The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-01-17
THE SCHOOL BOARD
ANSWERS CRITICISM
Editor Marietta Journal

We have read your eulIorlal OH IIle
"Loose Cog Somewhere. Nothing
is easier, you know, than to find
fault. Anybody can do it. 1t does
not require wisdom or even a know
ledge of the facts involved. 1t is so
pleasing to some people to proclaim
from the housetops that something
is wrong and big wrong" 1t is popu-
lar and in the words of the old rag,
"Everybody's doing it."
Yes, we had trouble with heating
the school buildings last week, but
how many homes in Marietta were
uncomfortable along about that time?
How many homes had broken pipes
or boilers? How many churches
were either out of business altogether
on the Sunday before or were uncom-
Portable? How many school houses
in other places were either cold or
entirely out of business? Our under
standing is that two of the prominent
churches of this City were closed
on the Sunday before because Of
pipe or boiler troubles? The writer
has a distinct recollection of seeing
three classes "hudddled" together in
one Sunday school room on that Sun
day with wraps and overcoats all IN
service. Was there loose cog some
where about your Uranium when the
canned fruit in your pantry froze,
or had you exercised all the reason
able and usual precautions supposed
to be necessary to protect it? Was
there something wrong and big
wrong" with the homes in Marietta
where pipes and boilers were bursted,
Notwithstanding the owners may have
exercised the precaution of shutting
off their water and draining the
pipes? Or were these unfortunate
accidents that happened in spite OF
the exercise of usual and ordinary
precautions?
Now for the facts. The Waterman
Street School had temporary trou-
BILE that delayed the heating of that
building on Monday. The building
perhaps did not get entirely comfor-
table through the school session.
The situation could be improved
somewhat by turning the heat out of
some rooms and consolidating it in
to others. This was done. The
schools had been out for two weeks
and the building was more difficult
to heat than if it had been in con
slant use. 1t was regrettable, but
not thing to get excited over.
This is the sixth year of the new
school building. 1t has been the in
variable custom on closing school for
the Christmas holidays for the JAM
tors to drain the boilers for the vaca-
/, ton period. On the closing of the
school before the recent holidays the
President of the Board gave instruct
ions that the boilers of both schools
be drained, and within day or two
thereafter it was reported to him
that the boilers had been drained.
This was the only precaution that
could be taken unless the janitors
were kept on their jobs throughout
the holidays and the coal supply used
for the purpose of keeping the boilers
and heating systems heated. The
draining had always previously been
successful and the Board knew of no
fact to cause them to suspect that it
was not an entire protection against
damage. The Board employed a
competent architect to plan and SUI
pervise the erection of the school
building and the installation of its
heating plant, and had every reason
to believe that the draining of the
boiler would prevent any injury. AS
matter of fact, it has developed
that notwithstanding the boiler was
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