The San Francisco call., 1908-03-10
HANCOCK SCHOOL is
WRITADLE FIRETRAP
Lives of 400 Children Daily
Menaced by Crowded Rooms
and Inward Doors
Probe of City Buildings by the
Educational Board Reveals
Dangerous Conditions

Crowded classroorns with but a single
exit. doors opening inward, desks
packed so tightly that aisles are
blocked. and conditions which daily en-
danger the lives Of scores OF little chill
,lref who IN case OF serious fire would
scarcely nave a chance for escape, have
been revealed in the course OF the
school boards inspection OF the San
]. rancisco public schools, which was be-
gun yesterday.
The worst case brought TO light was
tlat OF the Hancock grammar school, at
Jones and Filbert streets, where 425
children of tender age-200 Of them
ssirls-are crowded into nine small
wooden rooms barely large enough to
accommodate in comfort hall tnat num-
bcr The children's ages range from 5
10 Is years, with the majority under
u. In spite OF the weekly fire drills
conducted by the teachers unuer the
direction of Miss Nellie Gallagher prin-
cipal. so jammed are the rooms that If
rlc broke out in any one il would be
almost impossible for ali the pupils to
escape
The Hancock school is one OF the
fimsy emergency structures erected
soon after the earthquake. The school
is built on three sides around the base
ment excavation OF the old Hancock
school and from each of the nine
rooms single door opens on board
walk. five feet wide which leads to a
small yard in front Beyond this rises
cement retaining wall 80 feet high, up
which is one narrow stairway leading
tc the street above.
Along this narrow walk each of the
500 pupils must march TO safety. In
case Of a panic or if FIRE should be in
one Of the rooms nearest the street
pupils OF the classes in the rear would
be hemmed in with infammable wooden
walls behind them on one side the 10
foot excavation of the old basement on
the other side and FIRE in their front.
In the rooms themselves, the in
spectOrs who went through the build
ing yesterday found still worse condi-
tons
In five Of these rooms desks were
packed so tightly that there was no
aisle across the room in the rear. desks
being set clear to the back wall In
the room Of Miss Agnes O'Neil a row of
desks was even laid against the side
WiI leaving no passage there. The
caly way for pupils to leave the room
was by walking up aisles in the center.
then fling behind the teachers desk TO
tae door. In this room IS pupils are
accOmmodated in 43 desks. A attend
1g in the morning and 36 in the after
noon.
n the room Of Miss Lois A. Peckham
25 single desks were set together TO
make double desks, eliminating three
-isles. More than that, the teacher S
desk, behind which all pupils must
pass TO reach the door, was crowded so
close to the wall that the teacher her
self had to sit on a box. There wasn't
room even for a chair.
In each case, too. the only door opens
inward. In three cases doors of two
classrooms open within three feet OF
each other. so that the two streams OF
escaping pupils would rush headlong
into each other.
Il fully realize how serious is the
danger" said Miss Gallagher, the prin-
cipal yesterday. we drill the pupils
at every opportunity and last time we
cleared the rooms in 45 seconds, but
the single exits, with the doors opening
inward, make me shudder TO think OF
what might happen.
Only a few weeks ago in one of my
rooms / had l07 little children. Think
Of it-l07 in one infant grade-and
everX one helpless if a fire should occur
Frankly, I viii tell you that 1 didn't
give them fire drill because they were
so young that each one would have to
Ne--N-- tNN l1idltA1 II a IRE SnOulC
break out. They We're too small to
march These children have since beer
moved to a new school
Whenever get the chance I try tc
lessen the number Of desks in the
rooms. but there are so many children
we need them all the more But l shall
Insist on having extra doors put in. and
those there at present changed to oper
outward"
Miss Gallagher will hold another fire
drll at 10 O'Clock this morning.