The Washington herald., 1921-12-14
Committee Impressed by
Visit to Seven of the
Buildings.
FIND THEM DARK
AND INSANITARY
Senator Nearly Falls in
Cropping Along Pas
sageway.

Dark. dismal dungeons that have
reached an almost unbelievable de-
gree of insanitation were shown to
the Joint Congressional Committee
Yesterday and identified by Supt
Ballou as public schools of the
District of Columbia.
The committee. composed Of Sera-
Tors Capper, OF Kansas. and King.
Utah. Representatives Keller, Min
nesots: Woods, Virginia: Walters.
Pennsylvania, and Millspaugh, Mis-
souri, left the Capitol at o'clock
yesterday morning and went di-
rectly by automobile TO the Web
ster School. at Tenth and II streets
northwest.
Senator stumbIes In Dark.
Here the Congressman were CIV.
en- an opportunity to see how the
children were obliged to work with
out artificial light on a dark day,
and, incidentally. in leaving the
building one of the Senators missed
his step in the dark passaEeway
and nearly fell. A small yard
paved with brick and surrounded
on all four sides with a high brick
wall was pointed out to the party
as the playground. Its dimensions
were estimated to be 30 by 90 feet
The next school visited was the
Abbott. between Sixth and L streets
and New York avenue. This build
ing. unequipped with electricity and
without playroOm, was condemned
In 1908.
At the John F. Cook building.
the next to be visited. lack OF sani-
tation was actually offensive. Little
children were crowded into the base
rent UNIT for human beings. The
faint flicker of a gas jet furnished
the light by which a class OF fifty
Eve pupils were studying their les
sons All the rooms were over
crowded. yet the building was not
provided with a fire escape.
Twenty In Small Room.
At the Armstrong colored high
school the attention of the Con-
Cressmen was called to the over
crowded conditions. Portable build
inEs had been pressed into service
md in one OF these in a room meas
uring. according to DR.. Ballou. about
twenty by sixteen feet. twenty stu
dents were working. 1t was shown
that ss4 students were being sc-
commodated in a space provided for
500.
Similar conditions were found at
the Mckinley Mammal Training
School. DR.. Ballou emphasized the
Iced for Fairgrounds, but sad IL
WOULD be better to move the school
TO some point that would permit
Of expansion and use the present
building for a JUNIOR high school.
The school was so crowded It was
necessary to have two shifts In or
der to accommodate all the students.
There were 933 desks and 1.45o pu-
pills. There was no gymnasium.
Crowded in Portables.
At the Garrison public school, col
or.d. the committee saw six por-
table buildings in use and crowded
to capacity as shelters rather than
schools. The main building. pro-
-fded with 357 seats, was used by
42r children. The portable build
inrs had 245 seats for $40 children.
Or Ballou explained that an appro-
nrtstion had been requested that
would provide an eighc-room addi-
ton to the building, but even with
This addition the same crowded con-
ditions would exist, should the por-
tables be removed from the play
ground.
The members or the committee
were impressed by the conditions
and several expressed the opinion
that something should be done i'm
n,ediately to remedy the evils.
At the Patterson school all were
agreed that at least one OF the
buildings should be razed, II not
both Of them. and the land in the
rear purchased for a playground
and a site for an additional build
ing. Senator Capper characterized
the building system as patch work.
Eepresentative Keller advocated a
twelve instead of an eight-room ad-
dition.
Favors Larger Units.
senator King condemned the pol
icy Of building a school that coulo
not be enlarged readily. By build
ing larger unit. he said, the neces-
sity of rebuilding every few years
,,o,r5 por aria and nv nnrchasipC