University of South Carolina Libraries
it out. JFrom its appearance it looked to roe as if 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 truiy. Columbia Plumbing- and Cornice Works. 74. P. Chapman. Manager. Telegram: Columbia. S. C.. Feb. 1S.1904. A. C. Dover. vVala. Flu. Dili the .State house roof show flashings were torn out when you examined it? (Signed) V rank P. Milburn. Telegram: Ocala. Flu.. Feb. IS.H'tM. Frank P. Milburn, Architect. Yes. some half dozen places absolute? lv pulled away f-oin wall. (Signed) A. C. Dover. Columbia, S. C., Fob. 15, 1S-04. Mr. Frank P. Miiburn. Dear Sir: I urn a native of Georgia, but now a resident of Charlotte, N. C. 1 atn a practical cornice and metal and sheet worker, with -2 years uetual t-xperieucv. 1 did a great deal of work on the State eapitol 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 floor of the lantern of the dome has been badly abused since the work whs completed and accepted. There have been holes made in ".he copper, which cause leaks in the inner dome. There is now a piece of timber there with nails in it, which might cause some ol 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 ali the protection necessary. After three years use it is in perfect condition. 1 have had large experience with roofs, and have been fumhiar 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 asphalt and giavel, and not tar and gravel. None of the stone used in its * instruction were o:.c and a haif or ?\vo mcaes, anu my muu tuning m/ivu \ is only some slight excess of material, as is common to such roofs. The cost of metal ceilings in 1??01 and 1V02 was very much less than it was In 1SSj,- 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 importation of special expert metal workers, 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 surprice Capt. Hunt's testimony in regard to the roofing applied to the State house, and have the following to sub* mit: The roofing on this building is what is known as "Warren's Anchor Brand. Natural Asphalt Rooting," and was applied by the "Charlotte Roof and Paving company" of Charlotte, N. C., according "to the plans and specifications adopted by the Warren Chemical and Manuiafuuring company of New York city. This roof is what is known as our "Standard Anchor Brand Asphalt Roofing,'' and has been applied according to our plans and specifications. It contains no coal tar. or coal tar products, and is composed out of asphalt throughout. In reference to Capt. Hunt's assertion that the roof is of little or no value, I might state that while there are some leaks in the roof, these leaks are occasioned, not through the fault of the rooting, but for other reasons not in the roofing contract. Now, the pitch of this roof, as nearly as I can ascertain, is about four inches to the foot, and the roofing is well adapted to this class of construction; in fact we do not hesitate to advocate, and furthermore to apply this roofing 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 will pass through a mesh from 5-16 inch to 1-2 inch in size, and I am at a loss to understand how Capt. Hunt can say 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 Roofing, which has been attacked by Capt. Hunt, and trust it will bo accepted as such. (Signed) Walter B. Harris. Representing Warren Chemical and Manufacturing company, 17 Battery Place, New York city. I notified the Charlotte Roof and Paving company repeatedly to send men to repair this roof. They sent men more than once, but finally Mr. Dover, the manager, told me that some one was tampering wun me ruoi auu that he thought that water was running through the copper work and around the windows. It is a fact that some of the frames and sash were blown in during a severe windstorm last summer, and more than likely this accounts for some of the leaking complained of. Mr. Kay informed me that holes had been punched in the copper dome. I cannot say as to this, but I do know that people were permitted to go and corne at will. On two or more occasions I sent my men to inspect the roof after it was reported to me 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 contractors give a guarantee for 10 years, which fully protected the State's interests. The committee say that a fine slate rcvf was torn off whfth cost the State a great amount of money, and they further say that it afforded perfec t protection. But they did net 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 getting the appropriation for the imnrove merits was that "the roct was tail ot .holes and leaked like a seive." itesides being old and worthless as a roof, there was a very small portion of the slate on the roof, on'y that that could be seen from the ground?that is, the steep mansard?ti:o rest was of copper and was sold f<v iunlc. Eighth. Numerous objections to the dome which are so disconnected as to necessitate somewhat of a general reply. It should be clearly understood that I originally planned for j^'ne construe tion (?; t just '-.e capitol At Washington. wNl, Marsh til objected/to this, and the commission, as I believe, 'aug-xly iniluom^Pd by its desire iff satisfy him. directed the change to granite. This charge necessitate 1 a greatly in created had. and I not only ear ' .illy considered the strength of urn main building to support i: but. at my own exnense. had the b-i;: cx;> in this line to make an examination and calculation of the pj-ct.--ur n <oi i he masonry, of tab proposed increased i.?ad. The proposed chant" was feasible, but instead of supporting the dome on- two vgi-el i.-MU'. . first designed. I Vii-.-i put i.i 1 <>; if large box steel girdcis. and increased the th-ickncii o? ail that meuil. The expert I * ' ' " " ' ^ \ | t i referred to said, "We are satisfied that there is 1:0 question' as Xo the strength of this revised desi^riV* With this (haHere it hr.-ame necessary to give greater yilch to the roof than originally intended. and to make numerous mc.'iifu aliens and changes in the speeiiiearions ar.d detail drawings for the work. F?r instance, the i hange i:i ;'i u !i iii i?ir : (Hi! i. i > \ un- ; i._ for :he >v::i.iidi?'?i-s shewn in the orinn; plans. which would have been uus?gh;"y th*re:>n. The modified and re, vised ?lr.: v. irt-.s for (his portion of tin? woik nr.' s;'.*! ?;a file in my office and cou.'d haw bwn s.-on by the investigating and their "oxpeJV had tbev so desired. It i>- chn rgvd tb:?r the win how frames of the (Some do not !it. This appear' run (r is iso doubt c;u)<"f' by the fro t that some of them wore blown in during a severe storm lust, summer. Ai;ain. that there are kinks ami crimps in the galvanized iron of the inter dome. But these are no doubt 'It'.'.* to natural expansion and contraction. Attain that some stones on the outside of the dome are too shivrt. and I ho contractors filled up the spaces. Now. the fact is. you cannot keep the water out of a ciose joint of stones; there must be space enough to calk and cement. and it is necessary at that point. It must be understood that the little water oozing past the cement swot is the oakum and this makes the joint water proof. But the great bulk of criticism of the work on trie ciome is uuu J it is not according to plans and specifications, and that the Plans actually used are not what thcv j should be. It is true that much of it j is not according to the drawings and specifications seen by the committee and their expert, but are a substantial 'complance with the modified drawings and detailed working plans. As to the : criticism by Mr. Hunt and the commit i tee of the plans as changed and actually carried out. I insist that neither this contractor nor this committee are competent judges. Surely the members of the committee are 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' progressed and when it was completed and accepted. Ninth. That the wood truss under the portico roof, called for by the drawings. is absent. After the commission decided to i omit the two columns before referred ! to. the wood truss was no longer proper. the drawings were changed and steel trussed perl ins substituted, span ning the portico the shortest way. And here again the committee underi takes to criticise the use of built up i sections, as called for by the drawings, instead of expensive solid stones. Indeed, they criticise everything except ; the contract price, which every body i knows was very low. Tenth. 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, j Copper lasts longer, but the expansion is too great. These gutters, which are of the usual thickness for this class of , work, are painted on the under side. ! caulked with lead in the stone and the i gutter bed lays flat on the stone cori nice. Eleventh. That one of the large lin[ tel stones in the rear portico is cracked. I this being the last of the specific j charges which is numbered. , This stone showed no defect When the work was accented, but has broken since then. I do not believe it is ! likely to "give away." Apparently perfect stones will sometimes crack in a ; building and cannot be guarded i against. The committee could have ; easily found evidence of this fact, had they desired it. in several large stones, on the east side of the building, which are cracked and broken, as is also a ! very large stone on the south side near the west .corner. Next: That the contractors did not protect the interior of the building durj ing the work. j It is almost impossible to fully pro, tect a. building during repairs and , changes and let th*? occupants remain j inside?it is r.ot like an* unoccupied building. I could not, and did not, i undertake to prescribe just how the ! contractors should protect the old work, and they claimed to the commisj sion that they had done all they could i do to that end. ^ . In this connection it must be remem: bered that many of the stains from - ?AW ~ r>n?l,lin 'V ; leaks in ainerent ;j;in> yt ! were there before the work under investigation begun, i Next: As to the cement floors and j water leaking from above. ; Only one day last month I was surprised to see so much water in the ! passageway under the front portico, as it had not rained for several days, and -I called the attention of Mr. William Batiks of The State to the conditions. Careful examination showed | that the walls of the building were : sweating all around, but where the dirt ! was against the building it absorbed i the water, while it was not so absorbed i where the cement floors joined the ; walls. The walls sweat regularly. ! This would not have been the case had 1 they been built hollow in the outset? i 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 it. Next: As to the defective water closets and plumbing. This work was all done before the city had plumbing rules, or an inspector of sewers and plumbing, or even a sewerage s\'stem. These rules vary in : different, cities, aim kj mc auotuw any prescribed rules each architect ! uses such plans and methods as seem best, considering location and surroundings, general appearance and sanitary rules. In all these matters there is constant improvement, just as we have greatly improved on old closets in the basement, which were installed when Col. Marshall was on the commission in charge of the State ; house improvements. I trust that the ! State is able to got even more venti. lation. by electric fans, as suggested, or I otherwise, as the present location was not built for this purpose, or th^re would have heen more ventilation. I think the following letter will enable the public to form a correct estimate of the inclination of this investigating committee to condemn everything in sight: Otlieo of A. W. Edens. C. E.. Inspector or" Sewers and Plumbing. Room Xo. 8. Citv Hall. Columbia. S. C.. Feb. 13. 1004. Mr. Frank P. Milburn. Dear Sir: At your request T take pleasure in stating that the plumbing ~ * ?/,f fCr'it,-. CIMOr trie l \\w j.?iu;i<w .... house wii! compare favorably with any pJumbirjr that has come tin'lor nty observation in this city -which was install1''<1 prior to the pass-acre of the present city plumbing rules. The closets and oth> r fixtujes are of trend qualify. The rrinoipal ?" -f* * t found was the v.'isol ol jo u'pei VciwilaUoi:. Fours respectfully. SiTned) A. V.". Edens. C. E. Xe::t. it is chanted that the contractors, as "n tkcil trespassers," carried away and disrosei of olrl material, which was valuable p"oner.y of the State: aval the committee says they attempt to iitsiify the act by an item of trm sp?p hio,.tb?r.s. \v'ni<-h do^s not support t.-u- . -e:t- ntlisi-!. Th's is another <" < id-. n<-o that the cot.'irit.ee did not er;;s:-!er the reports of tii-' capitu! commission. as the iejriyiature directed it to do: for it appears in one of those reports that under the ; item of rhe specii!?*at iors referred to. the contractors, and other bidders, j were toici before bidding tit at they t ' , would ?ei all the old material, except, 'the marble: that the eon;rhetors al' lowed i'or ihe value oz" this old material in 5>ia- thyt flirt fll'llt ,1 is-^-Hin l'lliiV investigated the mat tor: thai the attorney general gave his official opinion: that the general opinion had been tiuti i he eon tractors owned the id mmeliul. and the commission ?.- not ; oiaim it: that the opinion of the attorney genet nl w at. approved i?y the commission, excepting only Mr. Marshall: and the cOluiinssmn reletreu air. Gurfunkel's proposition to it to ouy tin; I oi'.i mulciiui from the contrac tors. i tepeal thai 1 cannot i-oiicve that ; this investigating coir.miiiee consid' tred the report, or knew o! these facts. if they did. I think a discriminating jj nblic can see that they are determined . to uphoid Col. Marshall's minority i.i port, even it a suppression c?t ceiJ facts is necessary. Generally: i As an evidence that I gave the State 1 good and heiiesi service m the expenditure oi its money on the Stale house, and in refutation of many charges mad", but not sustained, by the m1 vesligating committee, 1 desire to submit the following statements of honorable, widely known contractors, not- I ! withstanding the chairman of that. | committee, on the Hour of the senate, ; where he was secure from rep?y, descended 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 Ittner, Contractor, P. O. Box i 006, Atlanta. Ga. Atlanta, Ga., March 22,1901. Mr. Frank P. Milburn. Columbia, S. C. ; Dear Sir: Your favor 01 toe 20th to : hand, i examined the material and J w orkmanship at capitol buiidhig, and i find it a first class job. i consider it a ; ! good, substantial piece of work. Yours truly, (Signed) Nicholas Ittner, Contractor. Savannah. Ga., Aug. 17, li?03. Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. J i C. ' : ! Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiry i of August 7th in regard to the work re cently done on the State house, I will! , say that I have had considerable ex! perience in large work, and have had j j quite a number of contracts from the j j United States government. I was one : c?f the iirm of the Stewart Contracting' ! company, who bid for the contract in J Columbia. 1 was in Columbia Aug. j |14th, and while there inspected tlie! i State house work. As a whole, i think ; j the work very satisfactory. There may 1 be some minor things that I would have ! done different ii I hud been award{ed the contract. Anyone looking to j i find fault can always find it. There is j i one thing certain, tne Slate of South i j Carolina, in iny estimation, has re : ceived lull value for the money ex-: i penueu, and now has a capitol that; j any State might well be prbud of. ! i This is my honest and unprejudiced j j opinion. Yours truly, (Signed) J. E. Burgess. Manager, Savannah Contracting Company. ; 1 Note. Mr. Burges remodeled interior, j of postollice building in Columbia, in j 11903. I Augusta, Ga., Sept.2, 1903. ; i Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. s 1 C. I | Dear Sir: In reply to your favor of' | Aug. 25th. wanting an opinion from us 1 1 on the new State capitol in your city, 1 i we beg to say the writer has frequent- j : ly gone over this building during con- : stnictlon and since it was nmsneu, u.:iu . j consider it as good a job as it is pos- 1 : sible to make out of a remodeling job. j ! ana being familiar with the price paid j ! for the work, i consider the State se- j I cured a regular excursion price on that i ] building. We have had considerable experience j ! in remodeling work, and know how: ! difficult it is to make everything per- j ; fcctly satisfactory, as there is some- j J thing always in the way that cannot. ' be moved. You would have no trouble, to prove up values if the matter was i ; investigated, as you know from ex-, j pcricnce that it is much easier to crit- ' i icise than it is to execute. Yours very truly, I (Signed) J. K. MeKenzie & Sons, General Contractors. j By Charles F. McKenzie. j Johnson City, Tenn., Sept. 26. 1903. ; Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. 1 i c! Dear Sir: Replying to your inquiry ; i of Aug. 25th, asking my opinion of the j work recently done on the South Caro-i j lina State house, I will say that I con- j ! sidered the same weil executed and ful- : I ly up to the standard for such work. I j i have had experience in remodeling old \ j capitols, and have found it hard to j j please every one, as they do not un- : I derstand the many troubles that we; , have to contend witn. i am surpnseu . j that any objections are raised in re- ] : gard to the job. as I thought the qual- I Jity of the work done, considering the; j quantity, was weli worth the price i ; paid for it. I should think it would be I worth fully ?200,000 to duplicate the i same work now under the present eon! diiions of markets, etc. Yours truly, ! Signed) J. E. Parrish, t Contractor and Builder, Lynchburg, i j Va. Columbia, S. C. Feb. 3, 1904. i ! Mr. Frank P. Milburn, Columbia, S. \ I ! Dear Sir: Replying to your favor of 1 | recent date, in which you request us to! j inspect the work done on the State I capitol building at Columbia, S. C? we | beg to advise as follows: After a careful inspection of the j j work, we are prepared to sny that in our opinion, that the work seems to | have been performed in a substantial and workmanlike manner. In our opinion, the appropriation was entirely too j small for the amount of work under! taken. Very truly yours, tSigned) W. T. Hadlow Co.. By G. H. Hadlow. | General Contractors Jacksonville, ! Fla. Columbia, 5. C..' Feb^ 15, 1904. I Mr. Frank P. Milburn. j Dear Sir: I have this day been : through the capitol building at Co-! J lumbia, S. C., and after looking over; i the work I am satisfied that the work, 'done bv the contractor is a faithful; r.fri'nrmnnce of the spirit and intent j of the plans and specifications, as the j work clone k; worth a great deal more : j than his contract price. I also read Mr. Hunt's report as to ; ! steel ceiling and floor light and ami I satisfied that he is entirely too high in' his valuation *-f the ceiling, and that | t the floor light appears to have been used 01 walked upon before the cement; set. in which case the damages would ! not appear for some time. And I would say further, that in repairing or adding to buildings there! i are a great many things which no ; ability on the part of the architect can forsce. and which have to be taken up' j as they develop: so. after carefully; i looking over the matter. 1 am satisfied that the criticisms upon yourself and ! contractors are uncalled for and un: just. 1 find iui: the granite used is not as' lvird as the original granite: the , ic.vture be.xg coa-.scr, it v\uiih.I not take the same finish. I find that the j specifications provide that each class and style of work shall be so many cuts ami the oj.i work would not be | taken by ilv- contractor as his guidei in performing his work, white the gen-j j era 1 style and outlines would be the same. j 1 ?' -i : > f-'er that the removal; j of t!i ss mentioned in Mr. : Hunt's v. ?. : weaken the struc-! tare. ! -.i-ink a oner in which you provided for the change was proper. I ; iir.-l i'.o thickness >>1' tUo coiling and | gutrers ore such as arc used on all | j goo I buildings. i it j? my experience as a contractor! i for "JO years that a number of roofs! I leak lor some time after the building j I, is completer], and to cover this a 13 guarantee is given for one year. J ? The copper and tile roof on the e?>v- i ^ ornmc-nt building in Augusta leaked front time to time and gave the officers j considerable trouble. r)*j Ivjsppe? '"nJ I :r. (Signed t T. C. t;: <?\vji oe .Son, ' } Por T. C. Blown. ? i.ieneral tn.ctors. August \ (ia. Til;; CPVKRXMKXT EXPERT. Nn doui't ihe public is I'uriotis io i know something i:n>iv of Mr. Hunt. , tj upon whom the eonnr.itti.-e seems eon- ir' ii-iu to lost for 111 - support oi us :iu-111 rnc'ous criticisms of designs. plans and ^ work, with tin- single exception of the ; ^ plumbing. ' f; ! had understood. until last week, j1 thai the name of this witness was H. ^ II. Hunt, arid thai ho was a govern- ;l ntt nt architect. as Committeeman Pat- c' trrson announced in the house. and J made diligent inquiry in Washington'0 as to identity and standing. " In the limited time at my disposal ", sin." Thursday, 1 have inquired as t<> ^ tie- work, position, etc.. of Mr. s. S. v Hunt. resulting in the following in- * forma i ion: 01 Jit tore going to Washington. Mr. . rHunt enjoyed the reputation of being. ^ a good mechanic. w The Washington city directory for l' li'tT. contains his name as a contractor. The congressional directory does not . show any such office as "superintend- J ent of constructing of the TTniied States ; y capitoi." The last congressional direc- i tory shows as connected with the officej-' superintendent of the capitoi: 0 Superintendent. Elliott Woods. Con- i * gressional not-d. j tl ? - ' i . i- ."i tt itr:n:? .m.i i 1! t. P.iei cierx, 11. >v imams, -i" ? E. street. i " Chief electrical engineer. Christian P. !? Gilem, C42 East Capitol street. Clerk. John Welch. I!10 North Caro- ^ lina avenue. S. E. !d W. R Kilpa trick wires: t5 ".Architect says neither S. P. Hunt ju nor H. H. Hunt, superintendent of con- j struction c-apitol. Never heard of Such ! u Hunt." j P J. K7 Taylor, the supervising archt- j ^ tcct of the United States government. a vires: ;^ "Oflice has no knowledge of S. S. J Hunt in connection with any of its i P work." j " Paul J. Pelz of Washington, one of j d the three architects (and the only st:r- j P vivor) who designed the famous con-i S' gressional library, says that his name ; is not in the government Blue Book: j ^ that he neither knows P. S. Hunt as ,f< a builder, contractor or architect, and }u that if he had been of prominence in j a either capacity, he would have known him. |d V?rill South Carolinians endorse the i%v libelous report of this investigating a committee, confessedly based on the;ropinion of this witness, in the face of the opinions of Nicholas Ittner of At- ? lanta. J. E. Burgess of Savannah, ir Charles F. McKenzie of Augusta, J. E. o: Parrish of Lynchburg. G. H. Hadlow j P of Jacksonville, and T. C. Brown of j1? Augusta? ju The following extracts from the rec- < ords of the Capitol commission will no j " doubt prove interesting to the public: jt( "Upon motion of Mr. Eerham: I ?; "Resolved. That when the work on jCJ ihe State house is finished, prior to j accepting the same, the architect shall j notify the governor, who shall call \ \1 the commission together, who with i thp architect shall inscect the work, fa and if the same is satisfactory the cer- i tifieate shall issue." 11 Columbia, S. C., May 22, 1902. | {J Hon.' M. B. McSweeney, Chairman i" State House Commission: !? Dear Sir?I wish to report that Mc- !ei Ilvain. Fnkefer go.. contractors, have n completed the w$rk as outlined by me J on the State house. That is. the spir- ' it. intent and meaning of the plans, ! ^ specifications and modifications "of the; same, and are entitled to the final pay- I ment. J ? Frank P. Milburm : ? P. S. This report to be filed when j the commission are satisfied with the work as done. , "Resolved, That it appears to thej X commission for the completion of the , jr. State house that the work is satisfac- i tory and that the contract has been ! substantially performed. j :: Where upon Mr. Marshall made the! following mction as a substitute: Resolved, That in the opinion of this j" commission the work done under the ! p contract to complete the State house j. has not been performed by the con- J tractors according to the plans, speci- ; fications#and contract, and therefore jp the work done is not satisfactory to -r, the commission." I ^ A roll call having been demanded up- i on the question of the adoption of Mr.! v Marshall's substitute, the substitute j, was rejected by a vote of 7 to 1. as fol- i lows: ,p Voting yes?Marshall?1. ;tl Those voting no?McSweeney, Jen- V nings. Mower, Johnson, Wilson, Bel- j linger. Derham?7. j CONCLUSION. I have tried to briefly and calmly; show the public the plain facts connect- j ed with the State house work, with- . out resorting to rant and cheap clap- L trap about bamboozling, etc. ^ I have no desire to conceal anything ' from the public and I court the fullest | 1 investigation, feeling sure of a com- j plete vindication from the cruel at- j ( tack Which has been made upon my j character for the first time. Very respectfully, ! _ Frank P. Milburn. ^ A PREACHER WITH A RECORD. TJie Rev. John Ruppe of Gaffney Has n Tied -UiS Matrimonial Knot*. , Special to The State. j t] Gaffney, Feb. 15.?Rev. John Ruppe, jn who has possibly maried more cou- j pies than any other man in this coun-j ty, married two more North Carolina ' couples last Sunday. These were Mr. . . A. Moore and Miss L. E. Settlemyer, of Henrietta, and Mr. C. A. Hawkins ! and Miss h.attie McSwain, of Boiling j. Springs. This makes a total of 438 ; . knots tied by this aged divine. Many j ' are the people who can date their, greatest happiness to the time when ; they stood trembling before him. j Miss Blanche Wilson has gone on: r a trip north. ! * Mr. H. K. Osborne has announced * himself a candidate for the office of. r alderman from Ward Six. j. Mr. T. Davenport has sold his pro- jI! eery business to Mrs. T. Davenport, ;J who will conduct the business at the ;e same place. Mr. Davenport will be- ' ? come a knight of the grip. His line ;:' will be groceries. Is ? | v Help Is Appreciated. j ? People's Recorder (colored). j c It is indeed gratifying to note the j e interest the Columbia Daily State, the d white citizens of Columbia and else- , t where, and Dr. Ray of lower Richland ; a county are taking in raising and dis- ! t tributing contributions of money, food j c and clothing for and to the colored suf- i f lcrers of lower Richland. All remem- : c her how their crops were all swept ! 1 away by hail, wind and rain last year, |? and h iw hundreds of the poorer class ; i have undergone almost starvation, j c X>?w these white friends, from their < bounteous storehouses, are most -liboi- . <. ally contributing to the needs of the j t sufferers. i v Being a Columbian, we do all the more appreciate this manifest Chris- J1 tia.M beneficence. May the blessed Lord i ( restore to these benefactors ten fold. 11 We than', them, is about the only pay- U back that we can give. j I O-O' I 1 A Fatal Gxjiloxfon. i 1 Buffalo. X. Y.. Feb. 21.?Two men. ' were asphyxiated, one burned to death ' and several were seriously injused in an explosion of blast furnace gss at i the plant of the Lackawanna Steel ' company today. The dead are: Geo. Reynolds, a mason: Michael S. Pmith, ; a mason. Frank Prenatt, employed in the power house. t . 3r & '< 9.- -l' 1 \ GIRLS WHO LEAVE HOME. ? c : Vi ridrii for The State liv \v. n. % ; Wood*. ?.* ^ : % r? The- iv:viers of The Slate, or rather n hat portion of them who have paid c ae writer the compliment of reading n is articles, which have appeared from ' s; ime to time in its columns need h itl'Uiy ur I't'lllliiUCU ul mo i?voiiivu v/ * i iio subject of education. There is. b owever. une thing in connection with o ne question to which he begs to enter I F lUMf'-st. although it is done with a h onsiucrnble degree of reluctance. j n it is possible, of course, that this n vil, and the word is used advisedly, s; say not owe its origin to our system d f education. out to a change of pubc ' sentiment, which has found de- tl elopmcnt outside of higher education, a hen, too. tin? fact must be rwogniz- s ii that in ail human affairs, it mat- o ?rs 'not how good the general ten- a ency is. there must be some evil: but e hi;e giving full acknowledgment to < ' us truth, every effort should be made . s j keep the evil incident thereto to o le lowest possible point. h The evil to which allusion is made is i v i<i craze that has found lodgment in . k tie mind of almost every girl that v jst as soon as she leaves the college | e r high school she must find some j li ind of employment, despite the fact | r,ai: in the large majority of cases It ?a ivolves leaving her home and being i v\ irown with strangers. Any system , c; f education or of public sentiment n tat instills a feeling of this kind into P le mind of a girl, that she must be in- si ependent and make her own way in : s ie world, is radically and inexcusably ; n rong. j s There are, of course, many cases, t: 'here this seeking for employment is j a ainfully necessary, and where this is : ^ le case a girl should be encouraged si nd rendered every assistance: but b here this condition does not exist, > fie is both unjust to herself and her c: nrents when she voluntarily leaves; a vi:i iust at the time when they will j b erive so much pleasure from her: tl resence in the house. She has boen;c >reiy missed during the four years she ; e as spent at college, but this separation ! d as cheerfully borne by her parents, ; ^ >r they could look forward to the time b hen she would finish her education c< nd once more be with them to bright- v. 0 their home. Independence and the esire to make one's own way in the a orld, is both natural and commend- | a ble, but there is such a thing as car- j 4, ying even a good impulse too far, and j o icre Is something radically wrong in j n ny system of home or school train- ' tJ 1 g that implants the idea in the mind j tl f a girl that she should not be de- > a endent on her father, even when he 1< i abundantly able to provide for her j a ants. . tl Even if it be granted that she can j c ave more social enjoyment in the , S )\vn or city than in the country home ; p f her parents, this furnishes no suffi- j o ient excuse for her to leave her par- \ c nts when her presence and help af- ; e }rds them such unalloyed happiness. ' h t often happens that the mother, get- i Ii ng on in years, is worn out with toil o nd care. She has given all her; a Lrength and time to the raising and j s -aining of her children, and to her' v is an inexpressible pleasure when 11< er daughter insists on assuming some \ a f her duties and responsibilities, and i e nables her to enjoy a well-earned p ?st. ! d A number of years ago It was the 1 Titer's good fortune to be a frequent t< isitor at a home where the condition j p bove mentioned existed. The moth- It! r's health was not good and the oldest, t' aughter had simply relieved her of all j "ti ousehold cares, not even allowing the n ounger children to trouble her with : li ny of their troubles. This daughter ; ^ as accomplished, well educated, a ' y ery fine musician and could easily ; c ave secured a position to teach. This d ne wouia nave iwea 10 uu, uuu sue : e ?lt that her first duty was at home, ! s nd the discharge of .this sacred duty n ill ever be the sweetest and tender- i tl 3t recollection of her life, for when ti iae was called on to see' that mother 1 n ass away she' was sustained and ! s 3othed by the consciousness that she j s< ad done all that lay in her power to i< lake her mother's last years pass in : p sace and happiness. i ti One of the greatest and noblest men? ; n :obert E. Lee?who has ever lived on } lis earth, made duty the watchword ' v f' his whole life, and no sacrifice orjanger ever restrained him from do- j & ig what he conceived to be right. The j n ath of duty often calls us to walk, w 1 ways that humanly speaking are 1 b le very reverse of the ones we would , o hoose, but then there should ever be d resent the thought that after all the ! tl Lrongest happiness comes from the j f< onsciousness of having done our ut- 1 b lost to promote the happiness of those 1 b rho are dear to us. Fortunate, in- i n eed, is the daughter who. when she j d >oks for the last time on the face offj er mother, with her tired hands fold- I n d across her bosom, can feel that she i ever brought tears to the now closed ! tl yes or pangs of sorrow to the un- j v elfish heart, which has forever ceas- j a d to beat. j c If she can feel thus then she has a v pace and joy that will be her greatest1 a olace as long as life endures, for what-'d ver, for weal or woe, the future has a i store for her. this is something that h o earthly power can take away. | v A girl when she first leaves col- j I :>ge and enters, as it were, upon the | v breshold of her life, stands in great' t ooH nf hor mnthpr's rnunsel and Dro- i v action, and it is a misfortune when ' t tress of circumstances deprives her; i; f this safeguard. If there be one j o hing on earth that comes as a gift d rom Heaven it is the love of a moth- j t r for her child. No pen can portray ! i: no plummet can .sound its depths, | f or it is as deep and wide as a fath- : a mless sea, to which no measurement^ an be given. : s The writer trusts that he may be, r >ardoned for giving one more iilus- : d ration of the sacrifice of inclination j p o duty, the facts of which are just as s elated? - jt A good many years ago -there ex- r sted an engagement between two j oung people, but there was. in the y stimation of the young lady at least, j a n inseparable barrier in the way of! 1 lS immediate consummation, that ob- . i: tacie being an invalid mother, for, \ rhose care the daughter considered t lerself responsible. After the lapse i t f a good many years the mother pass- j g d'away and a short time after her ; y eath the daughter married the gen- j ] lemnn to whom she had been so long j ttached. They were both get*- i c ing along in years then, but can any- j ? ne doubt that that loving daughter; ound great happiness in the few years , j >f her married life? It is very easy to i t >elieve that in this short time there j ame to her enough of earthly hnnpi- .. less to compensate t,?* "ing years j if sacrifice to a su??vd duty. < It has always been a source of wonto the* writer mal some "truly great, t vriter has never made a special point j j )f t ying at least to portray a mum- ? >r's love for a child, following out that ' ove from its birth, and when it first ] Iraws sustenance from her bosom, j i :hrough the years of its gradual mentaf J i xnd physical development. So far as.j < die writer's knowledge extends this is i. .'or the novelist an unexplored mine. |1 vaiting for the touch of a master; [land to bring its jewels into the light j, Df touay. ? ? \ Baltimore. Feb. 21.?It was thought j that not a life was lost in the fire here,1 but a charred body supposed to be; that of a colored man has been found [ in the water at Bowley's wharf. The j body is so badly burned as to be unrecognizable. 1 V SUEZ A DREARY DITCH. 'aaul Ulel't Through Region Bare of All Save Biblical ltloJinexs. V*. E. Curtis in Chicago Record-Herald. Alloat on the Red sea, Jap. IS.? Ivery vessel passing through the Suez anal is compelled to take a pilot, beause skippers of ordinary vessels canot be trusted to navigate the narrow hannel, for the slightest deviation lay cause damage that will cost thouands of dollars to repair. Each year, owever, navigation is rendered easier y the widening of the channel and y the excavation of additional sidings r basins where vessels can pass, 'rom the moment the pilot goes on the ridge he takes charge of the movetents uf the ship and is responsible for hatever may happen, regulating the peed according to tonnage and raught. Vessels cannot pass in motion. When hey meet the one which arrives first t the signal station is compelled to rop and tie up in the basin until the titer goes by. These basins are found t intervals of a few miles, and at very basin is a "gare1" or station in barge of a signai officer, who correponds to a train dispatcher on one f our railroads, and the block system ; used to regulate the movement of essels. Formerly no traffic was altwed at ni?ht, but now it is carried on ithout interruption by the aid of fectric lights on the shore and searchghts on the vessels. The canal looks exactly what it is? big ditch on a desert of sand on hich foxes, jackals, hyena.? and ocasionally lions are seen by the watchlen in the signal towers. At some laces the banks of earth on either ide are so high that passengers on the Learner cannot see over them, but for lost of the journey you have a wide weep on both sides back to the mounains that rise from the desert, and t a certain point for a mile or two lount Sinai is visible 37 miles to the outheast. and is pointed out to you y the captain or the deck steward, iaked Arab boys run along the bihks rying for baksheesh and easily keep breast of the creeping vessel, grabing at pennies which passengers brow thein from the deck. Half the oins roll down in the. water, which is xasperating to the youngsters. They o not like to stop and dive for them hile there is a chance of getting more, ut I imagine they mark the spots and ome back to recover lost backsheesh :hen they have left the vessel. There are only two towns of any ccount on the canal. One is Ismalia, half way point, with a-population of 000. It is the only monument In honor f the Khedive Ismail, who did the lost and spent the most to carry out tie enterprise, and lost his throne hereby. It is rather a pretty town, bundantly irrigated, and hence has ively gardens and groves of palms nd other trees. Here reside most of he engineers and other officers of the anal, because it is preferable to Port aid. There Is a hospital ror sick emloyees, a club for the benefit of the fficers, and several good houses, inluding one erected especially for the ntertaininent of M. de Lesseps, when e should be pleased to use it. Beyond smalia, as before, are occasional ases m the desert?groves of palms nd luxuriant gardens surrounding the tations of the canal officials, for rherever vou can turn water on that )nely desert everything will grow with wild luxuriance. It seems as if the arth suddenly released germinating ower that had been accumulating uring centuries of suppresion. The chief interest is found in the Dwn of Suez, because it is the crossing lace of the great caravans of camels rmat furnish transportation betwen the wo continents of Asia and Africa, and ravel regularly between Cairo, Damascus and Bagdad; also because bibcal historians believe that here the aters of the Red sea opened 3,500 ears ago and allowed 3,000,000 of the imildren of Israel to cross over upon ry bottom. It requires a considerable oncession to the Imagination and a trength of faith that a majority of mankind do not possess to accept this tmeory, but* no one knows to the conrary, and experience has taught me ever to doubt the faith of interesting tories. If you do, you deprive yourelf and others of much pleasure. It i like analyzing, the attraction oj a retty woman, or separating ner reaures into lots, classifying them and leasuring them by the Venus de Milo. On the other side of the Red sea, rhich, by the way, is not red, but blue -as blue as the sky in June?you can ee the purple peaks of the Sinaitic ange, and a few miles from the shore, rhich you can reach in three hours y donkey, one of these remarkable ases that are frequently found in the esert. This particular one is called he Wells of Moses. There is a comartless hotel kept by an Arab, where eds and refreshment can be obtained, ut it is better to start early in the torning, so as to get back the same ay, and take a luncheon in a basket rom Suez. The trip can be easily lade while the vessel is coaling. The children of Israel, according to he Bible, wandered three days in the rilderness of Shur and found no water, nd when they came to Marah they ould not drink the waters, for they :ere bitter, and the people murmured gainst Moses, sayin: "What shall we rink?" and he cried unto tho Lord nd the Lord showed him a tree which e cast into the waters and the waters -ere made sweet And they came to llim, where there were 12 wells of ,*ater, and three score and ten palm rees, and they encamped there by the waters. And Miriam, the prophetess, he sister of Aajon, took a timbrel n her hand, and all the women went ut after her with timbrels and with ances. That beautiful sc^ne, one of he most dramatic in the whole Bible. 5 believed to have taken place here, or these wells are the wells of Elim, nd three and ten palm trees still helter a collection of a dozen or more prings. The village is peopled by laked Arabs, sinewy, springy, enluring fellows, whose flesh shines like ?olished mahogany, and who must reemble the young men of Israel when hey started on the journey that was lot finished for 40 years. It is difficult to understand why and low they happened to be wandering ibout so long down here. If you will oo* at the map you will see that Suez s almost on a line with Cairo, and it vas the most natural rendezvous of the ribes, who were scattered all along he Nile from Memphis, which is just ibove Cairo, to Thebes, which is just >elow Luxor. The account in the 3ible is condensed, and we are cornjelled to take a good deal of these traiitions on faith, but, as I have already suggested. it is worth while to jdo so. The Red sea is 1,400 miles long, and ts greatest width is 200 miles. It is ibout the shape of a sausage, and takers at both ends. On one side is \ rabia. the most mysterious and primrivo of all countries, and on the other are Nubia aijd the Soudan. U tin- mirth. siuaitic peninsula pTTjc-ofts ^TTfTiv.-.-ii-il ind divides the sea into two anus, ind near the point of the peninsula is Tor, the landing place for Sinai. Opposite Tor is Jebel Ez-Zeit, which means "the mountain of oil," where peiroleum was discovered some years age and created great excitement. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been expended in sinking wells and building docks, warehouses and refineries, but have all been abandoned, because, for some reason, the manufacturers could not compete with the Standard Oil company or the Russian factories on the Black and Caspian seas. People think that there is a good deal more wealth in Arabia than we know of. It was once of greater importance I' l } j i ' ! than now. and in ancient days prsj duced considerable gold and other met! als. but now it ships little but dates, ; 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 i^ shipped from. But the ! people have no enterprise, the coffee orchards have been injured by insects 5 and blight, and the trees have not been renewed. This is acounted for by bad j government. As everywhere else in | the dominions 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 1 ahead, when he shows signs of pros. peritv, he immediately becomes an object of plunder and persecution by 1 the tax gatherer and by every other I representative of the government. There is no incentive for the coffee growers to extend their orchards or : to increase their product, i One does not realize, until he comes face to face with the fact, that Arabia is nearly half as large as the United States. Its area is almost as great as j that of India, and is nearly equal to that of our States east of the Mississippi river. The population is unknown, because there has never been I a census, but it is suposed to be beI tween seven and twelve millions. The j distance from north to south is more i than a thousand miles, and from east to west it varies from 500 to 800. Yet j in all 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 mil<^ are only six ports, where the sultax of Turkey maintains nacha p-nvernnrs and ffflrrisons to MO I tect the collectors of customs, who are required to pay him a certain amount pf tribute every year, and they wring j itjout of the people any way they can. \The relationship between the government at Constantinople and the Bedouins of Arabia is very slender, J and is due solely to the cohesive power , of the Mohammedan religion. There is I no law in Arabia but the; Koran; there are no courts but the priests; there are j no mails, no postofflces, no postage ; stamps, and a person who wants te ; communicate with a distant fried must i send his letter by a mepsenger, which ! is expensive, or by a caravan, which is j the common way. There is no telej graph line, no newspaper, no railroad, ! and, strange to Bay, not a river in all that vast area except a few shallow,/ rocky beds, which during the spring f bring down water from the malting | snow on the mountain tops to the set, | but for nine months in the year are J as dry as a crematory, j The captain tells me that they prei duce a curious phenomenon. The coast j of the Red sea is lined with eoral banks, built by those mysterious ant wonderful little masons who, like some men that I know of, hate fresh water, and wherever the spring floods fall Into the sea there is always a wide break in the coral reef: The mountains of Arabia reach as altitude of 10,000 feet, and 'in spots where borings have been made the sand is more than 600 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 barren sand, which are irreclaimable for cultivation only because they cannot be reached by water, but two-thirds at the country is capable of cultivation. / and. lying at an altitude of S.000 feet above the sea, might produce cotton, sugar and other semi-tropical staples in unlimited quantities. Although there are no" streams plenty of water can -be had for irrigation purposes by / digging 20 or 30 feet, and the introducHnn of windmills would BimDlifV the pumping' problem. On the coast it fas 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 i the mountain slopes and in the valleys, ; the mercury seldom rises above 85 do- . I grees, even in mid-summer. "While | the direct rays of the sun are intense, | it is cool In the shade, and at night the mercury often falls below 50. . . More than two-thirds of the population are Bedouin nomads, without permanent places of abode, who. live in tents made of camel's hair, just like the patriarchs of old. They have enormous flecks 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, however, several prosperous cities of considerable population and commerce. Trade is conducted, by camel caravans, which cross the desert regularly, and transport enormous quantities of dates, wool and other merchandise. William E. Curtis. ? ? A Schjpol for Grovra-Up*. Gastonia <N*C.) Gazette. The Statesville Landmark refers to the pluck of a boy 17 years old and af a man twice that age who recently buckled down to books at Bale's Creek J academy without knowing how to read, j The boy didn't know his letters, tke man began in the first reader, Tea, > that is plucky in a sense. Not that ] the task is so great, but that the ? ; nerve to get one's consent to undertake j it at those ages is so rare. But it j ought not to be rare. The task is not I great, not difficult of accomplishment. Little children who live with books and picture blocks learn to read hefore they are six years of age, learn witnout special leacnmg; ?un ausaw direct and regular instruction th?r would learn sooner. We do not believe that there is in the State an Illiterate ?. grown man of ordinary intelligence and industry that could not learn t? read in six weeks, write in ten weeks, and get a good beginning in arithmetic nin a few more weeks, if he would only give these things attention and regular study. Why hasn't somebody started a school for grown men whn cannot read and write? The gap between the man who cannot read and | the" man who can?how great and hew ! wide it is! What storehouses of rieh! ness and vast and fertile fields are, | shut away from him who cannot read. ! Beyond the Alps lies Italy?and the i Alps in this case are not impassable. I The gap is wide but not difficult to i him who tries, and the prize la a# j worth the winning! The man whe cannot thinks the way is hard; the j 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. m m m ' - - - i SPECULATORS IN TROUBLE. j Have Been Starting War Rumors in Italy for Honey Purposes. i Rome, Feb. 21.?Rumors of warlike i i 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 k the movements of warships jmd. Icqqde . . r^V sFrvKT' abro?cT*are"em!rely false. Indications exist that this false news . ; J> L'UIIUCCICU V? 1CH --c, j speculations and those responsible 11 have been brought before the law ,! courts to be punished according to law ( i with imprisonment of from three to , J thirty months. > The communication evidently alludes . I to the insistence by a portion of the i press that Italy will be antagonistic to , i Austria in the Balkans and to the . j predictions of international complicaJtions thus causing a fall in Italian i i bonds and a rise in the exchange on . .jjn I Dr. Jameson's Snccess. '1 Cape Town, Feb. 21.?Dr. Jameson | ! has succeeded in completing a cabinet. '1