The CHEMAWA AMERICAN
PROGRESS AT CHEMAWA
By the time school opens next September wonderful
changes will have been wrought at Chemawa. The
projects Supt. Lipps has under way and assurance of
starting soon are certainly cause for the elation of all
true friends of our great school. At this writing
the new Brewer Hall, a magnificent two-story brick
structure which will accommodate nearly 200 boys, is
well underway to replace the old wooden building
which for more than 20 years has been known as the
Small Boys’ Home. This old wooden structure will
be razed and thus will pass from the campus the last
of the wooden dormitories for use at our school—
nothing but brick dormitories will be seen here hence
forth. The new Brewer Hall will have new furniture
throughout, splendid electrical wiring, and all plumb
ing up-to-the-minute, baths, toilets and everything
representing the last word in safety and convenience.
A fine reading room is provided for and there is also
to be in the building an especially equipped room as
a barber shop.
Mitchell Hall is to be renovated during the summer.
It will be rewired electrically and will be given a new
fire-proof roof. It will have new floors, new baths
and toilets, in fact it will be made modern in every
particular. This work will be started early in July
and is to be completed by September 1st, next.
Our power plant is to have two more new tubular
boilers. 250-horse power each, installed to replace
two old boilers which are worn out. They are to be
installed, with all equipment complete in every par
ticular, during the summer and be ready for use by
the time school opens in the fall. This will make
for a good supply of heat and power during the coming
winter—and later. Approximate cost of this work is
about $25,000.
On moving the old wooden structure last year, the
building known as Winona Hall, that part known to
be in good condition was saved and it now stands in a
convenient location on a good foundation. It has
been rewired, electrically, and is soon to be repainted
inside and out and made modern in every way. The
lower floor will be made acceptable for the purposes of
religious services and teachings of the Protestant de
nominations, and a home for our local Y. M. and Y.
W. C. A. organizations. We understand that Miss
Eakin will undertake to provide the furnishings for
this floor. The upper floor will be partitioned into
some ten fine rooms, or apartments, for employes.
The location of this building among the firs makes it
most attractive for a home. This work is to be done
during the summer.
One of the greatest projects launched at Chemawa in
a long time was that of dredging out the drain or
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swail from the north side of our farm in a circle clear
around to the south side, to a point south of our dairy
barn. The dredging of a perfect ditch is only a part
of the work, the contract calling for the clearing out
of all brush on both sides of the ditch, the grubbing
of stumps as well, and the plowing and seeding to
grass the many acres of land to be thus reclaimed.
This work is now well under way and it will make for
the perfection of our new septic tank and filtration
system for caring for sewage at Chemawa. Plans for
our filtration plant represents the work of Mr. H. B.
Hommon, sanitary engineer of theU. S. Public Health
Service. This whole matter is one bound to prove of
great value to Chemawa, in fact, wre cannot over
emphasize its importance. This work will be com
pleted by early fall. It is estimated that the filtration
plant will cost in the neighborhood of $10,000.00.
To refer back to the work on our drainage canal
across the farm, we wish to state that by this work
about 30 acres of fine land will be reclaimed and some
40 acres improved or benefitted, thus adding value
and importance to the project in addition to its sani
tation values.
We have arrived at a point where we wish to direct
our readers’ attention to what we are going to empha
size, and that is, Chemawa’s wonderful health record
during the past year. Not a single death! We had
the “flu” here, but had no fatalities, nor were there
any after complications. This is a splendid testimon
ial for our school and we think almost a record-breaker
among large schools of like character anywhere. At
any rate, it is a record that cannot be beaten, go where
you will. We believe a major part of the credit is
due to Dr. Sisco and his untiring efforts for health—all
matters of sanitation getting his attention before
conditions have a chance to become a menace to health.
He has a system of giving “health talks” to the
various academic classes, and giving this instruction
in terms that are understandable by the child. Ever
lasting care on the Doctor’s part is of benefit to all of
us, and we think the credit for our great health record
is largely his. Next year we will «have finer domitory
accomodations, better sanitation in many particulars,
in fact nearly everything will be better here and we
look forward to a condition pretty nearly ideal at
Chemawa next year. It will be a fine place to be for
students and employes. Just great, we think!
Mr. and Mrs. James Evans of Metlakatla, Alaska,
were recent visitors at Chemawa. Mr. Evans is a
graduate of Chemawa some fifteen years ago. At pres
ent he is one of the prominent business men of his
part of the territory and is getting along splendidly in
every way. While here Mr. and Mrs. Evans were the
guests of Mr. and Mrs. Downie.