The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-15
PROTECTION
FROM PANIC
School Drills Against
Fire or Earthquake
Alarms.

Protection of the city schools from
disastrous panic in the event of either
earthquake or fire was the subject OF
a conference yesterday afternoon be
tween the Board of Commissioners OF
Public Instruction and the principals
of several of the larger schools. Execu
tive sessions of the Board were held
before and after the conference.
Fire escapes in schoolso was the
subject for special meeting of the
Board, as one Of the members under
stood the call. At the conference the
matter of school drills as precaution
against panics from any sudden alarm
was exclusively discussed.
Those in conference were Superin-
tendent w. Fl. Babbitt, W. R. Far
rington, David L. Al, Frank S. Dodge,
Mrs. Wilhelmine Dowsett and C. j.
Hutchins, Commissioners; Professor NJ.
M. Scott, principal of the High school;
Rev. Alexander Macintosh, principal
of the Royal school; Professor Edgar
L. Wood, principal of the Normal
school, and Mrs. Nina L. D. Fraser,
principal of Kaiulani school.
Mr.. Babbitt called on each one pres
ent in turn for opinions on the sub
ject.
Prof. Scott spoke of the precautions
in earthquake countries, for which he
saw no great necessity here. In an
experiment at the High school it took
from one minute fifteen seconds to one
minute twenty seconds for the pupils
to enter the building and take their
places at the ring of the bell. AS there
would be an interval between the evacu-
alton of the first, second and third
stories, it would take less time to
empty the building. He should instruct
the teachers, in case of earthquake, to
keep the children inside Experience
proved that the greatest danger in
earthquakes was from walls falling out
ward. Of course in case of fire they
would have to get out.
Mr.. Babbitt observed that it was on
ly by training pupils to move quickly
and orderly, whether it was true
or false alarm of fire, that celerity in
getting them out could be assured.
Mrs. Fraser had conferred with the
other teachers in her school after re-
ceiving the notice. There were six
rooms each upstairs and downstairs.
Besides three double doors to the front
vestibule there were two side entrances.
On a first experiment they had the chill
dren all outside of the building in 81
seconds. What she was fraid of was
that one child might stumble on the
stairs and cause a real panic. At a
second trial fifty seconds from the time
she rang the bell all the children were
$40 children in the school, of whom
$50 were in the main building and the
rest in cottage. In the drill the
teachers were behind the pupils, but |
she thought it would be a good plan
% have one teacher ahead. They had |
several cripple children and some who
we're physically weak, SO that it was
deemed wise to have the rear guard |
Mr.. Babbitt thought the teacher
hould be the last one to leave a room,
ike the captain of ship in peril. |
pupil might get frightened and hide.
Every child downstairs could get out
before the upstairs children got down.
Mr.. Macintosh said the Royal school
vas so large that it would take at
east minute to get from some parts
# it to the exits.
Prof. Wood stated that in the Normal
ehool dri1 a teacher faced the line
II the way out, watching against
'anics. The teacher only opened the
oor when all the children were in line.
Prof. Scott thought there was very
title danger here from fire, and he had
ever heard of any severe earthquake
] Honolulu.
Mr.. Macintosh recalled a consider
BILE jolt in 1871, which caused a split
arough the old Royal
Prof. Scott said that walls fall out
ard and not inward in earthquakes.
Ie told about the 1868 quake in San
rancisco which he experienced. The
reat danger was in going out of a
uilding, from falling cornices, etc.
Mr.. Hutchins related that he went
cry carefully over the girls high
,hool in San Francisco a week after
lie late earthquake. If the children
ad been there and gone out most OF
lem would have been killed by fall