Evening star., 1932-02-10

pants. As it is evidently imperative
that the building be vacated and new
quarters provided elsewhere your re-
action is desired"
Mr.. Crane promptly laid the whole
matter before DR. Ballou and set about
making an examination himself.
The difference of opinion over Mr..
Marsh's report was injected In the sit
uation last Thursday, the day after
the report had been transmitted to the
school people. DR.. Ballou had held
conference with Lieut.. Karl Schilllng,
in charge of the District Repair Shop,
and Harold Baker, director Of building
activities in the municipal architects
office, together with Mr.. Crane and
Stephen E. Kramer, first assistant
superintendent According to a men,
orandum on the conference and signed
by DR.. Ballou, the consensus OF opin-
ion which they reached was that the
tenor of Mr.. Marsh's report was un-
duly alarming
Marsh Deductions Confirmed.
Continuing, Dr. Ballou's memoran-
dunn. which is made a part of the
official records on the college, con-
tinued:
These District officials advise the
school officers that they are taking
steps to determine whether the settling
of the front walls is still going on and
to what extent. The school officers
agreed to report any observations which
would give them additional informa-
ton on the matter They were Of the
opinion that it was not necessary at
this time to make any plans for aban-
doning the building"
Subsequent examinations msde by
building inspectors, engineers and school
people, however, has confirmed Mr..
Marshs deductions and resulted today
in the order for the immediate vacating
Of the building.
On instructions from Dr. Ballou. Mr..
Kramer and Robert L. Haycock, assist
ant superintendent in charge OF ele-
mentary schools, this morning visited
the Columbia Junior High School build
ing, once the Central High School, at
Seventh and o streets, with view to
making provisions for the setting up OF
Wilson Teachers College in that struc-
ture. II the exhaustive examinations
of the Wilson Teachers College build
ing. which were ordered today by Maj.
Dawson, reveal that that building Is
repairab BILE, Dr. Ballou said. plans Will
be made to house the colleges personnel
probably in the Columbia Junior High
building. If on the other hand the
college is to be razed, the school people
will undertake at once to secure funds
for new building. In any event, the
college probably will operate for the
rest of this year in temporary quarters,
presumably in the Seventh and O
streets building.
Deterioration "Active."
The cracks In the Wilson Teachers
College were first reported by Miss
Anna Halberg, former principal OF the
institution, when it was a normal
school, They we're reported again this
year by DR.. Edgar C. Higbie, president.
In the interval, it is reported, the
cracks have made progress. indicating.
engineers explain, that the deteriora-
ton is active"
The Wilson Teachers College is the
third school building this year to be
involved in structural difficulties. The
old Kenilworth School in the North
eastern suburbs was abandoned shortly
after school opened last September,
when old cracks developed new activ-
ity in the front wall Of the building.
That school since has been razed and
today only its basement, now under q
temporary roof, is being used in con-
nection with the portables which have
been set up there.
More recently the Commissioners re-
fused to accept the new Hugh M.
Browne Junior High School, in Kingman
Park ncrth Of Rennirg road, until
section of the cafeteria floor had been
dug I'D to permit examination of the
foundation to determine whether the
apparent buckling CT the cement floor
was due to settling of the main wall.
Foil wing the examinations, however,
Lieut.. Schilling announced that the
walls settling IVES normal and that
the buckling of the floor was due to
the fact that it was Laid too soon."