Evening star., 1909-05-02
Extensive Repairs to Be Made
to Buildings.
WORK IN SUMMER RECESS
Wooden Stairs Will Be. Taken
Out.
TO LESSEN DANGER FROM FIRE
Latest District Bill Appropriated
100000 to Make the Changes,
Which Will Be Completed Soon.

Plans have been completed by the build
ing department Of the District govern
ment for extensive repairs in public
school buildings next summer to make
them safe for the children in the event
of a fire. As soon as the schools are
closed for the summer recess the work
will be begun. under the direction OF
Snowden Ashford, inspector of buildings.
and it will be pushed to completion be-
fore the reopening in the fall.
With the completion of the work plan
ned for next summer. 1t is believed. the
local public schools will be generally
regarded as safe for children in the event
of outbreaks of fire in any of them. Last
summer about $50. 600 was spent in repairs
to buildings to make them safe; and in
the latest District appropriation act $780,
600 more was appropriated for this work.
This money will be used in replacing
wooden stairways, in fireproof1ng first
floor corridors and in placing the neces-
sary f1reproofing around furnaces and
other heating apparatus. Those have
been regarded by the fire chief as the
danger spots in many of the local schools,
and the money was appropriated at the
urgings of the board of education to re-
move them.
Repairs to Eighteen Buildings.
The plans which have been prepared
in the building department for the ex-
pendture of the latest appropriation of
$4,000 provide for the repairing of
eighteen buildings. These are the Amidon.
9th and F streets southwest; Ambush,
l. street between 9Th and 7th streets
southwest; Carberry. 9th street between
D and + streets northeast; Giddings. G
| street between Sd and 4th streets south
east: Garrison. 18th street between r and
S streets northwest; Banneker, Sd street
between X and l. streets northwest: Van
Buren. Jefferson street, Anacostia; Worm
ley, 33d street and Prospect avenue,
Georgetown: Magruder. M street betweeen
10Th and 18th streets northwest; Madt-
son, 10th and G streets northeast: Phelps,
Vermont avenue between T and streets
northwest: Towers, Sth and c streets
southeast: Blake, North Capitol street
between h and L streets; Blair, l street
between 9Th and 7th streets northeast:
Jackson. w street between goth and 31st
streets northwest: Logan. Sd and G streets
northeast: Monroe, Steuben street and
Brghtwood avenue: Phillips. N street be-
tween 9th and 2Sth streets northwest.
Will Practically Insure Safety.
These schools which will receive atten-
1tion next summer are practically all OF
the buildings owned by the District which
now have wooden stairways and unpro-
tected surfaces near furnaces or stoves.
Under the appropriation act of last year
many wooden stairs were replaced with
iron or stone ones, and many fire escapes
of modern type, such as small children
could use in case of fire. were installed.
Lack of funds prevented the other work,
and that will be accomplished from the
appropriation In the latest District act.
The appropriations for making the
schools safe in the event of a fire were
made IoiIuwLIs lnvesusa..a,s 4-tn
.ne conditions in the local school build
ings after the holocaust at Colinwood,
when many school children lost their
lives. 1t was then discovered that many
of the old-type school buildings had
wooden stairways throughout, without
fire escapes that could be used by school
children. and had wood exposed to fur
naces, stoves or heating pipes. An inn
mediate appeal was sent to Congress by
the board of education for several hun
dred thousand dollars to replace wooden
stairways, TO provide adequate fire es-
capes and, in some cases, to replace old
structures with new ones of fireproof
construction. In answer to the requests
of the board Congress appropriated
$4,000. The appeal was renewed again
this year by the board. with the result
that $4,000 was appropriated.