Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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It out. From its appearance it looked to me as it* some one had used some kind of bar to prize it loose. The work had the appearance of being well done. I remain, Yours, very truly, Columbia Plumbing and Cornice Works, H. B. Chapman, Manager. Telegram: Columbia. S. C. Feb. 18,1904. A. C. Dover. Ocala, F1&. Did the State house roof show flash ings wert; torn out when you examined it? (Signed) Frank P. Milburn. Telegram: Ocala, Fla.. Feb. 18,1904. Frank P. Milburn. Architect. Yes, some half dozen places absolute ly pulled away from wall. (Signed) A. C. Dover. Columbia. S. C, Feb. 15, 1904. Mr. Frank P. Milburn. Dear Sir: 1 am a native of Georgia, but now a resident of Charlotte. N. C. I am a practical cornice and metal and sheet worker, with '12 years actual ex perience. i did a great deal of work on the State capitol at Columbia: had charge of the sheet metal work of the inner dome and the outer dome, and also the guttering, and the same was put In according to the plans and details for the same, by experienced workmen, in a good, workmanlike manner. I have read the published testimony of Mr. Hunt relating to my work, and the same is In the main not true. I have this day been on the roof and examined the dome and gutters. The Hour of the lantern of the dome has been badly abused since the work was completed and accepted. There have been holes made in the copper, which cause leaks in the inner dome. There is now a piece of timber there with nails in it, which might cause some of the holes noted. As to the guttering, the statement of Mr. Hunt is generally not true. They are made of Merchant's old method IX tin, which is the standard of America, and proper material for that particular work. It rests on a granite foundation and has all the protection necessary. After three years use it is in perfect condition. I have had large experience with roofs, and have been familiar with this roof, off and on. since It was put on. In this matter, again the testimony of; Mr. Hunt is largely untrue, it is as-, phalt and gravel, and not tar and gravel. None of the stone used in Its 1 construction were one and a half or I two inches, and the little slipping noted is only some slight excess of material, as is common to such roofs. The cost of metal ceilings in 1901 and 1902 was very much less than it was in 18S9, because of progressive ideas and methods in this kind of business and prices of material. Al hough I had no interest in the ceiling of the main lobby or elsewhere, my work was near it. and I had conversation with Mr. Unkefer about same, and'I know that the new ceiling cost more than it would have cost to repair the old one, but to fix the old one would require the im portation of special expert metal work- i ers, and a great deal of time, which would have resulted in inconvenience to the legislature. Yours truly. (Signed) G. G. Ray. ?To Whom it May Concern: Gentlemen: I have read with sur price Capt Hunt's testimony in re ?gard to the roofing applied to the S*ate ; house, and have the following to - ib mit: i The roofing on -this building is what I is known as "Warren's Anchor Brand, i Natural Asphalt Roofing," and was ap- ' plied by the "Charlotte Roof and Pav- ''? ing company" of Charlotte, N. C, ac cording to the plans and specifications adopted by the Warren Chemical and | Manufacturing company of New York city. This roof is what is known as ! our "Standard Anchor Brand Asphalt Roofing." and has- been applied accord- I ing to our plans and specifications. It | contains no coal tar, or coal tar prod Ucts, and is composed out of asphalt throughout. In reference to Capt. ? Hunt's assertion that the roof is of lit- ! tie or no value, i might state that | while there are some leaks in the roof, I these leaks arc occasioned, not through - the fault of the rooting, but for other reasons not in the rooting contract. Now. the pitch of this root, as nearly as I can ascertain, is about four inches; to the foot, and the rooting is well j adapted to this class of construction: ' in fact we do nut hesitate to advocate, and furthermore to apply this roof- ? ing on buildings whose roofs have a pitch of (6) six inches and upwards to the foot. The crushed quartz used for the graveling surface is such as wi!J) pass through a mesh from 5-16 inch to ? l-'l inch in size, and I am at a loss to understand how Capt. Hunt can say 1 that he was able to find stones as big,' as pigeon's eggs, or the size of a man's hand. 1 submit the above testimony in; defense of the Anchor Brand Rooting,; which has been a Hacked by Capt. Hunt, and trust it will be accepted as such. (Signed) Walter If. Harris. , Representing Warren chemical and i Manufacturing company, 17 Battery Place. N<yv York city. I notified the Charlotte Roof and Taving company repeatedly to send men to repair this roof. They sent j men more than once, but finally Mr. j Inner, the manager, told me that some; one was- tampering with the roof and 1 that be thought that water was run ning through the copper work and around the windows. It is a fact that 1 some of the frames and sash were i blown in during a severe windstorm last summer, and uore than likely this accounts for sou;- of the leaking com plained of. Mr. Ray informed me that , holes had been punched in the cupped dome. I cannot say ;is to this, but; J do know that people wen- permitted ! to go and conn- at will. On t\\:i or more occasions I sen; my men to inspect tie- roof after it was reported t. that it had leaked. They reported that a scuttle, which is about three or four feet square, was left off: and one time both scuttles were off. I required that the roofing contract ors give a guarantee for Hi years, vhicb fully protected tie- State's in terests. ! The committee say that a fine slate roof wa.-- torn off' which cost the State a great amount of money, and they further say thai it afforded perfect pro tection. Rut tle-y did liol produce a single witness to prove these assertions. Who told them? The absurdity of the. statement is proved by the fact that the principal argument used in gel ting the appropriation for the improve ments v as thai "the roof was full of holes and leaked like a seive." Resides being old an-! worthless as a roof, there was a very ?mall portion of the slate on ib.- roof, only thai -'it that could be seen from tie- ground?thai is. tie Steep maiiK.-ird-- th.- rest was of copper and ?.is sold f(M" junk. Wighth. Numerous objections to the dome which are so disconnected as to necessitate somewhat of a genera! re ply. Ii should be clearly understood that 1 originally planned for the construc tion of this dome of cast steel, just 'il>e th' mate!;,:! a.-- d for th.- dome of t.'ic capitol Washington. r0|. Marshall obji-etc,| -,<? tiii-.. and the commission, as I believe, largely influenced by its desire t.> satisfy him. directed tie chance i,i granite. This ?hange noces ? si tute ?! ., greatly increased load, and I not only carefully considered the ?"'.renath of th-- main building to sup T'Oi-.t it but. al my own exuense. had the j? >t expert in this lino t" make an exam\jiiaU,,n ami calculation of the ju??m-'V.i,. ,,,, [j,,. masonry, of the pro j.os.-,i i ..... .... i flu? proposed change-a V\as feasible, but instead of snp's.ii t h:.; i(ie dome OH two St<>vt to--, .is titsi designed. i bad K. ( ,.: f...-- :.ug-- box M-..| gii iers. .\:,| i?< n used the thick ness of al.'. that metal. The expert I referred to said, "We jw-e satisfied that I I there is no question as to the strength j of this revised design." With this change it became necessary to give greater pitch to the roof than origi nally intended, and to make numerous modifications and changes in the spec ifications and detail drawings for the work. For instance, the change in pitch of the roof obviated the necessity for the ventilators shown in the orig inal plans, which would have been un sightly thereon. The modified and re vised drawings for this portion of the work are still on file in my office and 1 could have been seen by "the investi gating committee and their "expert"J j ha?? they so desired. It is charged that the window frames I of the dome do not fit. This appear-j ante is no doubt caused by the fact j that some of them were blown in dur ing a severe storm last summer. Again, that there are kinks and crimps in the galvanized iron of the inner dome. Hut these are no doubt due to natural expansion ami contrac-' tion. Again that some stones on the out-1 side of the dome are too short, and the contractors filled up the spaces. Now, i the fact is, you cannot keep the water out of a close joint of stones: there! must be space enough to calk and ce ment, and it is necessary at that point. It must be understood that the little water oozing past the cement swells the oakum and this makes the joint water proof. t:ut the great bulk of criticism I of tha work on the dome is that j b Is not according to plans and; specifications, and that the ohms! actually used are not what they should be. It is true that much of it| Is not according to the drawings and] specifications seen by the committee j and their expert, but are a substantial] complance with the modified drawings] and detailed working plans. As to the i criticism by Mr. Hunt and the commit-1 tee of the plans as changed and actu- ; ally carried out. I insist that neither this contractor nor this committee are i competent judges. Surely the members of the committee art- no better able to judge of the work, at this time, than were the members of the capitol com mission, who saw the work as it pro gressed and when it was completed and accepted. Ninth. That the wood truss under the portico roof, culled for by the draw ings. is absent. After the commission decided to! omit the two columns before referred to, the wood truss was no longer prop er, the drawings were changed and steel trussed perl Ins substituted, span ning the portico the shortest way. And here again the committee under takes to criticise the use of built up sections, as called for by the draw' gs, instead of expensive solid stones, in deed, they criticise everything except t the contract price, which every body knows was very low. Ten'h. That a sheet of galvanized iron 1-32 of an inch thick is all there is between the interior of the building and the "wide, wide world." These gutters are not galvanized iron, but the best quality of IX tin. which is the best gutter lining that can be used. Copper lasts longer, but the expansion is too great. These gutters, which are of the usual thickness .for ths class of, work, are painted on the under side, caulked with lead in the ston;> and the gutter bed lays flat on the stone cor nice. Eleventh. That one of the large lin tel stones in the rear portico Is cracked, this being the last of the specific charges which is numbered. This stone showed no defect when the work was accepted, but has bro ken since then I do not believe it is likely to "give away." Apparently per fect stones will sometimes crack in a^ building and cannot be guarded! against. The committee could have] easily found evidence of this fact, had . they desired it. in several large stone, on the east side of the building, which' are cracked and broken, as is also a I very large stone on the south side near tin; west corner. Next: That the contractors did not] protect the interior of the building dur- ; Ing tb.e work. Ii is almost impossible tu fully pro-, tect a building during repairs and changes and lei the occupants remain' inside- its is not like an unoccupied j building. I could not. and did not. undertake to prescribe just how the contractors should protect the old work, ami they claimed 10 the commis- i slon that they had done all they could j do to that end. In this connection it must be remem bered that many of the stains from; leaks in different parts of the buUdlug j were there before the work under in-; vestfgation begun. Next: As to the cement floors and, water leaking from above. Only one day last month I was sur prised to see so much water in the passageway under the front portico, as it had not rain<-d for several days.: and I called the attention of Mr. Wil liam Hanks of The State to the condi- ] tions. Careful examination showed the.! the walls of the building were! sweating all around, but where the dirt j was against the building it absorbed the water, while it was not so absorbed where the cement Moors joined tin walls. The walls sweat regularly. This would not have been the eise had they been built hollow in the outset? they had enough thickness for air space in the centre. This is one of the; most serious defects in any part of the State house. I had nothing to do with I it. ! Next: As to the defective water clos eta and plumbing. This work was all done before the city had plumbing rules, or an inspec tor of sewers an,l plumbing, or even a sewerage system. These rules vary in, different cities, an,', in the ibsenee of any prescribed rules each architect; uses such plans and methods as seem best, considering location and sur roundings, general appearance and sanitary rules. In all these matters] there is constant improvement, just as we have greatly improved on old clos ets in the basement, which were in stalled when c,|. Mai shall was on the! commission in charge of the State house improvements. I Must that the State is able tu g.-t even more venti lation, by electric fans, as suggested, ">? Otherwise, as Ibe present location was, not built '.er this purpose, or there would hav*' been more ventilation. I think tie- following letter v. ill enable the public to form a correci estimate; of the inclination of this investigating] committee to condemn everything in sight: i Office of A. W. Edens. C. K.. Inspector of Sewers and Plumbing, Koma No. S. City Hall, i 'olumbia, S. i'.. Feb. IWM. Mr. Frank l\ Milbur' Dear Sir: At yon. request I take I lea mo" in slating that tic plumbing i mi. i the two portlent? >>! the Suite house will compare f.ivombly with any plumbing ilial Mas conic under my ob :? rvatio'i in this city which was in stalled prior lo ihe passage of Hie ixvpcnt ci y plumbing rules. The clos ets und oth? r llxliues are of good ,,uai ity. The principal >\> '- - i found was the wani of proper vein i la tion. yours respectfully. ISi3.Ii A \V. Edens. C. IS. Next. it is charged that the contractors. .?> "nuked trespassers." carried away ?.ml disposed o,' ,>'..] mat' rial, which was valuable property of the Suite: ami iho committee says they attempt to justify i he ?ei b> an il< in of t ho ppocificitimis. which docs n?i suppon : In ? out, iiiioii. This l.- another evidence thai the i i.T.mit (??>? did not consider tie- reports of ihe iMpitol commission, ns tie- legis lature directed it to do: for it appears in one "f those reports that under the item of Ihe spe, in. mi ion* referred to. tiie com rar tors, and oilm: bidders, j w ci e told before bidding that they would get all the old material, except the marble: that the contractors al lowed for the value of this old material in their bid: that the commission Cully investigated the matter: that the at torney general gave his official opinion that the general opinion had been that the contractors owned the old mate rial, and the commission could not i claim it; th.u the opinion ot the attor ! ney general was approved by the com I mission, excepting only Mr. .Marshall: I and the commission referred Mr. Gar i funkel's proposition to it to buy the old material from the contractors. I repeat that I cannot believe that i this investigating committee consid ered the report, or knew of these facts, i If they did, I think a discriminating I public can see that they are determined 'to uphold Col. Marshall's minority re I port, even if a suppression of ? old : facts is necessary. Generally: As an evident' hat 1 gave the State good and honest ..crvice in the expend iture of its money on the State house, and in refutation of many charges made, but not sustained, by the in- i vestigatiug committee, 1 desire to sub- ! I mit the following statements of hon-j orable, widely known contractors, not j withstanding the chairman of that committee, on the floor of the senate, where he was .secure from reply, de scended to the tactics of trying to be smirch and impugn any of and all wit nesses who dared to speak the truth, if not in .support of his report: Nicholas Ittr.cr, Contractor. P. 0. Box GOG, Atlanta, Gu. Atlanta. Gu., March 22,1901. 1 Mr. Prank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. C. I Dear Sir: Your favor of the 20th to hand. 1 examined the material and ? workmanship at capitol building, and : llnd it a first class job. 1 consider it a good, substantial piece of work. Yours truly, (Signed) Nicholas Inner, Contractor. Savannah, Ga., Aug. 17, 1903. Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. C. Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiry i of .August 7th in regard to the work re eently done on the State house, 1 will ! say that 1 have had considerable ex perience in large work, and have had i quite a number of contracts from the | United Stales government. I was one . of the firm of the Stewart Contracting company, who bid for th" contract in Columbia. 1 was in Columbia Aug. j Nth, and while there inspected the. Stoic house work. As a whole. 1 think the work very satisfactory. There may be some minor things that 1 would have done different if I tool been award-. ed the contract. Anyone looking to llnd fault can always lind it. There is one thing certain, the Slate of South | Carolina, in my estimation, has re ceived full value for the money ex pended, and now has a capltol thai I any Stale might well be proud of. This is my honest and unprejudiced i opinion. Yours truly, j (Signed) J. E. Burgess. Manager, Savannah Contracting Company. Note. Mr. Bulges remodeled interior of postollice building in Columbia, in '1)03. Augusta, Ga., SepL2, 1903. Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. 1 C. Dear Sir: In reply to your favor of Aug. 25th, wanting an opinion from us on the new Stale capltol in your city, j we beg to say the writer has frequent-' ly gone over this building during con-j struction and since it was finished, and j consider it as good a job as it is pos- ? sible to make oul of a remodeling job, and being familiar with the price paid for the work, I consider the State se- j cured a regular excursion price on that building. We have had considerable experience j in remodeling work, and know how I difficult it is to make everything per- ' fectly satisfactory, as there is some- j thing always in the way that cannot be moved, i'ou would have no trouble to prove up values if the matter was investigated, as you know from ex-' perlt nee that ii is much easier to crit icise than it is to execute. Yours very truly. (Signed) .1. Ii. McKenzie & Sons. (inner? I ("ontruciors. IJy i 'hal ies F. McKenzie, j Johnson city. Term., Sept. 26. 1903. Mr. Frank 1'. .Milburn. Columbia, S. C. Dear Sir: Replying to youi inquiry i of Aug. 25th, asking my opinion of the j work recently done on the South Caro- i lina Slate bouse. I will say thai i con- : sidered t'- ;am>- well executed and fill- \ ly up to tne slandaid for such work. I| have had experience in remodeling old | capitols, and have found it hard to I please every one, as they do not un- ! derstand the many troubles that we have to contend with. I am surprised that any objections are raised in re gard to the job. as 1 thought the qual ity of the work done, considering the I quantity, was well worth the price paid for it. 1 should think it would be worth fully ?200,0(io to duplicate the | sane- work now under the present con ditions of markets, etc. i'ours truly. Signed) .1. IS. I'arrish. Contractor and Builder, Lynchburg, Vn. Columbia, S. ?'. Feb. 3. 1901. j Mr-. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. c. I Dear Sir: Replving to your favor of! recent date, in which y<>u request us to inspect the work done <m the Stale capitol building at Columbia, s. C, we beg to advise as follows: After a careful Inspection of the I work, we are prepared to say that in our opinion, that the work seems to have been performed in a substantial | and workmanlike manner. In our opin ion, the appropriation was entirely too small for ;h.- amount "i work under taken. Very truly yours, (Signed) \\\ T. IIa,lloW I'm., By G. II. Madlow, General Com factors, Jacksonville, Fla. i 'olumbin, S. i'.. Feb. ir,. iaw. Mr. Frank 1?. Milburn. 1 Dear Sir: 1 have this day been through th- capitol building at Co lumbia. S. <'.. aid alter looking over tic wmk I am satisfied that the work don- |?y the contractor is a faithful performance of the spirit and 1111-111 oi the plans and : peejfications, as the work don,- i.- Worth a great ,1-al tic ie than bis contract price. I also read Mr. Hunt's report as to steel ceiling and lloor light and am i satisfied ilia! he i< entirely loo high in his valuation of the ceiling, and thai the lloor light appears io have been used 01 walked up,.11 liefore th- ceineni sei, in which case the damages would 1101 appea r for some 1 imo. And I would saj further, thai in re pairing mi adding t-i buildings there are a great many things which no ability -11 ibu part of i!-,- architect can f-i-e- .1:1,1 which have to |m> taken up as they develop; so. : ft-r carefully I looking over the matter. I am satisfied that tu- criticism! upon yourself and contractors ,.ic un< ,'ie.] for and u:i I find thai th- granite use.; Is not as hard as the original mantle, the texture Indng eo-irscr. it would n<.t take hi- same finish. I lind Iba' the specific?tions provide thai each class and style of work shall !?? so many cuts and tie ..?d work would HO| be tak'-ii by the eoinr.o tor as bis guide in performing his werk, while the gen eral style and 0t11lip.es would be the same I do :. : ? ? ? .'? r that the removal of the ' ? ? 1 ? ? tiieulioiied oi M r. Man.';- !?'??? : v 11 i weaken ;'>.? sirue lu.-. I liii.-'.k the in uner in which you provided i-i the change w as prop.-r. 1 find the ; hi- km-ss ??! the celling and gutters arc su? h as are used on all g.? buildings. 1; 1- my experience as a contraeinr j for l'm years thai .< number of roofs j leak fur iuine lime after the building is completed, and to cover this a guarantee is given for one year. The copper and tile rout' on the gov ernment building in Augusta leaked from time to time and gave the officers considerable trouble. Respect fully. (Signed) T. C. Brown & Son. Per T. (.'. Brow n. General Contractors, Augusta. Gu. Tili': GOVERNMENT EXPERT. Xo doubt the public is curious to know something more of Mr. Hunt, upon whom the committee seems con lent to rest for the support or its nu merous criticisms of designs, plans and work, with the single exception or the plumbing. 1 had undeistood, until last week, that the name of this witness was H. H. Hunt, and that he was a govern ment architect, as Coinmitteeman Pat terson announced In the house, and f made diligent inquiry In Washington as to identity and standing. Ih the limited time at my disposal since Thursday. I have inquired as to the work, position, etc.. of Mr. S. S. Hunt, resulting in the following in formation: \ Before going to Washington, Mr. Hunt enjoyed the reputation of being a good mechanic. The Washington city directory for Hull! contains his name as a contractor. The congressional directory does not show any such oifice ns "superintend ent of constructing of the United States capitol." The last congressional direc tory shows as connected with the office superintendent of the capitol: Superintendent, Elliott Woods, Con gressional hotel. Chief clerk. George H. Williams. 210 street. Chief electrical engineer, Christian P. Gilem, 6-12 Hast Capitol street. Clerk, John Welch, 310 North Caro lina avenue. S. E. W. R. Kilpatrick wires: "Architect says neither S. S. Hunt nor H. H. Hunt, superintendent of con struction capitol. Never heard of such Hunt." J. K. Taylor, the supervising archi tect of the United States government, wires: "Office has no knowledge of S. S. Hunt in 'connection with any of its work." Paul J. P< Iz of Washington, one of the three architects (and the only sur vivor) who designed the famous con gressional library, says that his name is not in the government Blue Hook: that he neither knows S. S. Hunt as a builder, contractor or architect, and that if he had been of promin? u e in either capacity, be would have ki.own him. Will South Carolinians endorse the libelous report of this investigating committee, confessedly based on ihe opinion of this witness, in the face of the opinions of Nicholas Ittner of At lanta. J. E. Burgess of Savannah. Charles F. McKenzie of Augusta, J. E. Parrish of Lynchburg, G. H. Hadlow of Jacksonville, and T. C. Brown of Augusta'.' The following extracts from the rec ords of the Capitol commission will no doubt prove interesting to the public: "Upon motion of Mr. Derhsun: "Resolved, That when the work on the State house is finished, prior to accepting the same, the architect shall notify the governor, who shall call the commission together, who with the architect shall Inspect the work, ami if the same is satisfactory the cer tificate shall issue." Columbia. S. C. May 22. 1902. Hon. M. B. McSweeney, Chairman State House Commission: Hear Sir?1 wish to report that Me llvaln. Unkefer Co.. contractors, have completed the work as outlined by me on the State house. That is-, tin: spir it, intent and meaning of the plans, specifications and modifications of the same, and are entitled to the final pay ment. Frank P. Milburn. P. S. This report to be tiled when the commission are satisfied with the work as done. "Resolved, That it appears to the commission for the completion of tlie? State house that the work is satisfac tory and that the contract has been substantially performed. Whereupon Mr. Marshall made the following motion as ;i substitute: Resolved. That in the opinion of this commission the work done under the contract to complete the State house mis not been performed by the con tractors according to the plans, speci fications and contract, and therefore the work done is not satisfactory to tin- commission." A roll call having l.n demanded up on the question cd' the adoption of Mr. Marshall's substitute, the substitute was rejected by a vote of 7 to l. as fol lows: Voting yes -Marshall?1. Those voting no?McSweeney. Jen nings. Mower. Johnson, Wilson, Bel linger, Derham?7. CONCLUSION. I have tried to briefly and calmly show the public the plain facts connect ed with tie- State house work, with-I nit resorting to rant, and cheap clap trap about bamboozling, etc. I have no desire to conceal anything from the public and I court the fullest Investigation, feeling sure of a com-, .nletu vindication from the cruel at-; tack which has been made upon my | character for the llrsl time. Very respectfully, Frank P. Milburn. I A I'Ki: U H'-Mt WITH A ItKCOItD. The Rev. .lohn Ituppc of GnflTney Uns Tied -us Matrimonial Knots. Special in The state-. Gaffney, Feb. IS.?Rev. John Ruppe, who has possibly inaried more cou ples than any other man in this con il ly marred two more North Carolina ? hi. lies last Sunday. These were Mr. ?\. .Moore ami Miss I.. K. Settlcliiyer, of Henrietta, and Mr. C, A. Hawkins and Miss Haltic McSwairi. of Boiling Springs. This make: a total of 438 J knots lied by this aged divine. Many are the people who can date their greatest happiness to the lime when they .stood trembling before him. .Miss Blanche Wilson has gone on a trip north. Mr. II. K. Osborno has announced hiins.-lf a candidate for thy office of alderman from Ward Six. Mr. '!'. Davonporl has sold bis gro cery business to .Mrs. T. Davenport, v. ho will .-undue: tl." business at the sane- place. Mr. Davonpori will be come a knight of tin- grip. His line will be ^roi cries. Help is litprechilfil. (?.-..pie's Recorder (coloredi. It is indeed gratifying t-> note 'he interesl ihe Columbia Dally State, ihe white citizens of Columbia and else where, and Dr. Ra> of lower Rich la ml county arc taking In raising and dis tributing contributions of money, food and clothing for and t > th.lored suf ferers of lower Rich land. All remem ber how th. ir crops were all swept away by hail, wind and rain last year, and how hundreds of lhe poorer das; have undergone almost starvation. Now these white friends, from tii-ii bounteous storehouses, are mosl liber ally contributing to the n.Is the sufferers. Being a Columbian, we do all ihe more appreciate Ijiis manifest Chris tian beneficence. May I lie blessed restore !?? these benefactors leii :'?>'?'?. We thank them. is aboiti tie- only pay back tint w?? enn give. \ fatal K*|itii?imi. Buffalo. N. V.. 21.?Two men were asphyxiated, one burned t-. death and several were seriously injusod in a.; explosion ,,r i.last furnace gas mi ihe pinnl of the Lucka wanna Steel company today. The dead are: Goo. Reynolds, a mason: Mieh.Hil S. Smith, a mason. Frank Prenati, employed in tin power house. % GIRLS WHO LEAVE HOME. I 8 I ".': W rill en lor The Mate by \V. ?. ?<-' jjj U..?,!>. * The readers of The Stute, or rather that portion of them who have paid the writer the compliment of reading Iiis articles, which have appeared from time to time in Its columns need hardly be reminded of his position on the subject of education. There is. however, one thing in connection with the .pie: lion to whi m he begs to enter a protest, although it is don..- with a considerable degree of reluctance. Ii i? possible, of course, that this evil, and the word Is used advisedly, may not owe its origin to our system of education, but to a change of pub lic sentiment, which has found de velopment outside of higher education. Then, too. the fact must be recogniz ed thai in all human affairs, it mat ters not how good the general ten dency is. there must be some evil; but while giving full acknowledgme.it to this truth, every effort should he made to keep the evil incident thereto to the lowest possible point. The evil to which allusion is made is the craze that has found lodgment in the mind of almost every girl that just as soon as she leaves the college or high school she must lind some kind of employment, despite the fact that in the large majority of cases It involves leaving her home and being thrown with strangers. Any system of education or of public sentiment that instills a feeling of this kind into the mind of a girl, that she must be in dependent and make her own way in the world, is radically and Inexcusably wrong. There are, of course, many cases where this seeking for employment is painfully necessary, and where this is the case a girl should he encouraged ami rendered every assistance; but where this condition does not exist, she is both unjust to herself and her parents when she voluntarily leaves them jus: at the time when they will derive so much pleasure from her presence ju the house. She has been sorely missed during the four years she has spent ai college, but this separation was cheerfully borne by her parents, for they could look forward to the lime when she would finish her education and once more be with them to bright en their hotne. Independence and the desire to make one's own way in the world, is both natural and commend able, but there is such a thing as car rying even a good impulse too far, and there is something radically wrong in any system of home or school train ing that, implants the idea in the mind of a girl that she should not be de pendent on her father, even when he is abundantly able to provide for her wants. Even if it be granted that she can have more social enjoyment in the town or city than in the country home of her parents, this furnishes no sutli cient excuse for her to leave her par ents when her presence and help af fords them such unalloyed happiness. It often happens that the mother, get ting on in years, is worn out with toil and care. She has given all her strength and time to the raising and training of her children, and to her it is an inexpressible pleasure when her daughter insists on assuming some of her duties and responsibilities, and enables lu-r to enjoy a well-earned rest. A number of years ago it was the writer's good fortune to be a frequent visitor at a home where the conditio;, above mentioned existed. The moth er's health was not good and the oldest daughter had simply relieved her of all household cares, not even allowing the younger children to trouble her with any of their troubles. This daughter was accomplished, well educated, a very line musician and could easily have secured a position to teach. This she would have liked to do. but she felt that her first duly was at home, and the discharge of this sacred duty Will ever he | he sweetest ami linder est recollection of her life, for when she was called on to see that mother pass away she was sustained ami soothe.! by the consciousness that she had done all that lay in her power to make her mother's last years pass in peace and happiness. One of the greatest and noblest men Robert K. Lee?who has ever lived on this earth, made duty the watchword of his whole life, and no sacrifice <<r danger ever restrained him from do ing what lie conceived to be right. The path of duty often calls us to walk in ways that humanly speaking are Hie very reverse of the ones we would choose, but then there should ever bo present the though! that after all the strongest happiness conies from the consciousness of having done our ut most to promote the happiness of those who are dear to us. Fortunate, in deed, is the daughter who. when she looks for the last lime on the face of her mother, with her tired hands fold ed across h'-r bosom, can feel that she never brought tears to the now closed eyes 01 pangs of sorrow to the un selfish heart, winch, has forever ceas ed to Inn1 If she r 1 feel thus then she has a pea e and joy than '.'.ill be her greatest so as long as life endures, for what ever, for weal or woe, the future has in store for her, this is something thai no earthly powei can take away. A girl when she first leaves col lege au.l enters, as i; were, upon the threshold of her life, stands in great need of her mother's counsel and pro tection, and it is a misfortune when stress of circumstances deprives her of this safeguard. If Liiere be on* thing 011 earth thai comes as a gift from Heaven it is '!:?? love of a moth er for her child. N'o pen can portray it: no plummet can sound its depths, for it is as deep and wide as a fath omless sei, t.i wide!! no measurement can be given. The writer trusts that he may b< pardoned for giving one more iiiuv tratioii of the sacrifice of inchtiattor io duty, the facts of which are just uj related A good man;.' years ago (here ex isted an engagement between tw< young people, but I here was. in t hi estimation of the young lady at least an inseparable barrier in the way o! it.': immediate consummation, thai ob st.e l ? beii,g an invalid me'li- r. fm whose ear.- the daughter consider..-' herself responsible. After the laps, of a good many years the mother pass ed away and a short lime after hoi ? I'-ath tiie daughter married the g- n tIonian to whom she had I.n so Ion: attacli.-d. They were both gel ling a!.>ieg in years then, but can any one deal.1 that thai loving daughh found irreal happiness in th- few year: , f bei married life"." Ii is very easy t< believe ihai in 1 Iiis short time then came :?> !:??:? enough ??! earthly hnppi ness 10 compensate for her long year: of sacrifice to a snen d duty. Ii has always been a source of won 1,1 the writer ihal some truly grea writer has never made a special pom of t r> inu at least i" port ay niotJ er's love ior a child, following ? ui itia '..-..- from us birth, and when it firs draws sustenance from her bosom through the years o| :'. gradual menta and physical ilcvciopmeiit. So far a tie- writer's knowledge extends this 1 for th-- novelist an unexplored mite wailing for- the touch of a masie h .nd I.- bring lls jewels mho the ligh of today. Baltimore. I". h. -1.?R was though thai not a lit'-- was I >si In the fire hen bm a charred body supposed to h "f n colored man has been fotin in the water ai Rowley's wharf. Th bod) is badly burned as to be Uli recognizable. SUEZ V DHEARY DITCH. Cunal Cleft Through Urgion llnrc of All Save UIIiIIcmI Klrimem. Iw. E. Curtis in Chicago Record-Her ald. . Alloal on the Red sen. Jan. IS.? Every vessel passing through the Suez je anal is compelled tn lake a pilot, he cause skippers u:' ordinary vessels can not be trusted to navigate the narrow channel, for the slightest deviation ? may cause damage that will cost thou 1 sands of dollars to repair. Each year, however, navigation is rendered easier by the widening of the channel and ; by the excavation of additional sidings or basins where vessels can pass. From the moment the pilot goes on the i bridge he takes charge'>f (he move j ments of the ship and is responsible for whatever may happen, regulating the i speed according to tonnage and draught. Vessels cannot pass in motion. When ! they meet the one which arrives first at the signal station is compelled to stop and tie up In the basin until the other goes by. These basins are found , at intervals of u few miles, and at every basin is a "gare" or station in i barge of a signal officer, who corre sponds to a train dispatcher on one of our railroads, and the block system is used to regulate the movement of vessels. Formerly no tralllc was al lowed at niuht. but now it is carried on without interruption by the aid of {electric lights on the shore and search ; lights on the vessels. The canal looks exactly what it Is? I a big ditch on a desert of sam on which foxes, jackals, hyenas and oc casionally lions are seen by the watch men in the signal tower At some j places the banks of earth on either ? side are so high that passengers on the j steamer cannot see over them, but for i most of the journey you have a wide j sweep on both sides back to the moun | tains that rise from the desert, and j at a certain point for a mile or two , Moun.1 Sinai ;s visible .'!7 mll?s to the : southeast, and is pointed out to you by the captain or the deck steward. Naked Arab hoys run along the banks crying for baksheesh and easily keep abreast of the creeping vessel, grab hing at pennies which passengers throw them from the deck. Half the : coins roll down in the water, which is exasperating to the youngsters. They I do not like to stop and dive for them while there is a chance of getting more, ' but I Imagine they mark' the spots and ? oniii bark to recover lost backsheesh when they have left tin- vessel. There are only two towns of any ; account on the canal. One is Ismalia, ' a half way point, with a population of . 4.000. it is the only monument In honor .of the Khedive Ismail, who did the ; most and spent the most to carry out the enterprise, and lost his throne ] thereby. It is rather a pretty town, ; abundantly irrigated, and hence has ? lovely gardens and groves of palms land other trees. Here reside most of the engineers and other officers of the canal, because it Is preferable to Port I Said. There is a hospital for sick em j ployees, a club for the benefit of the officers, and several good houses, in cluding one erected especially for the : entertainment of M. de Lesseps, when I he should be pleased to use it. Beyond Ismalia. as before, are occasional oases |n the desert?groves of palms and luxuriant gardens surrounding the ; stations of the canal officials, for wherever you can turn water on that I lonely desert everything will grow with I a wild luxuriance. It seems as if the I earth suddenly released germinating I power that had been accumulating I during centuries of suppression. The chief interest is found in the town of Suez, because it is the crossing ; place of the great caravans of camels j that furnish transportation betwen the j two continents of Asia and Africa, and I travel regularly between Cairo, Da ; mascus and Bagdad; also because bib lical historians believe that here the waters of the Red sea opened 3,500 years ago and allowed 3.000,000 of the children of Israel tu cross over upon dry bottom. It requires a considerable concession to the imagination and a [strength of faith that a majority of j mankind do not possess to accept this I theory, but no one knows to the con trary, and experience has taught me j never Lo doubt the faith of interesting s;oiie.<. if you do, you deprive your j self and others cd' muc h pleasure. It ; is like- analyzing the attraction of a ? pretty woman, nr separating her fea tures into lots, classifying them and measuring them by the Venus de RIllo. On the other side of the Bed sea, which, by the way. is not red, but blue , ?as blue as the sky In June?you can : see the purple peaks of the Sinaitic , range, and a few miles from the shore, ' which you can reach in three hours ' by donkey, one of these remarkable j oases that are frequently found in the I desert. This particular one is called . the Wells of .Moses. There is a com fortless hotel kept by an Arab, where beds and refreshment can be obtained, but It is better to start early in the ! morning, so as to get buck the same day, and take a luncheon in a basket . from Suez. The trip c an be- easily ? made while- the vessel is coaling. I The children of Israel, according to the Bible, wandered three days In the wilderness of Shut- and found no water, and when they came to .Marah they [could not drink the waters, for they 'were bitter, and the people murmured against .Moses, sayin: "What shall we drink'.'" and he cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree which he cast Into the- waters and the waters were made sweet. And they came to Elim, where there were 1- wells of wafer, and three score and ten palm trees, and they encamped there- by the waters. And Miriam, the- prophetess, ti>.- sister Hi Aaron, look a timbrel in her hand, and all the women .vent oul after In r with timbrels and with dances. That beautiful scene, one of the most dramatic in the who!.- Bible-, is I??-11I to have taken place here, for these wells are the wells of Ellin, and three and ten palm trees still shelter a collection ,,i a dozen or more springs. The village is peopled by I naked Arabs, sinewy, springy, en during fellows, whose flesh shines like" polished mahogany, and who must re semble tie- young m?--n of Israel whei they started on ihe journey that was nol finished for in years. It is difficult to understand why and how they hap,.-med in be wandorinp about so long down here. If you vvil lock ai tiie map you will see thai Sues is .-lim,.si on a line wilh Cairo, and it was lhe m-'st natural rendezvous of tin tribes, w im were scattered all alom the Nil.- from Memphis, which Is jm-i above t'nho. in Thebes, which is jusi below Luxor. The account In tin Bible is i.doused, and we are cum P >?!??? i to t ike :i good deal of these ira ilitioiis en ...eh. but, as i have already suggested, j- is worth while tn do so. Tile Bed s'-i is 1,4(10 miles long, an its gre nest .. idlh is >?> miles. It i: Dutti (!;?? shape of a sausage, and la ; ? rs ai both cuds. cm one s.i? !>? i Arabia, the nmsi mysterious and prim itive .if all countries, and on the othe sid-- Egypt. Nubia and ihe Soudan Ai t!i" north end what is known as t?i? Siuuith' peninsula projects souihwan and divides the sea into two arm and near the point of ihe peninsula 1 Tor. the landing place for Sinnt. i>p posile Tor i-' .I.!..-! Ez-Zelt. whid means "the mountain of oil." where pe iroleum was discovered some years :i-' am! - rented e.r. al excitement. Hun II reds of thousands oi dollars hav I.I. expended m sinking wells an. bending docks, warehouses and r< tin cries, bin have all been abandonee because, for some reason, the maun facturers could wt eomfiete with ti: Standard 'HI ?-hi.p.my or the Russii. factories on the lilack and Caspia seas. people Ihink l ha I there is a good den more wealth in Arabia than we kn< \ of. It was once vi greater Importal!J j than now, and in ancient days pro duced considerable gold and other met 1 tils, but now it ships little but dates. I wool and coffee, and even these are ,' gradually falling off. -Mocha coffee is produced at the extreme end of the ; Arabian peninsula, in a province called i Yemen, and derives its name from the little port it Is shipped from. But the : people have no enterprise, the coffee ' orchards have been injured by Insects and blight, and the trees have not been J renewed. This is acounted for by bad government. As everywhere else in the dondnions of the sultan of Turkey, for Arabia is nominally a part of the ottoman empire, the officials receive no salaries, and live off blackmail. Hence, whenever a citizen gets a little ahead, when he shows signs of pros ; perity, he immediately becomes an : object of plunder and persecution by I the tax gatherer and by every other representative of the government. ! There is no incentive for the coffee I growers to extend their orchards or I to increase their product. One does not. realize, until he comes , face to face with the fact, that Arabia j is nearly half as large as the United I States. Its area is almost as great as i that of India, and is nearly equal to 1 that of our States east of the Missis sippi river. The population Is un i known, because there has never been ; a census, but It is suposed to be be I tween seven and twelve millions. The ', distance from north to south is more ?than a thousand miles, and from east to west it varies from 500 to S00. Yet in till this enormous territory there is [ no centralized authority. The Interior is goverened by petty sheiks, each being absolute over the members of his own tribe. Along a coast line of nearly 2.500 miles are only six ports. I where the sultan of Turkey maintains 'pasha governors and garrisons to pro ject the codec ~rs of customs, who are I required to paj him a certain amount of tribute every year, and they wring I t out of the people any way they can. The relationship between the gov ernment at Constantinople and the ; Bedouins of Arabia is very slender, [and is due solely to the cohesive power ; of the Mohammedan religion. There Is I ao law in Arabia but the Koran; there I ire no courts but the priests; there are j no malls, no postofTlceH, no postage ! stamps, and a person who wants to I communicate with a distant fried must ? send his letter by a messenger, which is expensive, or by a caravan, which Is the common way. There Is no tele graph line, no newspaper, no railroad, and, strange to say, not a river In all [ that vast area except a few shallow, rocky beds, which during the spring , bring down water from the melting j snow on the mountain tops to the sea. ! but for nine months In the year are i as dry as a crematory. The captain tells me that they pro duce a curious phenomenon. The coast of the Red sea Is lined with coral banks, built by those mysterious and j wonderful little masons who, like some : men that I know of. hate fresh water, j and wherever the spring floods fall Into j the sea there is always a wide break j In the coral reef. ! The mountains of Arabia reach an altitude of 10,000 feet, and in spots where borings have been made the sand Is more than C00 feet deep. It is the prevailing Impresion that Arabia is a vast expanse of desert, but that is .a mistake. There are wide strips of bar ren stind, which are irreclaimable for cultivation only because they cannot be reached by water, but two-thirds of the country is capable of cultivation, and. lying at an altitude of 3,000 feet above the sou, .night' produce cotton, sugar and other semi-tropical staples in unlimited quantities. Although there are no streams plenty of water can lie had for irrigation purposes by digging 20 or 30 feet, and the introduc tion of windmills would simplify the pumping problem. On the coast It is Intensely hot, and the humidity of the atmosphere during the summer season makes life almost unendurable, but In ! the interior, upon the table lands along ; the mountain slopes and in the va'leys, (the mercury seldom rises above S5 do ' grees, even In mid-summer. While i the direct rays of the sun are intense. [ it is cool in the shade, and at night the j mercury often falls below 50. j More than two-thirds of the popuiu ; tlon a'-e Bedouin nomads, without per j manent places of abode, who live in : tents made of camel's hair, just like i the patriarchs of old. They have enor mous docks of sheep and goats, and herds of catle and camels. The follow the grass and move from place to place with all their possessions. There are. i however, several prosperous cities of 'considerable population and commerce, i Trade is conducted by camel caravans, ? which cross the desert regularly, and i transport enormous quantities of dates, woo! and other merchandise. William E. Curtis. A School for f>rnwo-l:|M, Gas ton In (N. C.) Gazette. I The Statesvillc Landmark refers ts the pluck of a boy 17 years old and of a man twice that age who recently buckled down to books at Buie's Creek academy without knowing how to read. The boy didn't know his letters, the man began In the first reader. Yea. that is plucky in a sense. Not that the task is so great, but that the I nerve to get one's consent to undertake ! it at those ages is so rare, f'.ut it Sought not to be rare. The task Is not great, not difficult of accomplishment, j Little children who live with books and picture blocks learn to tend be i fore they are six years of ate, learn 1 without special teaching: with some direct and regular instruction they i would b arn sooner. We do not believe that there is in the State an illiterate 1 grown man Of ordinary intelligence and industry that could not learn to read In six weeks, write in ten weeks, and get a good beginning in arithmetic in a f. w more weeks, if he would only give these things attention and reg ular study. Why hasn't somebody st ilted a school for grown men who cannot read and write'.' The gap be tween the man who cannot rend and the man who can?how great and how wide it is! What storehouses of rich ness and vast and fertile fields are shut away from him who cannot read. Beyond the Alps lies Italy?and the Al| - ill this case nr.; riot impassable. Th - gap is wide but not difficult to hint who tries, and the prize is 9o worth the winning! The man who cannot thinks the way is hard; the man who can knows it Is not. The grown man who cannot read and write ?somebody show him. somebody help him. Here's missionary work for one. and priceless happiness for two. SPKfTI.ATORS IN TROUBLE. Ilavr lleeii Starting Wnr Rumor? Im i tnl? for Honey Purpose".. Ibuue. Feb. 21.?Rumors of warlike preparations by Italy having been cir culated a semi-official communication has emanated from the government which is in substance as follows: Stories of alleged armaments and of the movements of warships and troops for service abroad are entirely false. Indications exist that this false news is connected with stock exchange speculations and those responsible have been brought before the law ? ourts to be punished u.irding to law with imprisonment of from three to thirty months. rho communication evidently alludes to riie insistence by a portion of the press thai Italy will be antagonistic to Austria in the Balkans and to the predictions r?f international complica tions thus causing a f?ll in Italian bends and a rise In the exchange on geld. F)r. JanieMOB'ii Siicrms. Cape Town. Fob. 21.?Dr. Jameson has succeeded in completing a casiaet.