The evening world., 1908-03-14
AZ C|-ASSROOMS
ORDERED CLOSED
FOR FIRE DANGER
Nine Public Schools Affected
by Edict of Superin-
tendent Maxwell.
ONE is CONDEMNED.
Old Wooster Street Firetrap
Unfit for Occupancy
by Pupils.
ONE is CONDEMNED.

Superintendent Of Schools Maxwell
announced to-day that torty-two class.
rooms in four public schools in Man
haftan and five in Brooklyn would be
closed at once and remain closed until
they were so reconstructed as to be
eafe for the pupils.
The Evening Worlds exposure Of the
ramshackle conditions in the New York
public schools following the Collin
wood fire horror, spurred the officials
to action. with the result that to-day
the orders to shut the dangerous class
rooms and put the pupils who have oc-
crpied them on part time were issued.
The schools affected are:
In Manhattan.
Annex to Public School No. 2. Henry
street: four classrooms closed
Public School No 125. Wooster street {:
fve classrooms closed
Public School No. l63. One Hundred
nnd Twentieth street: ten cassrooms
closed.
Public School No. 100 Baxter street
two classrooms closed.
In Brooklyn.
Public School No. 20. Union avenue
five classrooms closed.
Public School No. So South Fourth
street: eight classrooms closed.
Public School No. lO2. Seventy first
street: three classrooms closed
Public School N. 10. Schermerhorn
street; three classrooms closed.
I'M u "
street and Fifth avenue; two class
rooms closed
The action of Supt. Maxwell was
taken as soon as he had digested the
contents of letter made by Super
intendent of Buildings c. b. ]. Snyder.
School Long Condemned
The old school at Wooster street was
built in 1923, and is one OF the worst
examples of a fire-trap in New York.
Il has been condemned time and time
again but has been patched up.
After a rigid INSPECTION of Public
Gchool No. 2S. on Herkimer street near
Ralph avenue. one of the death-trap
I,rcoklyn school houses. Building In
spectors Aldridge and Schmittenberg
to-day reported that the building wa
unsafe.
Their report was forwarded bv Build
ing Superintendent David F. Moore to
the Superintendent of Public Schools
With orders to have the building no
II mediatelv altered as the inspectors
recommended in their report.
The report of tine inspectors reveals
conditions in the school which show 1t
to be absolutely unsafe for occupancy.
I'm our opinion, the exits are utterly
inadequate in case panic should
arise" says the report p, ,n,. ,,,,,,.,
the doors in the school open out
they are of antique pattern and sur.
rounded with heavy framework Of
ing apparatus Of the school is in itself
a peril. they find. The radiators are
set too lose to the walls in many Of
the classrooms, and the boiler. room IL
some cases touching the steam-genera-
tior plant
Stairwpyu Worst Danger.
The stairwnys are the most fertile
tnurce Of danger in the opinion Of the
inspectors. They are of wood and full
Of twists that would moan death in
time of panic. EOnc of the ClasSrooms
crens directly on to the stairways but
nil arc reached by narrow passages In
rnany instances the classrooms open on
~ ar0ther ella ;sroom and access to the
8; RS is gained through the other
re- ms,
The outside f're-cscapes are made
ouate and must b" replaced at once by
stairway Of steel and stone. say the
inspectors. and the old and rickety
wooden partitions in uhe boiler-ro om
replaced by iron hulkhcads. Before :ho
school Is SAT" FOR occupancy. in the
opinion Of the inspectors wire glass
doors must replace the present wooden
ones and new tire-escapes erected on
the south side Of the building
In speok'rc Of this school The Even
ing World said:
"'ehis school Is tiretrap and should
come down The Board Of Education
admits that the building is unfit 10
house pupils in"