Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-02
VISITS new and OLD SCHOOLS
COMMISSION MAKES COMPARE
SON OF CONDITIONS.
Mott, lexington, Emery and Gage
Buildings Examined-Fire
Drill Given.

Old and the new school buildings were
contrasted today by the members of the
volunteer school commission, which is
strenuously at work looking for defects
in such structures and insuficiency in
the care of them.
The commission repaired to the new
Mott School, sixteen-room structure
now building on 9TH street. facing the
new Freedmen's Hospital. and then
went to the eighteen-room frame build
ing now In use, which faces the hospital
grounds from 9th street
Buildings visited afterward were the
lexington. 1st and Quincy streets north
east; the Emery, Lincoln avenue and
Prospect street northeast, and the Gage.
I'd street near L street.
At the Emery School there was a fire
drill and $40 pupils marched out in two
minutes. Several commissioners measured
the width of the stairwayS and of the
doorways of class and cloak rooms.
Although the cloak rooms were about
six feet in width. the exit doorways were
only two feet eight inches wide. The
one doorway from each classroom into
the hallway was found to be three feet
! three inches In width.
Two stairWays lead from the second
floor. where about 800 pupils recite. These
were found to be four feet wide. The
landing of these flights on the bottom
is at the top of the stairways leading
from the first floor to the street. During
the first drill 1t was noticed that many
pupils were damned at that point. the
children from several rooms on the first
floor and the second floor reaching the
point about the same time.
The flight of stairs leading from the
first floor to the street, down which
pupils from both floors passed during the
fire drill are the same width as the flight
from the second to the first floor, four
feet
Only Exit to Street.
At the front exit of the building a flight
of eight wooden steps leads from the
hallway to the door. The outside steps
do not lead directly down in front. but
run down the side of the outside porch.
There is high iron railing directly In
front Of this exit door. about five feet in
front of 1t. Pupils in passing out must
make a right angle turn after getting
through the door.
This is the only exit leading onto a
street. although the structure is on a
side Of the structure lead into play
yard, with high board fence around 1t
and with only narrow gates as exits. The
fourth exit leads into another playground
Of similar character. From the long
side of the structure facing onto Prospect
the jantor's part of the basement.
The commission found wooden wainscot-
ing along the flights of stairs throughout
the structure. A carpenter shop is pro-
vided in an addition to the building just
completed and the room for storing lum-
Der has wooden floor. The wood, coal
and ashes are stored in separate vaults,
with brick walls. The gate nearest one
of the front fight of steps was found
locked; the other two found open were
fn,o Fac ~, iyo Tn nil
AT the lexington building. which was
the first visited, the commission spent
only a few minutes. The stone steps were
found to have wooden wainscoting on the
sides and a wooden partition was found
built around the gas engine in the base
ment.
At the Gage School the commission
spent some time. especially looking
through the addition which is nearing
completion. 1t was found that wooden
steps lead from the hallway to the main
entrance. The coal was found stored in
a room intended for a. boys playroom, but
the janitOr explained that a playroOm has
been provided in the addition to relieve
the situation.
At the exit vestibule on each side of the
building three sets of double doors come
together, the main outside doors, double
doors at the top of the stairs from the
basement aud double doors at the foot Of
the flight Of stairs from the first floor.
New Mott School.
At the new Mott School, the walls Of
which are completed. the commission
spent a short time observing the work.
manship of ceilings and floors. This will
be a sixteen-room school. with an assem-
bly, hall in the center of basement on
the level with the street There are four
exits therefrom. The two main exits in
the front of the structure have been mar
rowed to allow for decorative features and
vestibules.
The old Mott School was found to be a
wooden structure, with wooden stairways
throughout. Ashes coal and wood were
found in one basement vault. which has
wooden beams exposed and wooden parti-
tons separating the ashes and wood
Stoves In individual classrooms are used
10 haa he obi