Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-12
CAPT. OYSTERS COMMENT.
superintendent's Report Regarding
School Buildings Conclusive.

1.-THE report of Supt. A. T. Stuart as to
the safety of school buildings in the event
of fire shows what the conditions are to-
day. Let us cease all controversies and
get to work to remedy them before we
have q fire.
In this way Capt. James +. Oyster
president Of the board of education, sum-
med up his comment on the report OF
Supt. Stuart, published in another col
umn. In this connection he read to sew
eral reporters this morning a letter from
the secretary of the Commissioners writ
ten at the time of q previous controversy
DER the cutting of the boards estimates,
in which 1t is maintained that the Com
missioners have control of all the inn
provements, changes and repairs for school
buildings, have power to recommend to
Congress what appropriations they deem
proper for this work and have entire con-
troll over expenditures of the money ap-
propriated In conclusion the letter says
the explanation is made. not because the
Commissioners are responsible to the
board. but 'as an act of courtesy"
President Oyster maintained today that
unsatisfactory conditions in several
schools have been called to the attention
of the Commissioners before and new
ones have recently been discovered. Yes
terday and today the board president
spent several hours in visiting school
buildings and investigating personally
the subjects of complaint.
One school visited was the John +.
Cook, OH o street between 4th and 9Th
streets. Here. he stated, he found the
furnace on the first floor. directly in front
of the main entrance. BY referring to the
records he showed that the board of
education last year asked for an appro-
priation of $1,000 for making excavations
and doing other incidental work to put
the furnace away from the entrance. This
item, it was shown, was cut out by the
Commissioners when they submitted the
estimates to Congress
Another school visited was the Cranch,
18th and g streets southeast. 4 steep
flight OF wooden stairs there has been
the subject of complaint He also
showed a report made to the Commits
sioners four years ago, calling attention
to this situation, and asking that it be
remedied
The new Ketcham school building in
Anacostia. which has been in use only
about a week, was also found to have
two fights of wooden stairs. One of these
leads from the entrance door to the first
floor and contains about eight steps. The
other connects the assembly hall on the
third floor to the second.
which is now under construction, il an
other subject of complaint it was learned
this morning. because it is to be wooden
II want to show you what kind of re-
pair work the District authorities are
giving us in the schools, Ii you have time
to ride with me to the Potomac school.
said Capt Oyster. after commenting on
Supt. Stuart's report to reporters of local
afternoon papers. a visit to the school
named followed.
According to the statement made to the
board president by the principal. repairs
to the porch and steps in front of the
building, to make the mstrong. We're re-
uuested To remedy this condition. two
blocks of wood, an inch thick, about five
inches wide and eight inches long were
nailed to a door casing and to the first
beam under the porch. The railing was
found to be, this morning. loose and
weak, and the steps leaning a couple of
inches away from the building wall. The
new braces" it was declared by several
who saw them, afforded practically no
additional support. 1t was salso stated
at the building that one of the braces
had to be cut partially away to allow the
basement door to open.
Il think I ought to complain about
such work, SO declared the president Of
the board.