Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-23
Architect Tells Board of Ed
ucation Further Transfers
Should Be Curbed.
HARRIS SAYS MAJORITY
ARE IN "FAIR" CONDITION
Suggests Many Can Be Repaired
and Used as Permanent Build
Ings Without Danger"

Deterioration from constant moving
is present in II of the Districts rs port
able schoolhouses, and in view of this
fact, curb on the further transfer of
the structures should be exercised.
This is the general finding and rec
ommendation of the municipal archi-
tect's special committee, which inspected
the portables at the request Of the
Board of Education two weeks ago. The
report OF the two engineers was made
public by the Board of Education Office
today.
Not only Is the deterioration sufficient
to reduce considerably the buildings re-
sistance to- high winds, but has reached
the stage where the cost of dismantling
and re-erecting the buildings is out of
proportion to their present value, the
report also sets forth.
Only Recommendation.
The only recommendation which the
committee made was that any further
moving of these schools should be very
carefully considered and only those IN
a very substantial condition be moved"
although the report fails to specify
which of the buildings are in "a very
substantial condition The recon-
mendation further specifies that "other
buildings exclusive of those in very
substantial conditionO should be re-
paired as long as necessary, but when
their usefulness in the present location
is gone they should be abandoned"
Commenting verbally upon the find
ings of his committee, Albert L. Har-
ris, municipal architect. who forwarded
the report to the Board of Education
this morning, declared that most Of
the portables are in fair condition as
long as they are not moved again."
He said that If many of the one-room
frame structures are repaired and used
now as permanent buildings, they may
not be a real danger" to their occu-
pants. The safety margin would be
endangered in most cases only if he
structures are continued in use as
portable buildings and subject TO ed-
ditional transfers from their present
sites.
OF Temporary" Character.
The report, signed by John A. Long,
engineer in charge of the District Re-
pair Shop and chairman of the COM
mittee and Harold H. Marsh, chief
structural engineer of the municipal
architects Office, considers the rs port
ables, according to type, and begins
with a description of the structural
differences between the IL structures of
type "a" the SO Of type "B" and the
5 of type &C. All of the buildings, the
report declares, are of "a temporary
quoting figures supplied by the repair
shop, every one of these buildings has
been dismantled and re-erected at least
six times"
The report explains that whenever a
portable is dismantled and rebuilt on
a different site, new mud sills and new
posts are always provided and this is
considered a part of the moving ex-
pense. BY these means most of the
buildings have been kept in fairly good
condition on account OF the constant
moving
All Show Deterioration.
In the next paragraph, however, the
report continues:
"All buildings of type A and B show
evidences of deterioration from this
constant moving; screw holes are worn
out and timber crushed and destroyed
around bolt holes by the Tightening of
bolts while being re-erected.
In some buildings, nails were found
to have been driven at panel joints on
account of the screws no longer fitting
the screw holes. When this deteriora-
ton is considered, it is readily seen
that the resistance to unusually high
winds is considerably reduced, as
evidenced at Grant road, where a por-
ton of the roof of one building was
blown off, and at Wesley Heights. where
something similar happened, This de-
terioration has reached a stage where
the cost of dismantling and re-erect-
ing has become out of proportion to
the present value Of the building in
volved."
Eaves, Cutters Gone.
Continuing, the report points out
that In all buildings the space beneath
the floor Is enclosed with plain un-
treated boards to keep the winds from
reaching the underside of the building"
1t explains that this, however. cuts off
all ventilation from the structural
tiInbers, and in damp places, 1t has
been the cause of decomposition due
to mildew and fungus growth on the
lumber" All these buildings were orig
nally provided with caves cutters and
downspouts, which discharged the rain
water on the surface of the ground.
where, mot being connected to the
sewer. served no purpose, and in con-
sequence as they have been worn out,
it has not been deemed necessary to
replace them"
"a number of the older buildings
show cracks in the walls; this, of
course, impairs the efficiency of the
heating and ventilating system" the
report adds.
The report continues with a general
description of the plumbing facilities
provided at the isolated portable groups
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