The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-03-13
Was Inspection Of Barre's
Public School Buildings
SOME CHANGES ORDERED
Commissioners, Fire Department Chief
and a Contractor Looked Them Over
Thoroughly Yesterday Afternoon
Results of Fire Drills.

/
A thorough examination Of iiarre's
nine public school buildings was made
yesterday afternoon by the sehocl com
missioners and Chief Gladding Of the
fire department., together with contrae-
tor IT. NJ. Houston, who had been en-.
gagged to make such necessary repairs
as might be ordered as the result Of the
inspection The inspection was general
" satisfactory to both the commission
ers and the fire departments chief, al
though there were few minor defects
that will be attended to this week.
It was found that all the doors Of
the front exits open outward, and with
two exceptions, those on the Ayers street
and the ward five buildings. the side
doors also open outward These two
side exits will be changed at once to
comply With requirements. The inspec-
sors decided also to open mp rear door
on the Church street building which has
long been closed, thus making this build
ing safer. This building is provided with
q fire escape on the rear, and the ar
rangemelit OF the two doors leading out
TO II from the second story was ordered
changed SO that, IN swinging together,
there would be no contact
The Mathewson building on Elm
street. three stories high AID now occu-
pied BY 600 children, was given close
attention Everything there was found
to be in fine condition The northeast
end OF this building IS equipped with a
large fire escape Two days ago, when
a practice fire drill WAS held. the entire
coo children were marched out Of the
building in a single minute. The fire
drill here is great facilitated as there
are TWO large entrances. one on the Elm
street. side and the other on tile Ieffer-
son street side. The drill Is arranged
SO that teachers in certain rooms shall
send their children out q specified door,
thus preventing confusion, As a further
safeguard. the commissioners have or
dered that fire drili be tried. with
the tire-escape as the means of egress,
thus preparing the children for tile re
mete possibility of being forced 20 get
out when the Railways are blocked BY
fire ar smoke
There are about 500 children in the
Spaulding building. and fire drills are
frequently held there, as in an the
other buildings OF the city. Yesterday
this bnilding was cmptied in 4 minute
and ten seconds. The Spamlding build
ing Is provided with three exits The
halls in The buildings which have been
constructed during the past fifteen years
are roony. and the staireases are wide,
these conditions being expressly insisted
upon In the construction The, wisdom
of the insistenee i brought ont more
foreiblv than ever since tlic disastrous
school house fire In Collinwood. Ohio.
which, bv the way. was the direct cause
Of Yesterdays inspection.
The furnaces and the pipes leading
from them We're rot overlooked in the
rounds which the inspectors took, Chief
Gladding paying particular attention to
this paIT OF the work. An the buildings
were generally found to be in good
shape IN this respect Practically an
the buildings have cement floors, and
the ianitors are expressly cautioned not
to allow paper To accumulate about /
the furnaces,
Two Of the commissioners. Alex. Cor
don and William Scott. did not make I
the inspection. the former being out Of +
town and the latter being I'LL