Evening star., 1923-10-18
SCHOOL SITE PERIL,
SAYS PARENT BODY
Ask Commissioners Halt Plan
for $3.50 0C0 John r.
Cook Building.

Charges that the Commissioners are
about to spend s25O,0O0 of the school
appropriation fund to erect the new
John f. Cook School OH a dangerous
site were made today to Capt. Julius
L. Peyser. president of the Public
School Association. by the Cook Par
ent-Teacher Association. Cant. Peyser
was asked to have the construction
OF the building forestalled until a
thorough survey is made of the pro-
posed site.
Ihe charges were contained in a
letter presented to Capt. Peyser by
Mrs. Daniel Murray and forwarded
by Mrs. j. A. Bell. The communica-
n sion pointed out that the proposed
site is inappropriate because:
The ground has been recentlv
nIieo ana In wet weather is flooded to
face
- The ground viii not support a
slxteen-room building.
g. 1t is removed from II e center of
n"rr ntion for the district from which
A. law students.
4. will be obliged to cross
two car ( to reach it.
5. Ground It the present John F.
Cook School l.. nilable, the District
owning three I. there and four
others being for sa at a reasonab BILE
figure.
Recalls school Collapse.
Recent collapse of a school under
construction in Baltimore on a SINH
iar site. in which many were injured
ana Killed has attracted additional
attention to the place proposed.
a generation ago people lived there
IN houses elevated on poles above a
swamp, which were reached by
bridges. A deep creek ran through
the tract. The place was later filled
rubbish.
grocer who lives on a corner of
the tract says that in wet weather
the water floods his place up to the
street level.
He said construction of a house
was begun there a few years ago, but
IN digging the foundation the work
men WS"" a'r' '~owned when the
My flooded and
the o Street
vocational :. .yhich is on Ia nd
on the edge of the old swamp, set
now has a large crack in the wall,
which she considers dangerous.
Replacing Original Aim.
The bill providing the school orig
tnally called for replacing the pres
ent school. When it left the Senate
committee, however, it called for ap-
propriattoR of $4,000 for a site "in
School,"
The District architects office to-
DAY reported the Objectionable site
had been definitely decided upon and
plans were being drawn for construct
ing the school upon il.
The Parent-Teacher Association Pc
titioned the superintendent of schools
70 suspend building operations. In
his reply he said the site had been
CHOSEN after inspection by the En-
gineer Commissioners Office the
municipal architect and members OF
the congressional appropriations COM
mittees.
The argument for moving the
school across two car tracks. and
many blocks from the present school
was that the money appropriated,
$4,000. would not buy the four lots
near the present school on o street
that the land reclaimed from the
swamp was cheaper and near two
other schools which could use the
assembly hall of the new structure
The municipal architect and AS
5istant Engineer Commissioner
Wheeler agreed that the subrerra-
mean stream was a menace, but said
it could be overcome by the expend-
Parent-Tacher Association object
ed on the ground that If extra money
were to be spent out of the s250,OO0
appropriated for the building. the
building would be reduced in size or
equipment.
Maj. Wheeler argued for the new
site on the ground that after mem
bers of Congress had been taken to
see IT and had decided upon it, the
District would have ito keep faith"
despite the later knowledge of the
underground morass, the superinten-
dents letter said.
Capt. Peyser has referred the mat
ten to Gen. Samuel T. AnselI;
chairman of the associations COM
Inittee on appropriations, and to
David Babp. chairman of the school
expansion committee.