Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-20
NEEDS
COMPASS T0F|ND.
ONE CITY SCHOOL
Chain Bridge Road Building
Has No Running Water or
/ sFs So. ..,--.@s-F, ss5Ess;
Lighting System.

On a road inaccessible if winter to
man or vehicle and nearly as bad at
other times of the year. stands an
other of Washington's rural" public
schools. Except for small, nearby
settlement. it would be situated in
a virtual wilderness despite the fact
that it is within radius of two miles
| of Georgetown.
| The oldfashioned building is known
as the Chain Bridge Road School. but
is not in the immediate vicinity of
Chain bridge. It's geographical To-
cation is given as Chain Bridge road
northwest Unless person is familiar
with the territory in the schools
neighborhood. a compass is necessary
| to find it. If it had not been for an
American flag on the school. which
was discernible only through a grove
of trees in the schoolyard, The Star
reporter would never have found it.
Like the Conduit Road School,
which was described in The Star of
yesterday, the Chain Bridge Road
School is a one-story. one-room, frame
| structure. 1t is older than the one
on Conduit road and it's physical con-
ditions more deplorable.
The building was erected dur
ing the civil war and was used as a
| barracks for Union soldiers. In 1875
it was remodeled and converted into
public school. Since that time no
material improvements have been
made on the building.
1t would be unfair If mention were
not made of the fact that the interior
of the lone schoolroom was recalci-
mined last year. At the same time
| the rear wall of the building was
braced up to prevent it from caving
in. Before this was done, it is said,
.11r
puff of wind.
Not one modern improvement can be
boasted by the pupils and teacher
principal at the Grain Bridge Road
School. Like the schools of yore the
building has only one teacher, al
first to the fourth grades. inclusive.
Children promoted to higher grades are
forced to attend schools in the city.
No Water; No Lighting.
The school has no running water
and no lighting system. It's heating
facilities consist of one antiquated
coal stove. placed in the building soon
after it was opened as school. The
stove is OF the vintage of 1850 and
does not throw out sufficient heat to
warm the small room on a mild win
ter's day.
There is a pump in the front yard
of the school, which not only is used
of the neighboring territory. The
children refer to it as the community
pump.
With no lights-not even a lamp or
, candle-the teacher-principal finds it
necessary on unusually cloudy days
to suspend classroom work. The
school has neither telephone nor a
clock.
The outhouses are in a wretched
condition. They are as old as the
school itself.
Reduced Enrolment.
The school today has an enrolment
of twenty-three pupils. a decrease
from last year. There are thirty six
seats in the single classroom, making
| tenn that are not crowded or over
crowded. -
| H. E. Wilton is the teacher-prin-
cipal at the Chain Bridge Road School
and proudly and rightfulfy boasts of
| the fact that he has taught there for
q decade, longer than any of his prede-
kcessors Teacher Principal Wilson says
tiers he has taught at the school he
was nearly exhausted when reaching
| the building, on account of his efforts
in walking the road.
Request that the board of educa-
tion make provision in it's estimates
for new four-room school for the
children in the neighborhood of the
Chain Bridge School is made by Mr..
Wilson.
He said that if proper school
were placed in the present neishbor-
| hood, the enrolment would imme-
diately increase from twenty three to
seventy A four-room school, he
vide for future growth of-the- COM
' ER