Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-01
FIREPROOFING THE LAWNS
Says Conditions Prevent the Grow
ing Of Grass.
CLAIMS FAULTY FOUNDATION
Animadverts Upon the Incompe'
tence of Some Official for Whom
Board Is Not Responsible.

best conditions of season and care. to
have grass grow upon heaps OF broken
bricks, plaster, concrete and clay
cleaned out Of Easements of new build
ings. If the idea of the municipal archi-
tect Is to afford fire protection to the
school lawns he seems to be usins, the
generally accepted materials..-JAMES
F. OYSTER, President Board Of Edu-
cation.
Thus does Capt. Oyster answer a letter
Of Municipal Architect Snowden Ashford
regarding the condition of lawns around
some OF the school buildings.
To the condition in which the District
official in charge of the construction of
new buildings and the improvements
around old ones has turned over the
lawns to the school employees President
Oyster attributes their present poor
appearance. School employees, he main
tains, are in no wise responsible, be-
cause they have nothing to do with the
initial grading and preparation of the
lawns, where, he insists, the trouble
lies.
Ashford Complains Of Lawns.
Municipal Architect Ashford recently
sent a report to the District Commits
sioners regarding work he had directed
on school lawns, which was forwarded
to the board of education.
Il have the honor to report" he
stated, that the terraces and parkings
at the Business High School. Armstrong
Manual Training School and the Bryan
School have been improved and soddcd
or seeded. have also planted a hedge
at the Bryan School to take the place
of fence.
II noticed in the last few days at
these buildings that the grass and
hedges were very much in need of
water, and the parkings were almost
in as bad condition as prior to the i'm
provements. ] would respectfully sug-
gest that the school board be requested
to furnish hose to the janitors. with
instructions to keep the grounds prop
erly watered."
President Oysters Rejoinder.
In reply, the Commissioners have re-
ceived the following letter from President
Oyster:
IT have made a personal investigation
of the matters affecting the first three
buildings. I agree with Mr.. Ashford that
the parkings were almost in as bad con-
dition as prior to the improvements, put
differ with him as to the cause. The
trouble is not with the janitors, nor with
the weather, so much as 1t Is due TO the
miserable way in which the work on
these lawns has been done
mo one should expect, even under
the best conditions Of season and care.
to have grass grow upon heaps of broken
bricks, plaster, concrete ana clay cream
ed out of Easements of new buildings. II
the idea of the municipal architect Is TO
afford fire protection to the school lawns,
he seems to be using the generally accept
ed materials. On such trash have the
contractors been allowed to put sod or
throw a light covering of dirt mot SOLD
and plant some sort of seed.
The following extract from a letter
of the principal of the Armstrong Man
ual Training School shows the conditions
there The janitor does not seem to be
the party at fault
Conditions at Armstrong School.
"'Three urgent requests were made to
have the lawn at this school properly
graded and soiled before any work was
begun.
1.-The digging up of the original lawn
disclosed the fact that the sod had been
laid upon broken brick, stones, concrete
and other waste material from the con-
struction of the building. This original
sodding was done by the contractor, the
work being approved by representative
of the then inspector of buildings. The
grading was we'll done and the foreman
informed me that he was placing as good
soil as he could get as top dressing. A
mixture of what purported to be lawn
and wood grass was soWn, but a thick
Of weeds
vest.
1.-The ianitor has for years been pro-
yided with hose and has been diligent In
watering. He informs me that the super
the growth of weeds and grass and
stated that he would report the matter
and have it attended to-"
THE same kind of materials underlie
the Bryan lawn. In this case the con-
tractor did not even level the ground
properly, nor was proper soil dressing
supplied.
MI. Ashford's Hedge.
MIR. Ashford states in his letter: I
have also planted hedge at the Bryan
School. to take the place of fence
He should be proud of his work. This
is the way 1t was done. A groove vary
ing in height from four to twelve inches
above the pavement was cut In the face of
the clay bank. The hedge was planted
in this clay about the last of June. A
little manure was thrown on top Of the
ground about the hedge. ! question
whether this hedge will properly protect
the lawn for long time to come The
janitor of the Bryan building informs
me that the police have complained to
him about the washing down upon the
pavement of the clay from the loosely
constructed lawn.
Request has been made for a hose
for the Bryan School. but the condition
of the contingent fund prevented its
purchase until July. (This is new
building opened last spring. Requisi-
ton for the same was made on the
property clerk July 10, five days before
the receipt of your communication. The
hose was delivered July %, one day be-
fore its receipt. Most of the schools
have been supplied with hose for sew
eral years, and the janitors have been
instructed to keep the lawns in proper
condition. Ny recent visits to the
schools show that many lawns COM
pare favorably with the government
reservations.
At Business High School.
"The construction of the lawn in front
of the Business High School is the
same as those noted above. The work
was never properly done.
I'm regard to the removal Of ashes. I
concur with the suggestions of Mr.. Ash
ford, but 1 call the attention of the
Commissioners to the fact that the lin
itations of this contract are their own
work. The board Of education and the
janitors have simply carriedA out the
directions Of the Commissioners in this
matter.
While the board of education is al
wayS ready to give its time and atfen-