Evening star., 1909-05-24
FLASHED OVER WORLD REPLY TO CRITICISM
Plan to Send Storm Warnings Officials Reiterate School
to Ships at Sea. Story Is Ancient History.
PROPOSED UNIFORM CODE IN "G00D HOUSEKEEPING"
Methods Mentioned by Magazine Fully
International Conference Known Here
GREAT FACTOR IN STEPS IMPROVE MATTERS
Will Records Board Education Show
Readily Marin Just What Has Been Done
ers Of Safety Of Pupils.
IN "GO0D HOUSEKEEPING"
Faults Mentioned by Magazine Fully
Known Here.
STEPS TO IMPROVE MATTERS
Records of Board Of Education Show
Just What Has Been Done.
Safety Of Pupils.

Good Housekeeping for the month OF
June has an article dealing with the pubs
lie schools Of the District of Columbia
1t seems to have been made necessary
because the board Of education and Com
missioner Macfarland branded as ancient
history" part Of an article concerning the
schools published in the April number
Of the magazine.
In the course Of the last article in
Good HIS t,keeping. lit is asked, "Are tho
public school buildings Of the National
Capital in as bad condition as indicated
by the article In our April issue?'
Announcing that the article in the April
number was prepared by Miss Cora
Reese. and is regarded as absolutely reli-
able, Good Housekeeping says:
"The Harrison School has no fire es-
sape; all second and third story windows
in the rear Of the building look down into
deep areas. The John F. Cook School %
street northwest), with basement class
rooms and three stories. has no fire es-
cape. The kindergarten Normal, dwell
ing, 10Th street northwest. four stories.
has no fire escape.
"A perpendicular f1reman's ladder is the
only fire escape provided for the fourth
floor auditorium (used as a classroom
in the Sumner School, One fire escape
In the rear of the stage on the hfth-noor
auditorium of the Jefferson School is the
only safety exit from this floor; one wing
of this school is entirely unprotected by
escape In the Seaton School, three
stories, but three rooms have direct ac-
cess to escape.
Central High School.
There is but one fire escape to the
Central High School, but one to the NJ
;-l> CaL - he
Western High School. There is but one
escape on the Curtis School. four stories
auditorium on top floor used for class
rooms).
1.-The Randall three stories, with base
ment classrooms, has but one escape,
through cloakrooms. The Twining. three
stories, has no escape; the Patterson
has no escape; the Taylor has no escape;
the Blake has no escape; the Webster.
Gales and Sumner count In f1remen's
perpendicular ladders as part of the es-
cape facilities.
1.-The majority Of the wo-story build
ings have three-story height, and are
without fire escapes; the Cochrana the
Tyler, the Blair, are types of this class.
The Mott and the Andrew Johnson an
mex have wooden fire escapes. Entrance
to fire escapes is through narrow cloak
rooms In the M Street High School, in
the Curtis, the Randall, the Dennison.
JoHeTSOH dHu NcDSlcI
Reference to Other Schools.
Referring to other school buildings. it is
stated:
THE cloakrooms do not open directly
on the escape windows, but into small
Office or rest rooms beyond, In the cases
of the Garnet the Force, the Dennison.
In the Garnet there were six sewing ma
chimes in the cloakroom leading toward
the fire escape. In the NJ street High
School one cloakroom leading to the fire
escape had the door locked. In the Frank
lin the windows had not been altered to
open directly to the fire escapes; these
windows are obstructed by steam radia-
tors, by library alcoves, wooden settees
and window gardens. and In the audi
torium by the stationary seating arrange
ment. In the Force and the Denison the
windows are not altered. The Arthur
schSol is an example Of the average
"eight-room' schOl building; it haso
twenty-six rooms OF one sort or another.
'.The Webster has double doors in the
main hall. which lead into a courtyard,
said doors opening inward. In the An
thony Hyde School a set of double doors
to a classroom opens inward. Two sets of
double doors in the same school leading
into restroom and a supply room open
inward. A door to a manual training
classroom in the basement of the Sumner
School opens inward. The door of the
girls restroom, one office door. and the
door of the darkroom in the Western
High School open inward
"Threlkeld Is Dilapidated."
'4The Thomson and the Johnson annex
are condemned buildings. The Threlkeld
is dilapidated. The Cranch and the Sea-
ton show a dangerous arrangement Of
radiators. The Dent and the Lenox have
swivel faSteninRs to main DOORS
"The Wormley, the Briggs, the Ma
gruder, the Smallwood, the Amidon and
the Phelps have an unsafe combination
Of doors at the exits. There are perilous
outer stairways leading to main entrances
in the Stevens and Summer. There is a
lack Of adequate exit from the basement
playrooms In the Van Ness, Webb, Blair.
Hays and Garnet.
Buildings in various stages of dilapi-
dation are Phillips, Jackson, Adams,
Logan, Henry. Central High School. Ran
dali, Stevens and Smallwood. East and
west exits are needed in the basement of