The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-25

gNfVN' 'lllil VII d'NfUttlIlE PUBIC
ehonls IN the city Of New York is
beng practically eliminated.
For some months Commissioner
Adamson has been devcting a great
deal " time to protecting the boys
md girls who are daily placed In the
care of the city through attendance
NJ the public schools. While no finds
the, school conditions generally are
excellent in New York. vet owing
sometimes to faulty construction of
old buildings. to ignorance or care
iesnes uf ilni;ors and to like causes
he also has discovered p great many
fire dangers that needed immediate at
tention.
IN ~uscpUcn of the rcuorts
Brought to him by experts who inyes-
tieated school conditions. the Fire De-
partmcnt formulated some time ago
q set of rules and regulations espe-
cially for the public schools and for
waided them to the Board of Edu-
cation. Commissioner Adamson has
found that AS a general thing the
rules have been lived up to. In sev-
eral Instances. however. II was ad-
vsahle to correspond with the Board
Of Education in order that the whole
situation might be thoroughly under
stood and the measures which he
recommended put in force.
In speaking OF soric of the glaring
Instances in which ~nnecessary dan.
ger TO school children was permitted
Sir. Adamson cited the case Of pub
liz school No. 4, an Fact side school
with an attendance Of more than
asAu 49,. -- -s.t. -
tication ut this building disclosed the
fact that IN" j"nitor had the habit
81 mixing up a preparation with
which the floors were cleaned. This
PREPARATION consisted in part of oil
ard sawdust. and the %lanitor mixed
4 on the open cellar floor. according
r. Commissioners Adamson's informa-
ton.
AN accumulation of old furniture
Vas also found on the fioor of the
school" Commissioner .Adamson ron
tinued, IA the Investigators in maxi
irc formal report recommended that
tprinklers should he installed on the
first floor and in the cellar as well.
Old clothing and pieces Of wood were
found present around the gas meter.
o. well as other conditions OF this
kind which needed immediate atten-
ton.
Public School No. 3. at Edgecombe
evenue n 10th street. was found
to he deficient in its entire electric
wiring system; but the school OFF,
Gals explained that this had not been
used for some time. Nevertheless in
s~psctors found that closets for cloth
'ns and books were located In various
parts OF the Railways. and they came
across accommodations Of shavings and
savdust in tho carpenter shops OF
the building. that indicated careless
ness II not downright neglect. Fur
thermore, they saw hat paints We're
belnc kept in a wooden enclosure in
the carpenter shop instead Of being
Kept in u proper place of storage.
J Now any M OF these might lead
IN eriou trouble In case fire should
break oUt, and for that reason the
| department. did not overlook n one
Of them. The public may gain some
IDEA Of the work that is required prop
erly 10 make such Investigations ut
f,sular intervals when we remember
That there are i'm the city some 200
school buildings. almost all of them
ErGe structures. II many of them ac-
eommodating several thousand chill
ercn each. The very fact thu there
has cen mo seriou. fire in a New York
public school for "A long time may
nave unconsCiously influenced school
authorities here and there to be lax
ana not 10 keep as sharp oversight
a. II necessary IL safety of the chill
ofeh rs to continue. IN some cases
INC children are permitted to accu-
Hliate old paper In the classroom
oesks, and while il may he all right
10Y them thus to dispose of bits of
oa paper during "a days session of
te school, yet such accumulation
should lie taken out of tho desk as
Soon as school il over or as soon
o. the morning session mmence the
f'St day.
The Investigators found in Public
tchool No, s. Madison avenue and
El1hty- sixth street, a defective smoke
PIPE leading from the incinerators to
te boiler 40 well as steam pipes
when were covered with woode cas-
ihes, and they also discovered an
accumulation of old furniture. dis
.arded books, &C., in the cellar Of the
pulldins. Now this school was
erected some eighteen years ago but
u Is still in use and 1900 children
attend II. The fact that 1t is an
ou building n not Of fireEroof con-
srhctlon makes ii all the more i'm
portant for those in charge of the
.'hool to see that everything possible
y done +" eliminate the fire hazard,
Down IN Public School No. : IN