Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-24
BACKUS REPORTS
SCHOOL DANGERS
STOVES STAND TOO NEAR doors
IN LINE OF EXITS
Building Superintendent Finds Some
Doors That Swing Inward, OBJ
jectionable Staircases and
Other Defects

Building Superintendent J. J. Backus
second report on the condition of the
Los Angeles schools from a standpoint
of safety was presented to the city
council yesterday and Immediately re-
ferred to the board of education.
Superintendent Backus says that
while in the second list of schools he
found nothing startling, he makes many
recommendations which if acted upon
promptly will prevent the possibility of
a second Collinwood horror.
Extracts from the report follow:
State street school, two-story frame,
400 pupils; satisfactory.
State street school annex, two-story
frame with basement, 100 pupils; rec
ommends additional exit from cooking
room. Unfortunate that furnace is To-
Gated Immediately under the stairs.
Main floor has but one stairway. Some
means of egress should be provided.
Breed street school, two-story frame
with basement, $50 pupils; stoves in
each room are located too near doors
where children pass out.
Cornwall street school; kindergarten
should have separate exit Wider doors
are needed in rear in place of narrow
doors. Building contains only one stair
way from second floor, and another Is
needed. Fire drills cause congestion at
head of stairs. Partitions should be
removed from Railways.
Griffin avenue school, two-story frame
with basement, 500 pupils; safe.
Griffin avenue school annex, one-story
frame with basement, 1S0 pupils; safe
since furnace has been lowered.
Gates street school, two-story frame
with basement, 400 pupils; woodwork
over furnaces should be covered. Elec-
tricity should be substituted for gas.
Some doors open in, which must swing
outward.
Gates street school annex, one-story
frame, $50 pupils; stoves too near doors.
Avenue % school, old two-story
frame, 260 pupils; stoves in line of
travel to doorway and some so near
walls that woodwork is blistered. Kind
ling is stored under stairway. Addi-
tional exit is needed on south side.
New Macy street school, two-story
frame, 175 pupils; basement doors
should swing out.
frame; some doors swing inward. Dou-
BILE doors have old-fashioned hinges
that work hard.
Amelia street school, two-story frame,
450 pupils; kindergarten should have
extra exit direct to open air. West
side stairway needs fixing. Stoves
should be moved.
Hewitt street SCnOOl, lWO-SAOIN lldliCt
270 children stoves too near doors.
Seventh street school, two-story
frame, 7S0 pupils; two separate stair
ways needed in place of one stairway
merging in one platform. Congestion
on platform would be dangerous.
Sentous street school, two-story
frame. 507 pupils; one kindergarten
door opens wrong way. Vent pipe from
cooking room heater should be protect
ed by sleeve.
Norwood street school, two-story
frame, 400 pupils; cooking department
vent needs sleeve where it passes cell
ing. Smoke pipes in basement in very
poor condition. Another outside door
needed in kindergarten.
Seventeenth street school-Old two
story frame, $40 pupils. Stoves too
near doors. Cloak room arrangements
block exits. Stairs rather narrow. Only
largest pupils should be allowed on
second floor till conditions are safer.
Magnolia avenue school-New two
story frame. 407 pupils. Conditions
good.