New-York tribune., 1905-02-16
ONLY 200 ARE FIREPR00F.
DANGER OF OLD SCHOOLS.
Mayor Suggests an Investigation
GroUe-st. Fire ReUetation.

The executive committee OF the Board Of
Education yesterday authorized superintendent
Snyder of the building bureau to prepare
plans for a school to take the place Of
Public School No. 8. which was burned Tuesday.
The new building will stand the site of the
old and accommodate 454 more pupils. Mean
while, the pupils viii occupy No. III, Vestry
and Greenwich sts., old structure that has
been used as storehouse. This building
accommodate four hundred on part time. They
Will also find seats at No. IS, Clark and Spring
SITS, and at No 107 in 10th-st near Green
wich-st. Within eight or ten days six classes
viii be able to return to the annex of No. 8.
It is more than probable that the fire in the
Grove-st school Will cause an investigation OF
all the OLD school buildings in the city. The
Mayor said yesterday that although he had no
fear for the safety of the schools. an inspection
Of all the old buildings would not be wasted.
'T shall place myself in communication with
Superintendent Snyder" he said, land suggest
e report the actual condition of those old
schools. I see no reason for any scare. Our
school children splendidly drilled and expert
ence has shown that most of the school buildings
can be cleared before the flames could get head
way. Besides. during school hours the police
and firemen keep careful watch on all school
buildings"
The Mayor explained that he could only sug-
gest 70 the school authorities. as they are not
part Of the city government to the extent Of CIV
ing him authority to order them to do any
thing.
said yesterday;
At times had as many as 800 or 400 chill
dren in the part time classes and those children
would have been In the school at the time of
the fire If they had been continued. They were
all children Of the primary grades. and have
learned that the only means of exit they
would have had from the rooms on the seconu
aoor would have been by q stone stairway which
we are informed was the first thing to fall In
the building. Children would certainly have
been entrapped-
Superintendent Maxwell said that stories that
the fire was the work of any BLACK Hand"
gang were nonsensical and not worthy of seri-
Gus notice.
That at least BOO of the 500 schools are not
nreproof is evident from the records of the
Building Bureau. The latest statistics show
that IN 1901 only 1o2 out of 433 schools were
hreproof. Now. with somewhat more than 800
buildings IN the system. not more than 200 are
adequately protected against the flames. When
Chairman Adams of the Building Committee OF
the Board of Education and Superintendent
Snyder OF the Building Bureau. returned from
an inspection Of the ruins in Grove street yes
terday. the former said:
have never known Of another school building
burning so completely, and 1 have been con-
nected with the board for eleven years 1t
would seem that a match had set the building
afre The flames were famed by strong
draught from the peculiarly constructed stairs.
When they had eaten their way INTO the furred
out" space, which in all old buildings was left
as a protection against the damp, they were
quickly sucked from floor to floor. The building
would have been abandoned long ago had We
had the funds to replace it
There are many old buildings OF the KIND IN
the city but we tearing them down as faSt
as they appear unsafe. If we had abundance
Of money we might attempt to replace all, but
now the pressure in other directions Is too great
for us.
There are lots OF such old buildings in the
city" said Commissioner Partridge. I'VE have done
everything that man can do to make them safe
for the children, but the Board Of Education
is powerless with the money now at its disposal.
Tuesdays fire should be a warning to the city"
81 never in my life heard Of such a school
fire Tuesdays" said Superintendent Snyder.
''The talk Of rebuilding all the old schools at
once is nonsense No city government can
undertake to cure the evils Of q hundred years
IN short time
mo fire can burn so fast as not to give the
people in the building hve minutes TO escape.
The fire drill VIII empty a building within two
minutes We die not have our present fire
regulations prior to 1892 in Manhattan and The
them until consolidation. At that time Brook
1yn had only one freproof school and Queens
snd Richmond had none"