement that has been
current that they were too small as the
dimensions are 8 feet in. by feet
8 in, which is doubtless above the aver.
age of windows IN school and public
buildings.
The halls. too, are SO exceptionally
wide that the very best possible ventila
ton can be arranged in them without ir
any way interfering with their use, thai
is to say, four full size. chimneys could
be built SO as to supply every one of the
l2 school rooms with the best possible
fireplace, than which, probably, there il
no better method of ventilation, but the