The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-02-18

las a general rule the people mean
to be generous to their schools. and
it requires only the diffusion among
them of correct information on the
subject to secure from them all that
is necessary for the erection of suit
able and creditable school edifices.
"A little over five years ago school
children in Collinwood, Ohio. march
ed down the stairs of burning build
ing, became panic stricken and ia
of these little children died within
sight and in some cases within touch
of their agonized parents.
Golfers Weekly of March 81,
1908, called the Collinwood fire "A
National Crime" and the entire
country was aghast over the appal-
planning and construction.
During the last five years there
have been $50 school buildings burn
ed to the ground in this country. An
average of 156 each year
My first point, is that the safety
of the childrens lives should be the
paramount motive which every school
architect should consider in deter
mining his design. Any community
cannot use too much care through its
representatives before proceeding.
The one thing that impressed me
most as | gazed upon the Collinwood
ruin and studied the plan of the build
ing, was the fact that the pupils of
the second floor came crashing down
upon the pupils of the first floor into
a common corridor doubly boxed at
each end with four sets of doors. two
at either end forming two small yes
tibules.
"In all our recent buildings regard
less of size they are so planned that
the pupils of the first floor do not
come in contact with the pupils of
the second floor, both having at
least two separate exits at two ex-
treme points In the building.
THE pupils of the second floor in
addition to being by themselves have
two smoke and fire proof wells that
contain the stairs. These wells are
accessible from every room as well
as from the corridors thus giving the
pupils two means of exit to each well
also arranged so that every room is
accessible to either well, so as in
Collinwood, should either one be fill
ed with smoke, they still have the
other left.
Had the Shirt Waist Factory in
New York or the other manufacture
ing plant had this device no holo-
cause would have been possible.
The outside doors are operated by
bar (Non puprin pattern) and can
never be locked from the inside. Any
pressure upon this bar at any angle
positive than the old fashioned knob.
"a standpipe is provided. with fire
hose on each floor including the
basement where most fires start in
school buildings.
The second necessity to my mind
is good sanitation.
ITO have the closets and urinals so
arranged and ventilated that no Cd
ors can pass through any part of the
building. These are arranged in
large batteries in the basement, each
closet having extra large local vents
connecting into galvanized iron
pipe starting at about four inches in
diameter and increasing IN size Of
sufficient capacity 10 reGans each
closet allowing for friction and is
carried to the outside by means of an
independent brick fiue fitted with an
asperating coil TO create a partial
vacuum in the warm weather when the
fiue of itself would not draw.
The urinal is built like a Series
OF fire places covered in front with
slate or marble with openings at the
bottom.
The neck of these fiues are con.
nected with a galvanized iron pipe
and like the closets carried to an in.
dependent brick flue with The asper.
ating coil.
The trap should be back vented
IL Is always desirable TO have the
toilets face the light.
The third essential is the proper
introduction of light.
After expanding many hundreds
OF thousands Of dollars experiment.
ing all the best authorities have
agreed that the light should be intro
duced from but one side and that
there should be as much as possible
and as free from shadows. In all our
buildings we try to get the glass sur
face as near one quarter the floor
area as possible keeping the windows
within four inches Of the ceiling and
the sills above the pupils desks.
The upper sash is glazed with pris
matte ribbed glass twenty ribs 10 the
inch on one side and a wavy surface
on the other This allows the light
to come in at the top while the lower
sash may be curtained 10 keep the
sun out Of the pupils eyes No pupil
should be more than is feet from
direct light
Fourth the heating and ventilat.
ing.
The standard Of efficiency that we
require Of every heating plant in any
school building either high or graded
is this.
That every pupil shall be suppl.
ed with 30 cubic feet Of fresh humid
air per minute and that an equal
amount Of vitiated air be removed.
That q temperature Of 20 degrees