The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-19
BRUSH OFF DUST.
Schools I'm Topeka VIII Begin
Tomorrow.
This Is a Resurrection Day for
the Books.
ARE IN GOOD SHAPE.
School Buildings Have Been
OEerhauled and Renovated,
Superintendent NhittemOre
Tells What Has Been Done.

The public schools will open tomorrow,
Tuesday. at nine O'Clock. Today the
finishing touches are being put on var
1ouS school rooms and tomorrow every
building and every room will be ready
for occupancy
Two weeks ago it looked as if it
would be an impossibility to have the
high school ready on time on account
of the new heating plant being installed
but Saturday steam was turned on and
the plant was tested.
This morning Superintendent White
more met the principals of the grade
schools and made the announcements Of
plans for the coming term.
The work of making repairs and
changes this summer has been extern
sive. Besides the work done at the
high school manual training rooms have
been fitted in the Easements of the ward
schools. Heretofore the board has gem
orally found some rooms not ready for
occupancy when the schools began but
this summer the work has been done
under the direction of w G. Holloway,
engineer of schools. and everything has
superintendent Whittemore today is
sued the following report on the work
done this summer and the condition of
the school buildings
The High SchoOl-First-The old hot
air furnaces have been removed and
with notifications to make them ser
lllSLalleQ
Lafayette. Monroe and Madison schools
The reasons for removing these fur
naceS were the danger of fire from the
nine furnaces located at so many diff
ferent points within the building; the
imperfect ventilation of the school
rooms by the Smeed system; the diff
ficulty Of heating the building econom-
ically in cold weather: and the injury
10 the building and the inconvenience
resulting from the necessity of feeding
the fires and removing ashes from the
open hallway in the basement. Includ-
ing the three Ventilating fiues, in which
fires were continually kept burning,
fires were kept in twelve different fur
naces and stack heaters. The only pow
er which caused the circulation of air
in the rooms was the suction produced
by the fires in the three stack heaters.
This was the best system of heating and
ventilation known at the time when the
building was erected
Under the new system which has
been installed during the summer the
heat is supplied by steam from the Ed
ison plant. There is no fire in the
building itself. The steam is brought
into the building at two points. at the
north and west, where it passes
through immense tempering and heat
ing coils An abundance of fresh air
is admitted at both these points, which.
after passing between the tempering
coils is forced by large revolving fans,
turned by electric motors, over the
heating coils, and thence into plenun
rooms from which it is distributed to
the different parts of the building
through galvanized iron ducts or brick
fiues- The plenum chambers are dixid-
ed by horizontal decks into two com
partments, the upper being filed with
hot air and the lower with warm or
tempered air Dampers automatically
controlled by thermOstats which are
located in each room. admit hot and
warm. air into the heating ducts in
proper proportion to keep the temper
allure of the rooms even. The warm
air is admitted to the rooms through
registers in the walls about half way
between the floor and ceiling. The
force of the fan which sends the pure
air into the rooms drives out an eoual
amount of impure air through regis
tiers near the floor. The foul air is car
ried through galvanized iron ducts or
brick fues to the open ventilators on
the roof.
In order to consume a. minimum
amount % steam, the offices OF the