Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 19, 1887, Page 8

POLLOW THE RAILROAD| Cattle and Hogs Cannot Come in Without Rail- roads. SOUTH OMAHKA uiy U oul D(I ‘PUOIuL oY) MO[[0] 0} JUVOIW Oy PUV Ao190.11) 00RIOH PIeg 1S3 09 SOUTH OMAHA REAT ESTATH. AS SOLE OWNER WITHIN TEN DAYS, > ¥ The only Property on Main Line of R. R. and Principal County Road to be had. W.G. ALBRIGHT, 2I8 S. 15th St. o | Have Sold, At My Othce, 218 South 15th Street l HILV I SH TvES VHVINO H.LNOS NOT IN OMAMA But in SOUTH OMAKA is the locatfon of the Stock Yards and Packing House Ther fore purchase nt South Omn VHVINO HLAOS "HOHOMD) SLEIDIAUAAV uj $10§ jo 201 AL uj UOHU) uIYAY TTAL TIA SE)IYd *0opad UV LISV U0 UOPIHNOD THE REFORMS RECOMMENDED. The Heating and Ventilation of the School %ulldings of the Oity. EXPERT OPINION AT LENGTH. A Complote Change Recommended in the Manner of Heating Many of the Bulldings—The De- talled Keport, Some weeks ago' a special committee ‘was appointed by the board of education to make an exawination of the heating and ventilation, and also off the sanitary condition of the various school buildings of the eity. The commuttee, which con- ted of Jobn Jenkins, boiler inspector, is, architect, and A. A, Parke) vhyaiclan, made a very thorough exami- nation of the buildings, as shown by the following extended report, which was presented at the meeting of the board of education Monday night: ‘Fo the Honorable Board of Education of Omahia—Gentlemen: The undersigned com- mittee, appointed by your board, for the pur- pose of exmnning the heating and sanitary condition of the occupied school rooms of this city, would respectively report that they have mide a careful examination of the yari- ous school rooms as_directed, and submit be- low a statement of the condition thereof, with their recommendations, 1ZARD SCHOOL, ‘The basement rooms of this building, your committee tind to be over-crowded with pu- Pils unfit for occupancy, for yarious reasons. T'he walls of the rooins are damp; there no ventilating flues, the rooms being heated by stoves, and the ‘only possible method of charging the air is by means of the windows, ‘Ihe air was found to be damp and impure for reasons above stawd, and from the close proximity to the vaults, ' ‘'he doors of these yooms as well s the outside doors of this building, open inward, In rooms 4 and 5 the registers are seven feet three inches above the floor, and the ven tllating lues.ag placed ag to prevent s proper distribution of “heat. The tioors of both rooms are cold and the dryness of the atmos- phere is conplained of, No, 6, The register in tnls room is on a level with the tloor and less complaint from lack of heat 1s the result, Lt is, however, over-crowded, having forty-one pupils, and being only 17x21 feet, the svating capacity is bad, beiug too close fogether. Rooms 7Tand 8, The registers are too close to the door casings, aud of all rooms visited, show more plainly’ than others the amount of impurities carried into the room by the register, Tiiese rooms are improperly ven- tilated.” ‘The plastering is shaky from leuk- AREs in the roof, and have tle same dirty ap- pearance presented throughout the building, Roows 9, 10, 11, 12 and 18, These rooms also show signs of leaky roof, general defects in yentilation GE L This building Is heated by means of the Rutan and one other furnuce, which, in a easure, recefve their supply of fresh air from the roowm in which the coal is stored. The eess pools in their present congition are & menace to health, "I'he water from the roof is precipitated close to tho walls, rendering theim damp and unnealthy, 15t “I'lie committee recommends the en- tire abandonment of roows 1,2 and 8 of the Jzard school ~at the earliest practicable moment, a8 they consider the gocupancy of these rooms very deleterious to health, 2d. The committee suggests that the pres- ent system be lmproved by lowering the hot air flues in the roows, the el of the flues and the insertion of fres supply duets in the basement, or that the present system be replaced by steam beat, The re- pairs necessary in the former case are esti- mated at 1,50, “Ihe introduction of steam would cost about $3,500, In either caso the roof should be repaired, and the spouting so arranged as 10 carry the water away {rom the toundation walls, and would further recom- wend that the vaults be remoyed and that either the dry kiln or flush tauk systews be substituted, CASS STREET SCHOOL. 1o (s buildipg Wy reglsters aud vetilat- ing flues are all in too close proximif venting in some cases the proper distr of heat. 'The blackboards are all too high. In room 2 the heating capacity is poor, a stove being put in to make up for tie de- ficlency inheat from the furnace. Rooms 1, 4 and 5 ure tho only ones in this building that show a reasonablo deree of ventilatlon, while 1n rooms 27 and 8it is sadly delicient. The floors throughout are bad. "The committee would recommend the sub- stitution of steam for furnace heat, as it would be impracticable to improve or change the furnace system. Also that the flush tank system of elosets bo Introduced, and tnat the tloors throughout the building be repaired. DODGE STREET SCLOOL. The sup[&y of heat in this bullding was found to be adequate, but not so the ven- tilation, of which there Is a general insufli- ciency throughout the building. Rooms 4,5 and 6 haye doublo seats, and the doors from some of the rooms swing inward, The vaults were also in bad condition, Your committee would recommendtie sub- stitution of steam for the present system of heating; that the ventilation be suitably {m- proved and that the flushing system of water- closets be introduced. SOUTH OR PACIFIC SCHOOL. An examination of this bailding shows a deficiency of leat, although two fur- are in usoe. In only four rooms—viz. 4, 5 and 7—is the heat supply ample. While in Tooms 1 and 6 1t has been necessary to add stoves, ‘The ventilation is bad throughout, with the exception of room 4. ‘The biack: boards are generally too high, thio walls dirty and the floors throughout the building are in very bad condition. ~ Some of the roouis, not- ably room 4, are deficient in light. The doors also swing 'in, and between the girls’ and boys’ closet there is no partition fence, Your committee would recommena that heat bo substituted for the fur- apd that the dlushing system closets ~ be introduced.” Where the light 1s deiiclent would advise the painting of the adfacont projecting walls white, and that udditional windows be added where practicable. HARTMAN SCHOOL. In the main building of this school there is a general complaint ot insuflicient heat, Only two rooms, those of Misses Kearney and Frenzer, having an abundance, while the rooms of Misses Roberts and Hays are heated fairly weil. In the 1onms of Misses White and Aber, the walls are badly eracked, and in the latter'show signs of a roof. - Miss Loberts' room hus double seais and a bad floor, and the doors of Miss Kearney’s room swing inward, The ventilation of this room is decidedly bad, The basement is heated by stoves and has no provision for ventilation, 1n the annex there is less complaint, The heatiug and ventilation are good, but both ro0ms have too much light, ~ ‘I'he vaults are in a decidedly bad condi- tlon, being very offensiv Y our colnmitee considers this one of the poorest and unsatisfactory buildings in the city, e bullding should be thoroughly cleaned and ealsomined and the flushing system of closets should be provided, Light should be admitied to the sub-basement and furnace roou of both the old building atd annex. CENTER SCHOOL. ‘This bullding 1§ beated by’ Bieans of steam coils fastened to the wails of the rooms. In the estimation of the committeo they are placed too high. The rooms are supplied with a ventilating flue at both top and’ bot- tom, ‘The teachers should ba instructed to keep the upper one closed in winter. ‘The consuruction of this b““dmi is poor, In several places over the doors there are large cracks, and the plastering is poorly done. The peculiar construetion of tlie roof offers too great an exposure o hieh winds, The janitor’s quarters should be improved. Wé recommend that the system of heating by wall colls as used in this building be abol- ished in this as wellas in all future build- insa. and that a proper system of direct and indirect radiation be adopted. LAKE STREET SCHOOL, This building 1 heated by two Rutan fur- naces. ‘The plastering throtghout the build- ing is bad, the wainseoting is loose on the stairs, and in general the building shows bad workinanship. ‘The registers are all placed above the wainscoting, and the foul air ducts at the floor, and the children are thus pre- vented froim warming thelr feet in winter; otherwise the heat and ventilation are good. The desks are 100 close in all roows, The coummittee recommends the general overhauling of this building as to plaster and wainscoting and the lowering of all hot air reglsters to a level with the floor. ‘The vaults should be abandoned and be substituted by the doy eith o Ayl - sysiels, Froper | glves wouble Uew escaping gases. seating capacity should be secured by erect- ing an addition to the building. CASTELLAR SCHOOL, ‘This building is vroperly heated, but in many instances the ducts of ventilation aro rendered useless by faulty construction. The chiet causes of complaint are the vauits in this building, caused by faulty construction of the ventilating ducts, We recommend that this work be over- hauled, and that the chimneys be raiscd at least four feet above the top of all roofs, FARNAM STREET SCHOOL. In this building the dry_kiln closet eannot be utilized at present, . W, recommend that the fuel room be partitioned off and an en- trance made to the closets from within, if not from without, and that the present quarters of the janitor be moved into the attic or other quarters. We decm it ad le, however, thatal i nitors' quarters be made independ- ent ot all school buidings. LONG SCHOOL, No. 8. Basement room. Heated by a stove and no ventilation, The light is poor nd doors swing in instead of “outwaraly, "The northeast basement is_heated by a stovi no ventilation, the light is poor, and doo: swing in instend of m|lw.’ml|[)',_ “'he north- west basement nas the same defects. Nos, 1 and 2. The radiator and yen- tilators are too close together to allow the rooms to be properly heated, the room over staircase is ieated by a stove and has no ven- tilation only save that which the windows afford, No. 7. Its heating capacity and ventilation is poor, and one stove is used in addition to the radiator for heating purposes, No. 3. This roow is improperly heated and ventilated. No. 5. Has same defect as No. 6, No. 8, Ventilation and heating capacity is We recommend that tho heating capacity bo increased ding one more fur- nace, and in th rooms, where the direct ventilation is objectionable, to have perfor~ cted with the tlush tank systews, VENWORTIT SCHOOL, Room 1, ‘The lheating capacity is inter- fered by too close proximity to ventilator, “The casings around the windows are badly in need of repairs, Rooms 7 and 8. The ceiling shows signs ot a leaky roof, the ventilation 18 poor and the lieat 15 ample, Rooms 2, 5 and 6. The ventilation is poor, heating eapacity ample. Room 3. Heating e corner of this room I cold on account of defective ventilation, toom 4—1eat and ventilation fair, The basement rooms are heated by stove: the ventilation is bad, Miss Johnson’s room in particular is very offensive, we recommend that this building, as well as the Long school, be thoroughly overhauled in the heating and ventilation, Both bulldings show sigus of yery defective work, the roofs of both are in a leaky condition, The attention of the board = Is calld w0 the room of Miss Johnson in the basement, and we would advise & personal visit of the board to & e of complaint cannot be mitigated. B sets should be treated in the sawe manuer as advised for the Long school PLEASANT SCHO0! Room 2—Heating cg acity 18 poor. One s always been very AND ANNEX, y is bad, and ven- tilation wpoor, The ister in this room comes under one of the scats in the next room, divided by a partition, the ventilation and heat are fair, The tooring in both is i heat and ventilation are good. ‘The Annex~—The ventilation and heat are good. ‘I'hie closets are very offensive, The brick building” in its enaracter is such that we canuot make recommendations for improvement, and can only recommend that it be taken away, and a new school building of eight or moré ' rooms erected in its place, believing that this pullding is untit for its Ppresent use. ST. BARNABAS SCHOOL. We find these rooms well heated, and fairly ventilated, but the light 1s poor. The steamn heating apparalis is all right, but be- lieve this service could be so arranged as to be coulined entirely to the sehool, as leakage oceurs on account of other connections, In the hallway on the lower floor a trap door should be placed where au open hole now exists. o OMANA VIEW SCHOOL We find the ventilation in these roows to be poor, both being hegjed by stoves. In the south room the stove Trecently placed there recommend that this should be immediately attended to. HIGH SCI00T, Furst floor—Registers 1n this corridor are not_heated though containing radiators. Rooms 11,12, 17, 18, 20 and 25—The heating ity is zbod and ventilation fair. oom 24 should have one additional radfa- 1ooms 36, 57, 41 and_42—The heat s fair, with tiie exception of 41, which should haye more Irating capacity. ‘Ko ventlation s air. Room 33~"This room 15 oceupled by lady teachersas toilet room, ete. We recommend that this room e furnished with a new car- ot v bo fitied in'w manner beeoming this uilding. Rooms 20 and 81—The heating capacity Is but the ventilation should be improved. The corridors on the second floor should ba heated by radiators, likewise the corridor on the third Room overy respect, Rooms 48, 4 ventil: Toom all that can be desired in and 50—The heat is good, the ion should be improved, 1—Ieal ion fi German s ample, Rooins is venti We recommend that these rooms be aban- at the earliest practicable moment,that the registers on the first corridor floor be re- ired and fitted to receive fresh air, that ra- ators be put in all the corridors to ' confor- tably beat: them, all wardrobes be heated and’ ventilated, that registers for rooms formerly used for hot air " be taken out and the cavities closed up, GENERAL BECOMMENDATIONS, In connection Wwith our report we wish to make a few suggestions, which we hope may rove of interest to your honorable board and # lasting benefit in the construetion and ap- pointments of the future sehool buildings ot Omahia, In our opinion, the time has arrived when a growing city like Omaha should adopt other and more “advanced ideas in our school buildings, We have arrived at this conclusion after a thorough examination of the various buildings in_the city and a close serutiny of each room, Al baseinents should be abandoned and tsed for other purposes, and all future buildings ought to be built two or turee stories high, with ordinary basements, to be used for furnaces, boiler, fuel rooms, water closets, ete. “Lliat each building and room should be built for its use, suitable and proper for the various grade: “Chiat each school room should be provided with closed wardrobes and teacher all of which should be thoroughly heate ventilated in the most approved method. “There has been in the past too little care taken in the consgruction of senool buildings, “The points at fault are {00 numerous to men- tion, among which first of all, the loss of space unoccupied; which costs a large amount of money, the others too crowded, stairs too high, storles too ibigh, large excess of light required in some eases and not enough in others, bad and improper construction from lack of proper supervision, and unnecessary expense and not#nough in others; doors in all cases should be made to swing outwardly. The time has arrived when it fs questionable economy to erect school buildings of eight rooms, having the basement constructed with a view of being wtilized as sciool rooms, for it is wholly impracticable to either ventilate or heat them by furnace or stean, s the heating apparatus must be placed below the to be utilized as sgch, ‘Ihree-story buildings can be built with’ steps to ascénd than in the late buildings, as adopted, with high basements and elght rooms above. Speaking of ventilation, we should not be contet 80 long s any impurities exist in the air to be inhaled by the children of our Lehoojs, 1t any means known to science can beapplied to remove it. On the character of all ventilation depends largely the Lealth of our ehildren. In view of the defects arising from fm- proper supervision of the work in mauy of your school buildings, 1t is recommended to avoid this in the future, by your board ew- ploying a thorough, reliable and competent Rrchitéet, who should have fuil contol of the planning and supervision of all buildings used for school purposes in the city, All cities of the importance of Omaha in the United States have found it necessary (o adopt this suggestion. Your committee would reccommend that all school buildings of & ¥ nent charac- fer haying eight or more rooms, that steam be used for Leating purposes, it being com- pact and easy L0 manage, quick in its opers- tions, with power to distribute licat to auy re- quired distance or surface, and its operation Weo | belug both economical und elective, both by direct and indirect radiation. Direct radia tion cannot be used 1n heating school rooms except at the expense of thorough ventila® tion, and no system of heating can be recom- mended that will not need a proper change and circulation ot air, The b known authorities upon ventila- tion agree that caleulations for a proper ven- tilation of rooms must be based upon a no less allowance than 800 cubic feet of fresh air per hour for each occupant. Since in all indirect systems our exhaust and supply duets must be built suflieiently large to x\ilo\v of the passage of at least 45,000 cubic feet of air per hour in a room occupied by fifty per- sons. This result can be reached where cam I8 used, by means of a simple and ctive method as follows, viz: encasing the r5 in a metallic cover- n, to which fresh air can be con- ducted by means of registers in the adjacent wall, making them iudirect radiators, build- ings'where it is impracticable to vlaeo fresh air registers in _the walls, the same results can be secured by placing boards having the proper perforations under the window sash and connectiug them by means of flues with the bottom of the radiator pipes and outat the top throngh the grating in'a heated condi- tion. This e can be made very effec- tive where exhaust ducts exist or can be provided, the best of course, being the open fire place. When fire places cannot be constructed, or where the exhaust ducts are at present insut- ficient, these can be made effectiye by Romlug in them a steam coil, Fire plac sides beinz an effective method of ventilation, add m ially to the comfort and cheerfulness of the school room, and can be utilized in the fall and spring to remove the chilliness of the air, when it is not desirable or necessary to use the steam apparatus or can be used as an auxiliary thereto in the coldest weather, it necessary. A single coil of four or more re- turns, six_or more feet in length should be placed horizontally above the floor and be covered by a grating to enable children to properly warim their feot in winter, In all cases where indirect radiation is In- suflicient or in icable, very fair ventila- s well as great eeuomyof fuel, could be obtained by the nse of double windo raising the outside lower sash and lo the upper inside sash, a current ot fresh air partly” warmed by contact with the inner Jass surface, will'be thrown into the room. Eixhausts should be provided to facilitato the change of air. A single thickness of glass cools the alr enormousiy, and, if onefs sitting under it, a draft of falling "cold air is felt, which is both real and dangerons, T'he draft i5 not due to the entrance of cold fresh air, but is produced by the chilling of a layer of Wi 1 in contact with the cold blast,which naturally falls to the level of the floor. Ono of the simplest remedies for bad air is to fit a board three or four inches in width under the lower sash. This stuts out no appreciable light and admits a current of fresh air which is directed upward through the opening be- tween the sash, These latter recomn tions of plans for ventllation ure not neces- sary where suitable apparatus for heatiug by the indirect method is in u In recommendiug the use of steam for heating purposes, consideration has been given to its econoiny and safety as compared with other systems, Its economy is sup- ‘.mml by the annual report of your seeretary or the past current year, which shows that the cost of heating ‘the twenty-cight rooms ot the high school, in its exposed condition, to be §1,450.11, an average or $52,11 per room, while to heat the thirteen rooms of the Izard schools by means of hot air system, cost oran average of $5T.57 per room, a difference of 40 per cent in favor onomy of steam. anitors we find many com tent and careful persons, but others do no come up to our ideas in this respect. Some are totally unft for the work, None but competent, skilled and painstaking persons should occupy these positions, being more economical in the end, considering the great expense of fuel and repairs. ‘The present wages paid these persons we consider hardly enough to secure skilled workmen, AS_TO SANITARY CONDITION OF SCHOOLS. White the seLool rooms, us a rule, are fairly well heated, the corridors, cloak roows and closets are entirely neglected in this respeet. in 80 far as comfort and convenience are con- cerned. ‘I'he eorridors should be heated, and all registers placed in the floor, cloak rooms enclos ieated, apd ventilated so that the wraps may be readily dried and warmed be fore the chilldren leave the building, In th nature of tiings this should b so, as health is the first thing souzht. The closets in all sehool buildings, except one, the Castellar, are cold, comfortless and foul. The effects of these conditions upon health mast be de- lorablé,. Pictire these. consequences as you ud thew - to-day, aud just vue conclusion is reached, and that is disgust. Chidren are human. ‘Tliey willnot avoid these malodorous spots until habits are engendered which usu- ally continne through hife. Young people of certain years exposed to such a temperature, a3 we find In these closets to-day, are early Vi ase, and instances are not wanting of indispositions from this cause resulting in death, Remedy this evil by placing these apariments within your school uildings, warm them and guard themw, a8 we do in our homes and the ssings of the future g tions will be_your reward. ‘The subject of light in your public sehool ings is brought to your notice,for on this point hinge questions of cconomy and health —enough light is good, too muc complaint from teachers in the window space is too large, and we put o pex cent in mavy of the late kk ‘ect in an additional point of view niay not be so pleasing, but the effect In a hygienic sense will not disappoint the casual observer, as he passes from room to room and watehes the squinting and_over- sirained eyes of the children, The whitened walls and” ceilings should be softened by warm colors, and the color of the blackboards changed to dark green. These boards should be lowered for pupils of the first, second and third grades. It is recommended that all basement school rooms bo abandoned, that double seating be condemned, individual desks are preferable, not for convenienc alone,but as a sanitary method. We call you attention to the needs of the ¥ m, Castel ar, Hartman and other school grounds in the way of shade trees and feneces. The side nrpnmr‘lu‘s to several of the building: above grade and should be lowered. street cars pass the buildings walks should be maintained at the main entrances, foulair in the basement of the kzard and Hartman buildings is carrled direct to the school rooms,and eapacious duets connecting the furnace with the outside walls uired in both buildings, ~ The one e Hartman should terminate in the north foundation Tu our remarks and_suggestions thus far we have confined _ourselves mainly to tho matter in hand. Now, just a word about our boys at the termination of their school lives, afew fill_positions of trust in banks and other positions of trust, but the majority on leaving are at sea, and some enterprising commercial college undertakes, for a small remuneration, to drill them in those branches not taught in the public schools, such as book anking, ete. Many o time have we asked a parent, why a boy does not attend school, and the answer is invaria- bly: “Oh! we are going to makea business man of him, and are, therefore, sending him to the business college!” Now, gentlemen, why cannot we have a business department in our public sehools where every from fifteen 1o sixteen can have a thorouzh train- ing in_bookkeeping, banking, telegraphy, ? "We sugeest to your honorable body, in all sexiousness, and we have no boys of oul own. that you consider this atan ealy day. and we belicve you will have “in sympatl with you, the press and the public. "A large portion of our Eighth grade, who drop out of sizht completely, will readily embrace an op portunity such as wo suggest, pAnd now, gentlemen, haying sunmarize | in detall the numerous detects in your publie school buildings, the next quest on of liter est is its remedy, In the erection of mew buildings plans should be submitted to the board by couipe- tentarchitects with building estimates an bond, When submitted to the people the aj propriation should cover the entire cost of ¢ struction, No false economy should und lie the ercetion of these publie school build- ings. We plan models of elegance and con- yenience in our own houses, and why den thew Lo our chlidrens who spend ons-fourth ir young lives under yourcare. You ponsible for their mental aud their ceds a3 well, and while you are the material cost do nit over- Al comforts of our young presi- a their wives. We comuend the sity of the board and the committee on supplies for the kindergarden and man training appropriations. No money w invested that will bring better returns, Fathers and miothers should to th of learning, visit their ehildren, notic ir happy faces and ask the board of educa: o appropriation next year. ps on the walls, the artis boards, the chemieal s, the eyelopedias and e, the elegait specimens re, bave we noticed with ver and phy books of re all these, and pleasure and prid 1f your comunittee has excoeded its func- tion or constituted itself an adyisory board, we beg In extenuation that we huve abid Yaith in the wisdom of the present board te Teco:nize any opportunity or means that will lwprove or wdvance our public school sysiem and place it In the front rank of human pro- gress. Our future ns a state depends upon the astute and broad views of its educator and no means_ should be spared to im tho noble work in which you are POWDER Absolutely Pure. 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