Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-02-04
PROTECTION OF
SCHOOL PUPILS
IN FIRE TRAPS
Action Is Urged By County
School Board Assn. In
Session Here.
LOCAL BUILDINGS FAIR
DINE AT PACKER HOUSE

Safety of public school buildings
relative to the protection of children
From fire was one Of the most import
ant topiesa@s8 ken. up for general dis
cussion at the mid-winter session of
the Middlesex County School Board
Association after it had convened in
the high school auditorium this morn
4rg. County Superintendent of Schools
II. Brewster Willis gave detailed re-
port of such conditions throughout the
county and while school buildings in
this city were pronounced good, he re-
ported numerous defects in other
buildings, especially In the rural dis
tricts, that made the buildings prac-
tically fire traps. Narrow wooden
stairways, sometimes a single one in a
building with no fire escapes, were de-
fects that Mr.. Willis termed Illegal
He asked who were to blame for such
conditions.
Morning Session Opens.
The first session opened at IL O'Clock
this morning. 1t continued until al
most / O'Clock, at which time the re-
presentatives adjourned to the Packer
House for dinner and the afternoon
session. Mr.. Willis presided. He
opened the meeting and Clerk Carman
called the roll and read minutes Of the
last session. Representatives from tbs
following districts respondedt Gran
bury Dunellen, East BrunswicB. Hell
meta, Jamesburg, Madison, Midtown,
Monroe, New Brunswick, Perth Am
boy, Piscataway, Roosevelt, South Am
boy and Spotswood. No representa-
tives responded from Highland Park,
Metnchen, North Brunswick, Raritan,
South Brunswick and South River.
In opening, Mr.. Willis expressed his
approval Of the high school auditorium
in which the session WIS held. He said
1t would pay the representatives to
look the nigh school building over, as
they might gain many valuable points
He told Of issuing reGc5sts to the
heads Of various school districts for
information about their buildings, with
regard TO their condition, protection for
= and so forth. He received the In.
formation and from that made state
nent which he presented. He said the
report he was about to submit showed
some conditions that. he was not Will
Ing to be responsible for and that he
desired himself to be placed on record
as expressing doubt about the safety
os those buildings
Dunellen il Criticised
MI He particularly criticized the condiT
sns ID two buildings at Dunellen.
sstsShool N O. / 1t that place, he said, has
but single wooden stairway three
feet and three inches wide. The other
Dunellen building has a stairway but
two feet and ten and a half Inches
wide With that, he advised that
-chocl buildings be kept safe. He
stated that ianitors were often neglect
ful in their duties, as some Of them
only tend to buildings for one or two
hours day. He urged such condi-.
tions be remedied, as he declared that
There must be no deathtraps.
Other Places Scored.
Conditions OF other schooH he de-
clared to be as follows HeImetta,
stairway three feet and ten inches
wide; Highland Park, stairway, four
feet wide, with no fire escapes;
Jameshurg, stairway FIVE feet wide
with two fire escapes; Metuchen.
stairway five feet wide of f1reproof
material and one FIRE escape; Mill
town, stairways four feet wide, four
etairways and no fire escapes;
Roosevelt, stairway five feet wide,
two stairways, no fire escapes; South
River, complies with state law, which
requires stairways four feet wide.
but 1t has no fire escapes; Spots
wood, complies with law regarding
rtairways, but has no fire escapes,
Cranhury, No. / stairway three feet
wide. no fire escapes: Monroe, stair
Willis deemed mighty questionable;
East Brunswick, stairway four feet
wide. no f1he escapes; Monroe, stair
way four feet wide. no fire escapes;
Piscataway, No. s, stairway three
feet ten inches wide, onel
fire escape; other Piscata-
way schools have three feet and
nine inch stairways and a i've foot
stairway; Raritan, stairway four
feet wide, no fire escapes, Oak Tree,
No. 6, stairway four feet wide, but
one stairway and no fire escapes;
Oak Tree No. IL, ample stairways;
Raritan No. 4, stairway four feet
wide, but one stairway and no fire
CONTINUED on page 81