Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-26
Commission Lets Nothing Es-
cape Its VigiIant Eye.
FROM CELLAR TO GARRET
Bradley, Bowen and Amidon Build
ings Inspected.
NO EXPRESSIONS OF VIEWS
Exits, Doors, Closets, Vaults, Fur
naces, Woodwork and Every
thing Else Given Consideration.

For two hours today the newly appoint
ed school commission inspected the Brad
ley, Bowen and Amidon school buildings.
The five members of the commission
went from fuel vaults in the cellars to
top garrets; peeked into every closet and
tried the locks of outside doors. They
did not make public the results of their
observations.
The commission was In executive session
in room Il of the District building this
morning for about an hour AT IL O'Clock
the members stepped into carriages and
started for Southwest Washington.
The Bradley school. on Linworth place
southwest, was the first building visited
This is an eight-room, two-story structure
of brick
There are no fire escapes on the build
ing. Interior stair steps are of stone.
The commission found two exits from the
main floor and two exits from the base
ment. The main floor exits. which are
used by the pupils at the time of fire
drills, are about five and half feet wide.
Map Given Attention.
The members of the commission were
seen standing for some time around
map which is suspended from the wall OF
the main floor corridor. This map is so
made that when pupil or teacher desires
to use 1t 1t swings out and two legs drop
from underneath to hold 1t straight out
from the wall.
When this was swung out in place for
use 1t was noticed it stood at the foot
of the stairs leading from the second
floor and would prove a big blockade in
case of a rush of children down the
stairways in fire panic. The commits
expressed
The members of the commission also
spent some time in the basement vault.
Here are stored ashes. coal. wood and
some Oil. There was an iron partition
between the ash and coal bins
The Anthony Bowen colored school
building. at 9th and F. streets southwest,
was then visited. 1t Is an eight-room two.
story structure, with no fire escapes.
| Although the members of the commits
| sion had nothing to say regarding the
exits. they were seen to be looking al
| them for some time. The steps from the
| first floor lead to vestibule
The exit archway instead of being OPP
poslte the stairway. is at one side. Pu.
pills must turn at right angles twice to
get through the exit to the street The
opposite exit. on the rear of the building,
| is made In the same way. Exits from the
basement playrooms are narrow. Stair.
ways run at right angles with the doors
!" OOu w aluScOC1nSS.
| The steps in this school are entirely Of
stone. On each side are high wanscot-
ings Of wood. Even in the furnace room
| this wooden wainscotng has been put to
the very door of the furnace.
The Amidon building was found to con.
tain several features not in the other two
structures. The exits at the front and
rear of the building are built along lines
similar to those at the Bowen school, the
exit archway not being in front of the
exit stairways.
Here. however, the doorway was so
built that a sharp partition was directly
in front of the exit stairs. To get out
of the basement playrooms. it was found,
the children must turn half around after
passing through the door.
The unique features were the wooden
flights of steps leading from the second
to the first floor There are no hand rails.
but there is a wooden balustrade on one
side.
The floors were all wooden. On the
stair steps and landings 1t was noticed
there was much oil used to prevent dust
from rising when pupils tramp over them.
There is wooden wainscoting around the
StairWayS