Yard Fire Drill Rudely Interrupts After-Dinner Relaxation Period

A pair of rare Yard fire drills disrupted freshmen as they were relaxing after dinner last week, creating complaints, apathy and a definitive way to judge the relative quickness of the freshman dorms.

Official evacuation speeds ranged from 38 seconds at 8 Prescott St. to four minutes at Pennypacker Hall, Burriss Young, assistant dean of freshmen, said yesterday.

Puzzled

Young said he was "very pleased" with the drills, but Frank Packer '81 said yesterday the drills were "sort of needless--half the people didn't come out."

Kenneth A. Hon '81 said he thought the drill was worthwhile because he would not have known what to do. "I probably would have jumped out the window."

"We've been damn lucky until now" to have avoided fire injuries, Young said yesterday, adding there was a severe fire in Matthews several years ago in which no one was injured.

Fire protection in the Houses ranges from automatic fire doors and elaborate escape corridors in Mather to what Virginia Hutchison, co-master of Winthrop House, said is a cramped and narrow stairway leading from the Winthrop dining hall.

Funds for the planned renovation of the dining hall were denied by the Corporation last June.