OMAHA ILLUSTRATED 33EE. oelolier'-'ii.
Iowa School for the Deaf
Council Bluffs has tlio distinction of hav
ing within Iln Immoillatu vicinity ono of tlio
foremost of tlio state InstltiitloiiB the Iowa
School for the Deaf. Tlio itchonl In located
nbont thrcu mllcH BoiithunBt of tlio city and
stands on a beautiful elevation In the midst
of IfiO acres of fields and groves. Here on
an average 300 of town's children allllcted In
the respect that unllko their more fortunate
brothers and ulsters they have been deprived
of the HLMIHCS of hearing speech , find a homo
and receive an education whlnh Ills thorn Jo
go forth and battle with the world. Hero
thosu children are trained to become useful
members of noddy. It Is In no sense an
jiHylutn , but simply what Its name Implies ,
a school maintained by tno state , without
expense to the pupil. In addition to the
manual alphabet ami sign language , H | > read
ing and articulation are taught. Practical
education In ono of the features of the
school and the girls recclvo a thorough
training'In housework. Bowing , fancy needlework -
work , dressmaking and cooking , while the
boys are taught farming , gardening , printIng -
Ing , carpentering , shoemaklng and baking.
UENIIY W. HOTIIEIIT , SUPERINTEND
ENT STATE DEAF AND DUMI1 INSTI
TUTE AT COUNCIL BLUFFS , la
The Institution , located as It la In the midst
of ICO acres , Is practically a little world of
ltd own. The approaches to the main build
ing are avenucH of stately trees , and the
grounds present n pleasing appearance to
the eye. The main building of the Institu
tion Is an Imposing edifice of brick uud
stone and Htnnds on a beautiful elevation
from which a magnificent view of the sur
rounding country , with Lake Maiiawa In the
distance , can bo obtained. In tlio center It
Is live storleo high with n forty-foot tower ,
and the cast and west wings are each of four
stories. The entire length of this building
Is 3'JO feet nnd Its width Is sixty feet. The
east wing or girls' side Is occupied on the
third and fourth lloorw by the girls' dormi
tories. The second lloor Is used for guest
chambers , girls' sitting rooms , girls' study
rooms and the sowing department. The
basement contains the girls' bath and clothed
rooms , the female domestics' Bleeping apart
ments , storeroom and girls' play room.
The west wing , or boys' side , has on the
third lloor the smaller boys' dormitory ,
while the fourth lloor contains the larger
boys' Bleeping apartments. Every boy 1ms a.
nice Iron cot to himself. On the second
lloor are to bo found the boys' study and
reading rooms. In the basement are the
boys' bath rooms nnd clothes rooms , sleep
ing rooms for the male help nnd the flower
department , with a conservator ! ' attached
on the outsldo In rear of the building. Here
the puplln are taught to rnlso and ejiro for
plants of all klndn.
On the llfth lloor of the central building
Is located the hospital , \\hlch Is a complete
Institution in Itself , having hot and cold
water , steam heat , electric light and gas ,
bath loom nnd toilet rooms , pantry and
Bopnrato rooms for the nurses. There are 1
nominate apartments for the boy Invalids
nnd the sick girls , rooms for parents who
may wish to bo near their children when
nick , doctors' room and the dispensary.
There Is a preliminary ward for contagious
diseases nnd a separate hospital , Isolated
nnd secure , for the care of patients suffering
from Infectious and contagious diseases. An
elevator from the basement runs to the
hospital with Intcrmedlnto landings on the
floors below.
of Sanitary Care.
Owing to the careful attention that has
been paid fo the sanitary requirements of
the school there Is as a rule but very llttlo
sickness among the pupils and the records
nliow that there has been but ono single
death during the last seven years.
The fourth floor of the central building
was founerly occupied for chapel purposes ,
but Is now divided Into large airy rooms
for the larger bojs' dormitories. The third
lloor la occupied by the rooms of the resi
dent male nnd femaleteachers. . Thcto
rooms are tastily furnished nnd as fur as
practicable In an Institution of such u slzo
every homo comfort Is provided for both the
pupils and the teachers.
The second or olllco floor contains the
parlors , two guest chambers , public nnd
private olllco of the superintendent and the
living rooms of the superintendent and ma
tron , In the guests' parlor cnn bo seen on
the walls many beautiful specimens of paint
ings In oil , water color and crayon , all the
work of pupils of the Institution. Itoth the
olllco und sleeping npparlrnent of the su
perintendent Is connected by telephone with
every department and building of the
school , HO that ho can be called or con
sulted If nccestmry at any tlmo of the day
or night. The olllco In which the valuable
records of the- Institution aru kept Is pro
tected by a burglar alarm system.
The basement or first story of the central
portion of the main building Is divided Into
two largo rooms designed and uaud as play
rooms , ono for the boys and the other for
the girls. The meant ) adopted to protect the
building and Inmates against flro are ex
tensive. On each floor there are two standpipes -
pipes with valve * ) nnd hose attached , leadIng -
Ing water dlroct from the reservoir on the
hill , which affords umplo pressure. In ad
dition there are two Immense cisterns ad
jacent to the buildings ulth pumps able to
throw a powerful stieam on the building If
required. Every room In the building has
electric light and steam heat. Underneath
the enllro structure a tunnel runs from cast
to west with an outside opening allowing
pure fresh air to penetrate every space
ullhln tin confines.
Immediately In the rear of and adjoining
the main building Is an addition elected In
lyju. In which are located the puplis' dining
room and the largo chapel. The eutlio
lower lloor , suventy by elghty-flvo foot , Is
assigned as a pupils' dining room , access to
which Is had by doors on the east and west
shies , as well as by hallways leading dlicct
fiom the boys' and gills' play rooms. The
same system of steam heat , gas and electric
light prevails hero as elsowhere. The chapel
on the second floor Is suvuuty feet long ,
llfty feet wide and twenty-live feet high.
An elevated plntfoiim or stage covers the
center of the south wall , whllo a long gal
lery runs thu entlro width on the nor ill
bide , thus atfordlng all facilities fur a large
convenient amllenco loom. On the walls are
to bo seen the following mottoes in large
letters : "Honesty , " "Integrity , " "Economy , "
"Industry , " "Energy. " This chapel Is used
as the assembly room of the Institution and
frequently hero the superintendent assem
bles the pupils of an evening and talks to
them. Here the commencement exercises
are held and on Sunday the regular religious
services.
Library nnd .tliiHciim.
The space remaining between the chapel
and the main building is divided into com
modious rooms for library , reading room ,
museum , board room , superintendent's main
ollleo and bookkeeper's olllce. In the museum
Is a line 'collection of ututlcd birds and spocl-
metits uf minerals. In the library there are
It.OOU well selected volumes , neatly bound ,
and their condition shows the care with
which the puplla luuullo them. Adjoining
the library Is a cozy leading room. The
pupils uro allowed to procure books from tlio
library on Wednesday und Saturday nights
and on Sundays. In the library ulho can
bo seen specimens In glass cases of beautiful
embioldery , the work of pupils , and sampled
of shoes manufactured by the boys , ranging
from the dainty patent leather slipper lit to
gntco the foot of the first lady < , t the laud
to the heavy boot of the ploughman. On
the walls are the group photographs cf every
graduating class slnco the institution was
founded.
Above these roctus and in roar of the
gal lory , In the third story of the building ,
aio four large sleeping apartments for of
ficers of the institution.
Immediately In rear of the pupils' dining
loom Is situated the kitchen. It Is a two-
story building , containing on the first floor
two pantries , steam room and kitchen
proper. The lloor is of cement , the colling
of corrugated iron und the walls plastered.
Two dumb waiters lead fiom thiu lloor to the
tlneo rooms above , used respectively for
helps' dining room , olllcers' nnd teachers'
dining rooms and the supeilntoudent's
private dining touin. The laundry , at the
roar of the kitchen , is a largo two-and-a-half
story building , with basement or cellar bo-
low. Hero are placed the live largo hollers
which supply the steam for heat and power.
On the first floor Is the laundry proper , dl-
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MAIN BUILDING STATE DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE AT COUNCIL BLUFFS , la. Photo by J. 11. Corlies.
vlded Into three rooms , receiving ,
and wash and steam rocnu. A small engine
runs the washers , wringers and mangles
above. On the second Ik or is the Ironing
department. Hero Is situated the ironing
school , where the girls are taught , under
competent teachers , this Important branch
of household work , commencing with the
ironing of a pocket handkerchief and ending
when they can turn out a man's dress white
shirt.
Thu school house is built of brick , two
Btorlcs high , besides a basement nnd attic ,
with a slate roof. It is located on a gentle
eminence at a distance of about fifteen roils
from the main building. The location af
fords a view of landscape scenery across the
Missouri to Its banks on the Nebraska side ,
with Lake Manawa and the cities of Omaha
and Council Bluffs In the distance.
The first and second floors each have five
school rooms on each sideof a hall passing
through each story , making twenty large ,
well ventilated recitation rooms , each of
which Is supplied with Individual folding
desks for the pupils and heated by steam
from the boiler house. The recitation roims
average 20x30 feet and a blackboard four and
a half feet wldo extends around all the walls
of each room. There are adequate cloak
rooms for both boys and girls. The office of
thu principal Is situated In this building.
IiutiiHtrlal Delia rlmcii IN.
The industrial departments of 'tho ' school
are ono of the main features of the insti
tution. Hero the boys are taught the trades
of printer , carpenter or shoemaker. The
Industrial school building- consists of a main
structure with a south wing and Is so con-
btructcd that If the needs of the Institution
require It a north wing can bo added at any
time. The center building Is forty feet
front nnd thirty-six feet wide and , including
basement , three stories high. The basement
floor , provided with an aren space of six feet
on the west and north sides , giving ample
light and ventilation , Is occupied by 'tho '
broom making department. It also contains
the steam cylinder press on which the weekly
paper of the institution , "Tho Deaf Ha\\k-
eye , " is printed , all the work of composition
and printing being done by the pupils , nnd
typographically the paper la undoubtedly a
great credit to the young men responsible
for It. On tlio second lloor is the compost-
tors' room , or the printing olllco proper. It
Is provided with all reasonable modern Im
provements nnd Is entitled to favorable com-
STATE DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE CATTLE COMING TO WATEK AT COUN
CIL BLUFFS , la. Photo by J. H. Corlloa.
parlsou with any printing olllce of similar
dimensions in the state. One room is du
voted to chalk plate work , and some of the
pupils have developed considerable pro
ficiency in tills art , to which the paper tes
tifies. The entlro building Is lighted by elec
tric light , controlled by switches on each floor ,
and IH heated by steam from the boiler
house. It has fifty windows , providing more
than ample light and ventilation. The
south wing is eighty feet Icing and thirty
feet wide. The basement is occupied by
boiler and engine rooms and paint shop.
On the south side of the ground floor Is the
carpenter shop proper , while the north room
is the machinery hall In which are turning
lathee , circular saws , band saws , mortise
machines , etc. On > the second lloor , above
the carpenter shop , is the shoo shop. Here
all necessary benches , tools and ma
chinery are to be found to assist the pu
pils In securing n knowledge of this trade.
Conspicuous on the walls of this building
are the signs : 'Tleaso use supplies as If you
paid for them yourself. "
The physical training of the pupils Is not
overlooked at the Iowa School for the Deaf
and ono of tlio buildings recently erected Is
n first-class gymnasium equipped with the
best possible apparatus and a bowling alloy.
Here the girls , as well as the bojs , can go
through a course of physical training. For
thu girls there are basket ball and other In-
door'athletles. In this building also are t > lt-
uated the bakers and cooking school. The
bakery is supplied with the latest style ro
tary ovens nnd the pupils are taught the sci
ence of making bread , from mixing the dough
to the last stage when the crisp , evenly baked
loaf Is turned out from the oven.
Training In Coolirry.
The cooking school , located on the second
lloor over the bakery at the rear of the gym
nasium , la divided Into two departments , the
theoretical nnd the prnctlcal. In the lecture
room the theory of cooking is taught , whllo
In the model kitchen the pupils are taught
to practice what they have learned by theory
In the lecture room. The kitchen is spot
lessly clean , cleanliness being one of the
principal features impressed upon the young
women. Not only are the girls taught how
the prepare meals , but are aUo shown how
to servo ono and lay the table. For this pur
pose there Is a small dining room off the
kitchen where the pupils after cooking a meal
are taught to servo It. In this department
nothing but the daintiest of china and plated
silver are used. Everything Is as bright as
the day It came from the abop or factory
and the pots and pans , each hanging on its
particular hook , gll.sten like a mirror.
The school owns a dairy herd of fifty Hol-
.stolii cows , which Mipply the milk for the
entlro institution. In the big barn , which is
a handsome building in modern htyle , each
cow has its particular htall with its name
painted on a board over its head. At the
lenr of each stall slates have been fastened
on thu wall upon which the dally results of ]
the milking are written , which being copied
and furnished to the superintendent , give a
complete record of each animal.
The bojs are taught practical farming and
the IfiO acres upon which the school is lo
cated afford every opportunity for this
branch. From ten to llfteen acres every year
are planted with vegetables , and several
acres are laid out with corn and other crops.
Onu of the smaller brick buildings recently
DAIKY BUILDING , DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE AT COUNCIL BLUFFS , Iu.
Photo by J. H. Corlies.
erected and which Is located to the rear of
tlio kitchen is the cold storage house , con
taining rooms for meat , vegetables and fruit
and milk. It Is lighted by electricity from
a storage battery , the act of opening the door
turning on the lights and the closing of thej
door shutting them off.
IllMIll Of till * SoIlOlll.
To close this brief account of the low : .
School for the Deaf without some mention
of the man who has beerr at its head foj
the last thirteen years would make it In ]
complete. Henry W. Ilothert , who holfl
the position of superintendent of this , oij
of the most Important of the state Instltj
tlons , was born In Cincinnati , 0. , SeptoiT
ber 11 , 1840. Ho located at Keokuk , I'/ ' /
In the mercantile business in 1S57 , He v |
member and president of the school
there for nlno years , Was member of
city council and mayor of the city -
years. Ho represented the First senate !
district In the state legislature eight y
nnd was president of the senate two j
and occupied the position of lieutenant ( ]
ernor ono year. During the admlnlsf
tlon of President Arthur he hod charge ]
public lands In Wyoming. For the last t |
teen years ho has practically devoted
entlro life to the work of carint for thl
whom nature or accident has deprived !
the souses of hearing or speech , or
His interest in the children thus afflict
Is the more Intense because of the fact til
one of his own children , a son , Is a d-
rnute. Under Superintendent Hothert's f < ,
tcring care the Institution has become !
homo and school combined and not
asylum an Institution where the nullctil
pupils find not only Instruction but eympatb ]
and congenial companionship.