Waterbury Democrat

BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Heating With Coke And Soft Coal De-
clared a Success.
The board of education worked very
hard last evening with only a quorum.
There is hardly a board in the city
harder to get together than this board
of education. Commissioners some-
times do not hesitate to say that they
will not attend a meeting. The busi-
ness last evening opened with a state-
ment from Edward Green representing
the South Brooklyn school district, re-
garding its indebtedness. Mr Green
said that all it owed was $2,700 to Dr
Munger on a mortgage note and $150 to
the Citizen's bank. The last note he
was unable to find. As to the disposal
of the building he said he had been
asked if it would be sold. With this
statement he withdrew. This building
it will be remembered, was ordered
closed by the board some time ago on
account of the danger in reaching it
it lying between two railroad tracks.
It was voted to call the new Wash-
ington Hill school after the late Vicar
General Mulcahy.
Superintendent Tinker had his rec-
ommendations regarding the evening
schools ready but there being so much
business to be disposed of and this
could wait, it was deferred.
The committee on schools and hy-
giene recommended the employment
of Edward Gaughan, at a salary of $24
a week to inspect the progress of the
new Mulcahy school building. Ground
was broken for this structure yester-
day, Mayor Kildaff breaking the first
sod of earth. The committee also
recommended an iron fence of 800 feet
for the Walsh school. The cost will be
$1.15 a foot or about $900 total, ex-
clusive of drilling for the iron posts.
Both recommendations were passed.
Superintendent Tinker read state-
ments from the principals to the effect
that the pupils of their respective juris-
dictions are all vaccinated. and he rec-
ommended that the evening schools be
opened on October 6, to run eighty
nights from that date. Miss Kate
Beers has been appointed in the place
of Miss Small as teacher in the cook-
ing school, the latter having married.
At this point Chairman Kent
changed seats with Commissioner Rus-
sell. Then a series of motions were
presented by Commissioner Kent. In
fact he was the avenue through which
the greater part of the rest of the bus-
iness of the evening was done. His
first motion was that the committee on
schools and hygiene act with the mayor
in appointing five physicians, one for
each of the respective voting districts
in the city, to vaccinate all children.
free. and the committee to decide what
shall be the compensation of the phy-
sicians so employed. He made another
motion to the effect that the suburban
school committees shall take similar
action. The work to begin immediate-
ly.
On motion of Commissioner Chase.
the services of Thomas Fitzachery as
janitor of the old Locust street school
building shall be dispensed with at the
close of this month. No provision has
yet been made for disposing of this
building and the old wooden building
on the Bishop street school grounds.
Commissioner Kent took up the reins
of business then and moved that the
board of health cooperate with the
board of education in ascertaining to
what extent such diseases of the eye
were prevalent in the schools as oph-
thalmia trachoma, purulent conjunc-
tivitis and to take the necessary steps
to eradicate the same and prevent in-
fection of the well children.
It was moved (also by Commissioner
Kent) that the teachers of the kinder-
gartens use their own discretion in dis-
missing their pupils. There are 65 pu-
pils in the Walsh school class and
about 50 in the Barnard school, with
indications that each class will soon
be greatly increased.
It was voted that the suburban dis-
tricts take the census of their schools
as soon as possible so that the board
may be able to reckon their expenses
in the appropriations for 1903.
On motion of Commissioner Kent. it
was decided that hereafter. instead of
notifying parents by mail when their
children are dismissed from school this
shall be done verbally by the principal
or some other officer of the schools.
There appears to have been a great
deal of bother about this, resulting in
parents living in blissful ignorance of
their children's standing in school.
Commissioner Kent thought it was
about time this condition of things
should cease and no steps left untaken
that should bring the actual state of af-
fairs to the knowledge of such parents.
James Flannery of 82 Baldwin
street, believing. no doubt, that the
early bird catches the worm, applied
for the position of janitor in the Mul-
cahy school.
His application was
placed on file.
Regarding the heating experiment
at the High school yesterday by In-
spector Smith, he reported it to have
been a success. Instead of using an-
thracite wholly. coke and soft coal is
used. First a layer of coke is put on
to prevent the soft coal from falling
between the bars of the fire box, then
a layer of coal is put on, and thus a
sandwich is made until sufficient quan-
tity of fuel is laid on. The board
evidently forgot to properly acknowl-
edge this excellent work on the part
of Inspector Smith. Only for this inno-
vation it would be impossible to run the
schools during the winter, unless at
an enormous cost. In Syracuse and
many places in New York state the
schools have been obliged to close. In
many of the local schools there is hard-
ly enough coal to last until November.
Mary Horan. assistant janitor of the
Washington school was given an in-
crease in her salary, from $18 to $25
a month, she having two additional
rooms to take care of.
The board then adjourned.