Semi-weekly herald., 1908-03-12
DURANGO CHILDREN WELL
PROTECTED FROM. FIRE.

interested In the protection the SchoO
children have in case of fire, The Her
aid has made inquiries TO find ou
what safeguards have been provided.
At the High school there are 500
pupils enrolled-l,-0 on the third flool
and $50 on the two ever floors The
$50 pupils are all over IA years OF
age. Prof. Smiley informed re
porter that the entire building could
he emptied of its children in one min.
ute and three-ouarters That is a re
markably short time for getting so
many children out of SO many rooms.
and it speaks well for the drill sys-
TEN.
Fire drills have long been held in
the Durango schools, but have not
been held often. Mr. Smiley does not
see any necessity in holding fire drills
often, as suggested by Fire Chief ow.
ems Of Denver and Mrs. Margaret
True, president OF the Denver board
of education. He evidently thinks
that when the pupils have learned the
drill they have learned it, and can't
learn it any better by going over it
oftener.
There are two exits at this school
and the doors swing outward No
mad rush from the inside could close
them, as was the case in the Cleye-
land fire
There are only two ways known
from which fire might start in this
building. One is from the furnace, in
the basement, and the other is from
chemicals, in the laboratory on the
third floor. The school was once
damaged and at another time de-
stroyed by fires believed to have start
ed from spontaneous combustion of
chemicals. Since then a fire-proof
box has been made TO hold these
chemicals and 1t is fastened to the
side of the building. entrance being
made to il through window The
chemicals are kept in this box so ii
spontaneous combustion should occur
at any time while they are thus con.
fined there could be no danger. II is |
not likely that any fire could start |
from the chemicals during class hours |
that could not be extinguished before
spreading to dangerous extent
Only a short distance above the
furnace Is the floor. or lath under the
floor Corrugated iron has been
nailed TO this with a little space FOR
air to circulate between While it |
may be that an insurance man would |
cali that poor risk, since the sheet
iron gets pretty warm at times, it |
does not look possible that a fire
could start from such a source.
Mr. Smiley expressed the opinion |
that in case one exit, through which |
the pupils were In the habit of pass
ing out in their drills, should be cut
OFF it might cause some confusion, but
he does not think 1t possible for a fire
to ever gain such headway before dis
covery to cut of either exit.
The pupils all know the fire alarm.
1t is five taps of the gong, then two,
then one. At five taps the teacher
calls Attention" By the time the
two taps sound she has given the com
mand TO rise and when the last one
rings she gives the order to pass, and
in one minute and three-quarters |
every one of the pupils is ont on the
sidewalks.
oh nh Ia
pupils, is emptied in little over a
minute There are four exits to this |
building. Two of the doors swing out |
ward and two inward. Mrs. Wales, |
the principal informs The Herald
that fire drills will be held every after
noon at 2:30 instead of taking a re
cess.
1t is said that the Whittier school
would he the most dangerous of any
in the city in case of fire, owing to the
peculiar arrangement OF the exits, they
being so near together. But here the
children are well drilled 1t would be
impossible for any fire to make such
headway before being discovered as
to make unsafe the escape OF all the
children. There are fire extinguishers
within easy reach. When the alarm
is sounded, Miss Gilmour on the first
floor, where the little children are,
goes ahead aud opens the doors, and
Mrs. Bishop stays behind TO see that
all the children get out. Mrs. Bishop
declares she would have time to put
all her pupils out the windows in case
OF fire.
The doors here swing outward and
the furnace is remote from anything
combustible.
II is the intention to have the drills
here about once week.
This afternoon at the fire drill at
the High school the whole 500 pupils
got out of their rooms in one minute
and ten seconds. The 235 pupils at
the Park school got out in exactly the
same time.