The Marlboro democrat. (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, February 19, 1904, Image 4
STATE HOUSE WORK.
-:
..' The Architect and Contractor Hit 1
Hard by tho Commission.
Sgl X r
-
DT THEIR ELABORATS REPORT.
Kiepert Government OOH H true tor Pro
nounces Their Work a "Par
ody Upon the Science
of Architecture."
The report of the commission ap
pointed last year to investigate tbe
completion of the State capitol was
submitted to the general assemble on
Monday of last week. The report
contains very serious clrtlclsms of the
work done by the contractors. Mc
Ilvain Unkefer Co., under the super
vision of the architect, Frank P. Mil
burn, and the original commission,
for accepting the work. Those mem
bers of the commission who approved
the Unal report of the contractor atid
of the architect were: Gov. Mc
sweeney, M. R. Cooper, secretary of
state; Representatives Gantt and W.
J. Johnson, and the following from
the sinking fund commission: Sena
tor Mower, Representative J. Har
vey Wilson, G. Duncan Bellinger, at
torney general; J. P. Derham, com
ptroller general: lt. H. Jennings,
State treasurer. The governor and
the secretary of state were also mem
bers of the sinking fund commission.
The investigating committee's report
sustains the protests made from time
to time by Senator Marshall, whieh
were not heeded by tne commission,
and his minority report to the legis
lature which brought about the inves
tigation. The investigating commis
sion consists of Senators Robert Al
drloh and R. 1, Manning, Representa
tives J. ?. Patterson, .). M. Rawlin
son and T. Y. Williams, by whom the
report IB signed.
TUE OOM SUTTERS ItKl'OHT.
After some preliminary .statements
the committee says the subject, matter
for our consideration is the work done
upon the State House to complete the
building, and the maimer of its per
formance. By an Act of the Gebert 1
Assembly, approved nth February,
A. P., 1000, the sum of one hun
dred and seventy-live thousand dol?ais
of the sinking fund was appropriate;!
"to complete t he State House," and a
commission consisting of Hie Gover
nor, Secretary of Stale, one mern be rt f
the Senato and two members of thc
House, wasdeslgnated "with the sin! -
lng fund commission to take charge t f
and direct the completion of the State
House, to let out all work herein au
thorized j to make all necessary con
tracts, including the employment of an
architect, and to see that the said
work is completed according to ti e
contract, and to do any and every at t
necessary to carry out the purposes of
this Act; provided, that the funds le
used unless a contract be entered into
complete the said State House for tl c
sum so set apart." As Hie last, session
General Assembly the said commission
made its third and final annual report,
bearing date 4th February, A. D.,
1003) giving circumstantially all that
was'done under the Act, and conclud
ing with a resolution as follows: '.Re
solved, That it does appear to the
commission for the completion of thc
State House that the work is satisfac
tory, and that the contract h?s been
substantially performed." Page 89,
majority report. At the time a mi
nority report was made by or tj member
of the commission, Senator .1. Q. Mar
. shall, whereby the attention of l lie leg
islature was called to many defects in
tlie wurk.
Tile matters referred to In these two
reports put your commit tee in posses
sion of what they had to investigate.
Tiie first thing they felt called upon to
do was to secure the services of a com
petent man familiar with this kind of
work, skilled in Iiis calling, and of such
eminent standing in his profession as
to entitle his testimony to full respect
and every consideration. Thereupon,
we corresponded with United States
Senator B. R. Tillman, and solicited
his aid in the matter. Witli his usual
promptness and etllciency, he put us
-In communication with Slr. Elliott
Woods, superintendent of the Capitol
.>t Washington, who recommended to
. us Capt. S. S. Hunt, chief constructor
of the United States Capitol buildings
and grounds, who he recommended as
a "first-class contractor; who had over
forty years' experience In the erection
of large buildings," etc. Accordingly
your committee employed Capt . Hunt
'at a salary of $10 per day, the sum
stated by Mr. Woods to be his usual
compensation, besides Iiis t raveling ex
penses. He came and examined plans
and specifications of Architect Mil
burn, for the completion of the State
House, and the work done thereunder,
and attended a meeting of the com
mittee at the State House on the 'Jot li
and 20th days of May, A. D'., lflO.t,
went all over the building, In com
pany with your commit tee, and point
ed out separately, and In detail the
different pieces of defective work,
all of which is described in his testi
mony annexed to this report. Capt.
Hunt impressed your committee asa
conscientious and aide man, fully alive
to the requirinents of the work in
hand, and fearless in performing lt.
Your committee feel constrained to
report generally that the minority re
port of Senator J. Q. Marshall is fully
sustained hy the evidence taken und
by the visible facts for all lo see for
themselves who choose to go over the
building and make even a casual exam
ination of it.
More specifically we lind:
1. That the architect, Frank P. Mil
burn, employed hy the commission
under the Act for the completion of
tho State House, did not furnish suit
able plans and specifications for such
work, notably in failing to specify in
detail what the contractors were re
quired to do in many instances, bul
leaving the same to be decided by the
architect, thereby vesting large dis
cretionary powers in himself, which
could, and we are const rained to say,
were exercised to the Mate's injury.
Said plans and specifications, and tho
contract under which thc work was
done, are on lile in the otllcc of th .
Secretary of State, copies of which ar ;
hereto annexed, and a sample of wha
are proper plans and speculations a ;
used by the Government upon a Uko
building furnished by Capt. Hunt ac
companying the report, and are Hied
with the clerk of the senate.
2. The contract requires that all of
the work was to have been done with
the old work upon the com ploted poi
tlons ol' the building as thc standard.
It has not been so done, but a mean,
crude and cheap quality of work has
been done, mari ing tho effect of the
line work upon the main building; and
disappointing everyone who hoped to
seethe State House completed in ac
cordance with its original design.
.5. Prior to the commencement of
this new work, the State had a g rea;
expense, in thc neighborhood of $10,000,
caused to he put in the main lobby a
splendid steel ceiling, which was a
work of art, as well as of a durable,
lasting nature, highly ornamental and
a delight to the eye of every observer:
by the terms of the contract, this cell
ing was to have remained, and where
injured in the progress of. the work
was to have been repaired. Thc con
tractors bodily .took and carried away
and converted lo t heir own use this
valuable and beautiful part of thc old
building, and in its place put a cheap
stamped metal ce?jjAcosthig about
f?OO, and which >' ^P^P^V0 facc
4. The plans and specifications and
the drawings call for two Inner granite
columns on tho front portico. They
are not there. The absence of them ls
explained by the fact that In attempt
ing to elevate them Into position the
contractors broke one of them Into two
pieces, and rather than put the con
tractors to the expense of replacing
the broken column, they wera gener
ously excused from putting them In
at all, they paying the State $000, leav
ing tbem,$3,400 profit on that transac
tion. The oillce these columns were
to perform was an important one,
namely, to support the front pediment
of the portico t nd a bond and tie to
the main building, in other words to
carry a large lintel stone securing the
portico to the main building, and thus
preventing it from falling away, which
it has a tendency to do. The esti
mated loss to t'ne building In all re
spects, on account of the absence of
these columns and the accompanying
parts they were to support ls $4,500.
There are two massive square piers
under the portico. They were de
signed to support these valsslng col
umns, and now perform no duty at all.
On page 01. of the report of the com
mission ls a letter from A'rehltect Mil
burn on this subject, in which he says:
"Weean take these out without in
any way marring the appearance from
the exterior and without In any way
interfering with the strength of the
structure." Capt. Hunt was asked by
Senator Manning his opinion on this
point, and answered as follows: "1
consider that an insult to the intelli
gence of your committee." Explain
ing, he said: "The practical effect of
leaving out those columns is to weak
en the structure. The stone lintel
and brick work on top of these columns
was intended to bond into the brick
wall of the pediment and make a solid
and rigid piece of work, lt is impor
tant that this should have been done,
for thc pediment cornice naturally
gives ita tendency to pull off or away
from the building, and the bond of
this work over the capitals ls what ls
always carried out to counteract the
tendency to pull away from the build
ing. He overcame this by butting thc
pediment to the main building with
Iron rods In the form ol' what we term
buckles." To the question, "Do you
regard that as sufficient?" he replied:
"Well, if thc bracing and anchoring of
these rods has been done as carelessly
as a great port ion of the construction
throughout this building. ? certainly
should question its safety."
'j. The beautiful leaf work upon the
capitals of thc old columns will stand
for all t line as a monument to the skill
and taste of the artist who carved
them; that upon thc new columns,
furnished by these contractors, re
quired to be and rloslgried to be mod
elled after them, arc "coarse, unsightly
and until to stand beside the old ones.
(>. The columns at the rear of the
portico, joining the main building,
should have to correspond with thc
front columns, lintel stones extend
ing from one to another. They have
none, and to till up the space between
the capitals and thc ceiling they have
put in tin or sheet iron boxes, painted
to resemble granite; while all the bal
ance of the work was treating the
State with injustice, this can only bc
constructed in the light of ridicule
coupled with contempt. Too much re
mains to bc reported to dwell longer
upon this portico. Tho defect Ive glass
flooring, the cheap, shoddy stamped
iron ceiling, the way the dooring leaks
in rainy weather, together with much
else, shows for itself and accords lil
tingly with the balance of thc botch
work" palmed off on thc State.
7. Entering the building from the
portico in bad weather, we find that
the roof leaks badly, Hooding thc lobby
after protracted rains. Ascending the
roof, as we did, we discovered the
cause of this to be a roof of little or no
value, lt is a tar and gravel roof,
which at all times is an undesirable
one and wholly inapplicable toas steep
a roof as the one on thc State House.
The plans and specifications require
the gravel to be from three-sixteenths
to one-half inch in size. Thc gravel
put on,or we should say, the stones, to
a great extent are as big asa pigeon
egg anti larger, up to the size of a
man's hand, in consequence of which
they fail to hold the tar in place, and
the hot suns of two summers have
melted it and it has to a great extent
run down into the valleys and gutters.
A fine slate roof, nought, by the State
at a heavy expense, and which afford
ed a perfect protection for vea rs, was
taken off and appropriated by the
contractors. The evidence is that it
will cost about $0,000 to put this roof
in moderately safe condition. Thc
specifications call for 4x:tu ventilators
to carry off thc hot air from between
the ciiiling and thc roof, to keep the
air in motion and pure. They are not
there, and it will cost about *-30 apiece
to put them in.
H. The dome is the crowning piece of
this work, in more senses than one.
Taken all in all it is simply Infamous.
To start with, an uglier and more un
sightly creation could not be devised,
even if it had been properly construct
ed, hut our observation, and the testi
mony of Capt Hunt, shows that it ls
nothing short of a miserable fraud.
Ile says: "It is done ina very crude
and unworkmanlike manner. There
was no effort made to connect the
cornice ol' the Hat ceiling with the
cornice of the dome. There is not
sn Hielen t framing to keep the galvaniz
ed hon in proper shape. The work is
full of kinks and crimps, with nothing
to keep it up. 1 lind the work roughly
done, with but a few uprights in posi
t ion, and some of these four or live feet
apart, with but a single thickness ol
thin galvanized material between the
bearings. This is not sutllclerit to
hold this work or to keep it in Us pro
per shape. This could only have been
done by putting a circle iron frame,so
as to conform with the circle of the
work and the galvanized iron work
riveted to the skeleton frame of hon,
and should have been made toconform
with the circular paris on the inside,
and put close enough to prevent the
galvanized iron from crimping. The
inner dome is not securely supported.
One of t he braces is bent. The horizon
tal lattice brace at the top of the
dome, called for by thc specifications,
is left ont. This has a tendency to
weaken Hie structure. They ate in
tended to keep the thing in a vertical,
upright position. There is only one
bracket there, and probably two
thirds of the circle out of thal. There
should be two more of these iron
brackets. The glasses and inner work
are not properly in shape, very crudely
done, lt is secure, but roughly pilton.
Those little galvanized iron strips are
crude.cheap work.
"Thc Outer door has not been built
according to plans and specifications.
The plans and specifications say all
work must be done in a tirst-class work
man-like manner. In that respect it is
not properly done Some of the stones
are too short. All of the middle stones
in the sill course of t he tower are too
short. This defect has been overcome
by the contractor by lilli.ig in cement,
mortar to increase the length ot the
stones so as to make it possible for h i ni
to use them. This character of work,
In the course of time, will be affected
more or less by the weather and will
become, by the cracking of the joints,
unstable. Now, the wat er-table stone
course at the base of thc tower; the
Hiints and st one work are cracked and
already cause leakage. The window
frames are poorly made and do not lit
the openings for which they arc made,
ina great man^f places you can see
entirely througlr thc outer dome to
thc inner doimij where there ls noth
ing to stop the water from being
di i ven through and cause leakage. It
will become necessary, or it ls now
i iecAs.ia rv. 11 < 1 s - y Jaiftt . t his
work ?h^dBB?^ <\'< ii. l'v--' '
raised. Joint in the stone to protect it
from leakage. This does not upper
In the new work of the same character.
In two places the stone fronting the
base of the balustrade ls too .shallow
and is built up three Inches and a half
with thin slabs of stone to give lt th?
propel- height." See testimony of Capt
Hunt, pages 10, tt and 18.
9. .'The drawings call for a wood
truss under the portico roof. This
has not been put in place and ls a
determent to the strength of this part
of the roof, lt should have been put
in so as to give con net lon for tho other
timbers, to-which the ceiling could
have i icen finally nailed " Testimony
Capt Hunt, page 10.
Tile bottom members of the archi
trave is the stone lintel course over
the capitals and should have been
moulded inside as well as now shown
on the outside. This stone should
have been carried around the entire
area of the portico celling; this is re
quired in all classes of aohitecture,
regardless of the requirements of tho
special orders. These stones should
have been solid and not built up in
sections, as shown by the drawings.
Testimony Capt Hunt, page 19.
10. Between the wall of the building
and the eaves of the roof there ls a
vacant space of something over nine
inches, and but for a sheet of galvaniz
ion 1-32 of an Inch in il thickness there
would be nothing at a'l between the
interior of the building and the '-wide
wide world." Testimony Capt Hunt,
page 20.
11. We call attention to a serious
defect In the rear portico, between two
of the columns, which support-.it. One
of the large lintel stones, which car
ries its portion of the gable, ls crack
ed, apparently entirely through and ls
likely at any time to give away.
The contractors appropriated to
their own use and actually sold thou
sands of dollars' wortli of the old ma
terial upon the State House grounds,
and which came out of the building,
and seek to justify their acts by a
provision in the specifications which
allows them to "use" certain portions
of the old material. The contract re
quires the contractors to1 provide all
the materials and perform all the work
mentioned - in the splofications. and
shown in the drawings," etc. "In this
connection they were allowed to use
"all old material that ls now on the
grounds, and such parts of the present
roof that conforms to these plans and
specifications," with certain mimed
except ions, and to make plain whit
was intended the said provision reads:
"This only covers the granite columns,
balltisters, old iron bracing, granite,
etc, in tlie roof that is suitable and
the proper size as called for." Does
that mean "suitable and proper size as
called for," for-them .to barry off and
sell, or does it mean "suitable and pro
per size as called for," hy the specifica
tions, to go into the building? We
submit that lt is too plain for discus
sion, that the latter is the construc
tion to he placed upon it and that in
carrying away and disposing of this
valuable property of the State they
were naked trespassers.
The glass lloor to the porticos, in thc
opinion of the expert should not have
been put in. The architect had thc
choice of other old and reliable -stylci
and passed them over to make an ex
periment with this untried kind ol
Mooring and as in all other depart
ments of the work with disastrous re
suits.
The water closets installed under
neat h this portico leaked so badly thej
had to he removed to another part, o
the building. At first this was rcqulr
ed to be done at the expense of tbi
architect. Afterwards the cominis
sion allowed him $300 out of the State
funds as a . contribution towards It
And tlie lower pass away from tin
ground* to the entrance to the. lowci
story of the State House is-coverer,
with water after every min. The fill
lng hct'veen the rows of glass is break
lng up already, and a change of) th!
flooring is a matter of imm?diat
necessity.
Tlie water closets, like everythlni
else, are defective, and will cast tin
State more money to put them h
shape and suitable condition. Were
fer to the testimony of Mr. A. W
Edens, civil engineer and inspector o
sewers and plumbing for the city o
Columbia, which explains this.
The contract required the contrac
tors to protect the interior of the build
lng from rain, whilo removing the oh
roof, by the use of tarpaulin or canva
covering. This was not done, and ii
consequence all of the galleries ant
many of the rooms were flooded dur
i hg this period, and the painting am
frescoing on the walls of thc two chain
hers were permanently, ruined.
These contractors were required t<
furnish a good and sufficient bond fo
the faithful performance of thc con
tract, and dla give a bond in tlie sun
of 850,000, of the City Trust, Safe He
posit and Surety Company, of Phil?
dolphin, to Governor M.B. McSwee
ney, chairman of tlie commission ot
completion of the State House, to se
cure and guarantee the faithful per
fOrmance of the contract: said bon<
bears date 21st August, 1000. The
form and execution of tho bond wa
approved by the Attorney General ant
accepted by the commission. On th?
2d of .lune, 1002, Governor Mcsweeney
chai ri?an of the commission, act. I nj
under the oral advice of the Attorne*
General (as testified to oy D. I?
Means, secretary,) caused satisfactloi
to be entered upon that bond and sur
rendered it to the obligors.
This surrender and attempted dis
charge of this bond, the State's on!
security for the vast losses sustained
was not the act of the commission, a
the Governor alone, advised as it I
said, by the Attorney General, under
took to perform this act, and lt ma;
be that the State may yet be able ti
realize upon said security.
Your committee do not consider tha
it comes within the scope of their du
l i es to determine questions of law in
volved in thc matters embraced herein
hut would regard lt, remarkable indee?
if there is not some remedy, civil o
criminal, or both, to bring these male
factors to justice and to some extcn
to redress the wrongs of the State.
We feel that what we have report
ed. and the testimony taken, reveal
a dark picture, it is true, but nothlnj
short of an actual inspection of tb<
work can convey an ad?quate Idea o
the monstrous swindle of which th
Stale i's the victim, appropriately pot
t rayed in the closing words of Capt
Hunt's testimony:
"The int reduct ion of stamped meta
work in t he ceilings ol these massiv
port icos; t he utter disregard for thi
st rength of t he structure by the rc
inoval of the two innercolumns whicl
were to carry thc liond lintels fo
securing the pediments of the mali
structures; the unfinished manner ii
wliicli tlie tin gutters were left with
out the absolutely necessary bric!
hacking -leaving the vertical sides c
the gutters, which are twenty inche
or more in height, of one thlcknessc
tin entirely unprotected from thc pr?t
sure of water In the time of even an oi
[Unary fall of rain-this, with natura
rietorioration of sheet tin, makes lt in
conceivable why this work should hav
been left in its present condition.
Unless something is done at once t
rectify this blunder, the interior c
the building is liable to bc flooded a
;iny time, either from corrosion or th
expansion and contraction of thc mc
Lal.
"This together with the rough an
combustible nature of the main roofs
Llie crude and unfinished character c
tho metal ceilings of tho lobby, th
monstrous manner in which the inne
lome was finished, made this work ;
parody upon thj\.v3cience of archltcc
unhand an in/ jo the fame of JO?J
Og '"rnseo.^^ti dlsgracc^adfl
to report the facts asceniS|M W?P
investigations, and also autT^-?^"*
mendatlons in regard ther?tbl ,. we
may deem advisable. Accord* v, we
recommend: Bf ?
1. That appropriate legal sttyps be
taken to recover, If poaslbl??j?rpm
Frank P. Milburn and Mollvaln Vnke
fer Company as much as possible of
the damages the State has suffered
through their misconduct and breach
of contract, and such other leg*l re
dress as may seem to be advisable*
2. That the mostglarlnganddamag
ing defects in the work be ret ired
under the authority of the L?gislature
until such time as the finances di the
State will admit of the whoM work
being done over in a manner to con
form to the original design, k!
Respectfully submitted,**
Robert Aldrich, v/
. Richard I. Manning. .
On the part of the Senate.
J. O. Patterson,
J. M. Rawlinson,
T. Y. Williams,
. On the part of the House.
FIFTEEN CEHT COTTOff.
What a Spartanburjc County Still
Man Says About lt.
The Spartanburg Journal says: In
discussing the cotton question Satur
day a prominent manufacturer said,
"fifteen cents cotton is not a menace
to cotton milla. There are many peo
ple who hold opposite views but to
save my life I cannot coincide with
them. In times past cotton has been
manufactured profitably at 15 cents.
The principal question Involved is
the advanced price of the goods. Fif
teen cents cotton is not hurtful, but
wide fluctuations In its value is more
hurtful than a mere uniform price,
though that price should be 15 cents.
"A few wealthy men constitute
themselves as 'bulls' of the cotton
market, can vary quickly tho prica
of cotton,, and from this the hurt
comes to the mill; but we cannot so
quickly vary the price of the manu
factured product. Where we have to
consider the connections of distribu
tors, such ac garment makers, tent
makers, and other conertors, and they
In turd have to deal with the distrib
uting trade who have to reckon with
the mills when the advance is made to
the consumer, and they brought to
realize a new condition and a new
level of prices, the mill is not hurt if
the level of prices is maintained with
any degree of regularity."
"What effect will 15 cent cotton
have upon the farmers generally?"
"Well, 15 cents a pound is not too
much for a farmer to rjcelve for the
product of his labor, and at 15 cents
bis earnings cannot bo equivalent tc
that of a fair mechanic. To illustrate
what I mean: If a farmer with one
mule should produce eight bales ol
cotton and should sell it at 15 coote
that would be approximately $600 foi
his crop; and if he made eight bales
of cotton thc average farmer would
not make anything else, as it would
consume his whole time to produce
and gather this only amount to about
92 a day for his labor, while an ordi
nary mechanic can get from 81.50 to
92 a day, and a skilled one cari get
from $3 to 55 per day for his labor
and why should not tae farmer re
ceive about tho same amount for his
work?
"For these reasons 1 favor 15 cent
cotton. I know many business men
of my experience to not agree wltb
me on this idea but at thc same time
I can see no reason whj' a level of 16
cents cotton should not he maintained.
"What of the future price of cot
ton?"
In my judgment we aroattbe limit
ot.productlon. Ilased upon labor con
ditions, I think labor oannotbo pro
cured In the South to make more
cotton than we are now producing,
namely, a minimum of 10,000,000, oi
a maximum of 12,000,000, varying
with weather condition};.
This labor problem ls what con
fronts the cotton growers of th?
South. Farm hands c innot be paid
as thirus exist today, moro than 812
per month, out of which he must
board himself and family, while at
public works and private Industrie*
such as railroads, mining, etc., they
get from SI to 92 a day. This dis
crepancy is fast taking tho hands
from the farms, and without an ad
vance in price of cotton that will en
able the farmer to pay moro for labor.
I do not see how it can be offset.
In this connection I will state that
thc cotton lands of the South arc
degenerating and will not produce to
day what they would five years ago;
being planted and replanted in cotton
until they are exhausted."
Would bo Interesting.
We presume there will never be an
age when the dead beat will not
flourish at the expense of others. And
especially is this the case with those
who make a practice of "beating'1
their doctor bills. If the practice ol
medicine happened to be an exact
science, a boycott of tho doctora
against the deaa beats would result
In an interesting experiment. Unfort
unately -tile dead beat cannot be sin
gled out for punishment. Ile usually
ha? a family and In punishing him
the medical profession might punish
from two to ten others who aro unde
serving of punishment. Hut the chiei
Interest would bc in a practical test,
in tho case of the beats. If they
were blacklisted and denied all medi
cal attendance, mortality statisticians
would prick up their ears and begin
to take notes. In due time .wo should
have comparative tables showing the
mortality of thc human race under
medical attendance and tho mortality
o. that portion of the race which is
donied attendance. Tho experiment
would glvo tho world \ fair test of
tho efllcaoy of medical attendance in
general, taking thc skilled and the
unskilled practitioners as they occur.
Really, it is a great pity that some
thing of this sort cannot be done, with
the consent of all parties concerned.
Shot and Killed.
A dispatch from Union to tho Spar
tanburg Journal says Will Kubanks, a
young white man about 24 years old
died at Carlisle Tuesday morning, aa
tho result of being shot on Saturday
night at a negro frolio rear Herborts
by Silas Lyles, a negro. The bullet,
which was llrcd from a 32-callbro re
volver, entered Eubank\i stomach and
passing through his body come out at
his back. Fubanks waa employed by
thoPhenix Bridge Co., which is build
ing the new long steel t ridge for thc
Southern' Itali way across Broad river
at Shelton. The negro Lyles claims
that he, with somo other men, were
firing their pistols when Kubanks pas
sed, and that ho was struck accident
ally, bat it ls reported that the two
had had a difficulty some timo ago and
had'not been friendly since. Lyles
didCf/.t attempt to get away und waa
IT WILL PASS.
The Clemton College Scholarships Bill
in the Senate.
IT MEET8 WITH GREAT FAVOR,
Ami Pnssca Ita Second Reading With
out Very Much Opposition and
With Bat a Pew Slight
Amendments.
Col. D. O. Herbert's House bill to
create beneficiary scholarships In
Clemson College was taken up in the
Senate on Wednesday morning. The
bill produced a debate to some length
and earnestness. Senator Raysor had
an amendment passed substituting
for the 15 years of age limit a clause
leaving it to the usual discretion of
the authorities. He also submitted
an amendment making the examina
tion average 60 Instead of 50 per cent.
This was passed. The question of
debate was hinging on the clause
"and preference shall be given those
young men who desire to take the ag
ricultural and mechanical course."
Senator Raysor wished to strike out
the words "and mechanical," maln
talng hts position by the statement
that Clemson was essentially an insti
tution for the farmers, founded in
their behalf, and supported by the in
come tax. It was instigated at a
farmer's convention in Columbia In
1880, Its name ls Clemson Agricultu
ral college.
Senator Raysor Bald that when the
privilege tax was given Clemson the
promise was made that lt would be
an agricultural college, but now while
the work of general education is car
ried on well, not enough attention ls
paid to the branch for which the
Behool was founded. Not 10 per cent,
of the students took this course last
year. The trustees admitted that
. there would be no use for the bill if lt
was not limited to agricultural stu
dents. The engineering, textile and
electrical departments are crowded
now, Clemson's income ls between
$160,000 and $140,000 and of this
sum $102,000 was paid by the privi
lege tax-paid by the farmers. Thus
thiB class of students should be given
preference in the scholarships. South
Carolina needs skilled agriculturalists.
Senator J. W. Ragsdale was an op
ponent of this amendment. He
, wished to strike out the entire clause
quoted above, as it means a restric
I tion. It is a bribe for boys to take
i the agricultral course. The course
i is now a fine one and well equipped,
i yet it is not popular. If a boy wants
' to go into a broader field than the
i farm he should not be refused. As to
. the privilege tax support, in states
( where there is no tax fertilizer -costs
just as much. Ile wanted to see no
I restrictions on the scholarships, of
i which he was heartily In favor.
Senator McLeod was in the same
, position on tho bill as Senator
, Raysor. He saw nothing bad in it
, and he did seo.in the amendment the
expression of the growing sentiment
in South Carolina for expert agrlcul
? turlsts. "Undeveloped agriculture
needs brains mixed with work," said
, Sentor McLeod. Technical knowledge
is necessary to succceess if the indi
! vidual wishes to rise above other far
; mers In this work. Though only
, about 50 per cent, of Clemson's stu
dents are farmer's sons, yet the farmer
supports the school and should reap
Its |firet benefits. Senator Hardin,
? like Senator Ragsdale, wished to
. strike out the clause as he thought lt
a restriction,
i Senator Mayfield said that In the
( past Clemson, though founded for the
? study of agriculture, had not fulfilled
; this end as in the other departments,
but that now the trustees recognized
. this and it was to this end that the
> bill was Introduced. He did not know
I of a State that had no fertilizer tax. If
1 there was no tax fertilizers would be
, lower but if there were no inspection
, the farmers would be Hooded with an
i inferior staple. He wanted Senator
i Raysor's amendment to prevail. Sen
. a tor Ragfdalo had not long begun in
i reply, when the debate was lnterrupt
. ed by papers from the house. Later
. it was postponed until the evening
session.
At the evening session Senator Ray
; sor's motion to strike out "and me
i chanical" in the Clemson beneficiary
scholarship bill, wa? renewed after a
motion to postpone consideration and
a motion to table the amendment had
both been defeated. The amendment
was adopted. Senator Johnson wished
to amend the bill so as to Include tex
i tile students, but this was tabled.
, Senator Hardin moved to strike out
> tho entire clause, bis motion boing
s supported by Senators J. W. Rags
1 dale, Peurlfoy and Johnson, but his
' motion was tabled by a vote of 20 to
? 6. The bill was sent to a third read
i lng.
Doing a Groat Work.
The Savannah News says: "Discus
sion in the South Carolina legislature
a day or two ago brought out the fact
that less than 10 per cent of the
students at Clemson college take the
course of agriculture. This college
, was established as an agricultural
college. To teach boys how to become
farmers was the prime purpose. Has
i lt failed of its mission? Tho ques
tion was asked on the floor of the
legislature. While Clemson has not
i had many students who took the
agricultural course it has done much
in educating young men along indus
trial lines and Its mission has not
, beena failure." This is true, Clem
son ls doing a great work for young
men. While it may educate many of
them away from tho farm, as ls often
charged, it Hts them for high and
honorable positions in other walks of
lifo. Farmer's sons have just aa much
right to leave the farm and accept
these places as other boys. If tliey
have tho capacity to flt themselves
for responsible positions away from
the farm they should not bo denied
the privilege of doing so simply be
cause they had bean raised on a farm.
South Carolina should be proud of tho
record her sons, who were trained at
Clemson, are making In all the walks
of life In other States._
Jows Willi Japan.
A dispatch from Now York says:
Hundreds of persons, among them
many retired officers and many Jews,
have offered to volunteer to servo with
the Japanese army. ?? The consular of
ficials of Japan have informed them
that Japan had no volunteer army
and did not allow foreigners to serve
In tho regular army. Red Cross funds
will bo collected In this country and
it ls believed contributions will be
large, especially froAn JOWB, whose
hatred of Russia ls pronounced.
SKNATOH Morgan iiLboi-ind to get
after poor llttjo
<v other.
WANTED TO BOB A BASK. /
A Bravo Attack Upon Bauk Robber*
by St. George'* Boya.
As the hal?fpaat six o'clock train
arrived at St. George on Monday even*
lng of last week from Charleston
Capt Blackard, tho conductor, Inform?
ed Mr. W. B. Baysor, the Southern's
agent at St. (Jeorges, that four suspl
clous looking characters had gotten off
bis train at Byrds, a co-Incident which
he deemed rather strange and which
aroused his suspicion against the
strangers as being burglars. And when
this train arrived at Badham, * flag
Station two miles above St. Georges,
the conductor's attention was against
somewhat stirred to suspicion by the
getting off of two meu of the same
type and suspicious as those who bad
stopped at By rds. The following ac
count of wbat followed we clip from
tho. Dorchester Eagle:
Upon arriving at Branchville, Mr.
Geo. F. Lewis, auent at that place
and resident of Saint George, was in
formed of the proceedings, and he at
once telephoned down here to. put the
people on their guard. A telegraphic
dispatch was also received by Mr.
Raysor, and to a small portion of the
citizens here the alarm was given, but
the wonder is why more of us did not
Hod out about the anticipated trouble
before the thing was all over.
It seems that the facta were kept a
secret in order to be moro accurate lo
the trapping of the bandits. Conse
quently, nothing was done more than
to frighten away the robbers by a few
of our brave young men, Messrs Peter
R. Stokes and J. O. Reed, Jr., bavlng
done most of the shooting. These
two young fellows were accompanied
by Chief of Police Minus and a color
ed man, but at the time of the trouble
these latter two were in a different
part of town, towards the depot, hav
ing seperated in order to be more ac
tive in the detection of their victims.
At half past one o'clock or there
about, a shrill and peculiar sound like
a whistle was heard, made by some
one in the street coming up tn the dir
ection sf tba Bask and from cast Main
Street. Soon after this signals, Messrs
Stokes and Reed, who were Bitting on
a box about the shop of Mr. D. G. Ut
sey, noticed four apparently neat and
well-dressed men, satchel In band,
pass, coming from opposite direction
from those who had given the Blgnal,
their purpose being to meet at the
Bank. Upon their dsscovery, Mr.
Stokes called out to haiti Instead of
obeying the command, the men turn
ed and in an instant opened fire upon
these two young men, who were evi
dently surprised and who immediately
returned the salute with buckshot
from double barrel shot nuns. Of
course there was some wild and scarey
shooting dono, for being disturbed in
their journey the robbers were evi
dently as fully Burpresed as these two
young mon were.
At any rate, the whole town was
awakened by the terrible fusllade
which took place, however lt was not
realized, only by the few who were
Informed of the looked for trouble,
)u-t what it all meant. Indeed lt was
a time Of excitement for those ac
quainted with the situation. Nor did
those boys for a moment realize the
grave danger In which they bad plac
ed their lives-and they were acting
In defence of the sleeping little town
f Slant George in the dead honra of
night-for which they deserve much
praise and art to be congratulated up
on not being hurt. It ls a fact that
at the first tire of the shot guns, one
of tho robbers fell to tho ground, but
lt could not be ascertained whether
hurt or not.
The few men In charge of the man
euvers were urgently advised that at
least a dozen men should be placed on
guard to watoh for the robbers, but
they thought differently and the re
sults was as above stated. Of course
these burglars knew not how man)
were after.them, consequently the)
were soon very much disorganized arie
making tracks in various directions
One of the gang ran by tho writer''
home and made his escape In short
order across a cotton Held. The other*
scattered and lost no time In leaving
town-al thought that olass of mer
are not given to running. In our opto
ion it wrv a severe BU prise to parties
on both sides, for if that gang of rob
bers bad been on their guard some ser
lous damage would havo been done
That ls their profession.
It is very much regretted that thc
rascals were not captured, and wc
dare say that if the town ls BO for
tunate the next time as to be warned
before hand, that more preparation
will be made. Some folks seemed
utterly surprised that the plans to
capture the robbers were not more
complete, and here is where they are
wrong. Such things don't happen
often In this community-and per
haps never in a small town like Saint
George, and the danger was insuffici
ently realized before hand, now
easy it would have been to capture
if there had been any certainty con
nected to the matter. And O, how
easy it is now that the trouble ls all
over, for men to make suggestions and
wonder who thus and so had not been
done.
We wish to state that these few
men who sat and guarded the prop
erty and safety of the town, are
worthy of tho praise of every body
and wo regret ver/ much that some
aro inclined that nothing of tho kind
hapdened. It ls a serious matter-too
serious to be laughed at.
Caught at Last.
Henry Williams, colored, who was
arrested at North Fork, W. Va.,
Tuesday on suspicion of having com
mitted a murderous assault and out
rage on Mrs. Geo. L. Shields and her
3 year-old daughter in their home
hero on Jan. 30, made a full confes
sion of the orlmo to William G. Bald
win, president of the Railway Special
Agents association cf the United
States and Canada, in tho BlucQeld,
j W. Va., jail Friday. Williams gave
up two watches and some clothing
I stolen from the Shields home.
Ijlqnor in ijlrrht Bulba.
St. Louis and Kansas City liquor
houses are now shipping whiskey Into
Topeka In novel original packages,
electric light bulbs filled with liquor.
These are being sold by jointlsta.
Each bulb holds a big drink. "Emp
ties" are retuned and Ailed bulbs are
exchanged for 16 cents.
What Gan Bo Done.
"Some people will be surprised to
learn," says Tho Boston Globe, "that
the people of the United States spend
as muoh money for patent medicine as
they do for bread." Some people will
be surprised, perhaps, but not the peo
power of advert?s
FIvo PhyutcJono kl? do?? their be ot ?o cort? J?mciB WIk?s. of OHI00,
S. C- y>Ua had ott* of th? most ?errib'o coses of RHEUMATISM ?s
record. Ttscy ?ll felled until (MM doctor prescribed
IT CURED HELPLESS CRIPPLE.
Mr. Wilke? mitti la the coutio ol ? loni letter, ?ned Au jun 18, 1902:
Mf legt wer J dr ava bick until my feet touched ny hip?. I WM M nelpie** M S bssf
fer oetrly 12 moathi. The mme le? ol mr ?tai ?nd lei* wet? heed tai ibrrrelcS sp. I
aaScred detth tnanjrthnea oner. Waa treated by els dide tent yhyilcUne In McColl.Dillon
?nd Mirion, but noel of theta could da me ?ny toad. Ontll Dr. J. P. Errln?. ol P'llon, told
BM tatty yoar RHEUM ACIDE- I betta to tike lt, and before the 6ut bottlo ?faa ?tad ap
I beftn to (et bettet. I uted Si bettie? md wu completely ctited.*l3^|^^Bfl^SHlB
Df. J. F. E?lot cosan?* Hr. Wilke?' atatemcat IQ erery pttttcaltr.
PRCS TRIAL OOTTLt SENT ON APPLICATION TO
BOBBITT CHEMICAL CO., PROPRIETORS. BALTIMORE, MD
Geo A Wagener, Pres. Geo Y Coleman, VicoPres, I.G Ball, Sec'y & Treas
Coleman-Wagener Hardware Company,
Successor to C. P. Poppenhelm.
363 KING.STBEET,
CHARLESTON, 8 0
?850.000 GIVEN AWAY FEES.
FOURFIKR SEARCHMONT AUTOMOBILE, at 5.30 p. m.
April 1st, 1004.
At tho Army Cyclo Comp my's atoro 22 Broad St., one tiokot wili bo givon fro? with each 50o
m Ul order. Identification of tickotB will be by name, hence all tickois munt be signed sad
deposited bofore noon. April 1,1901. This manner of awarding tho ftutoroobilo.wiU 00 loft to
tho ticket holders nt tho placo of drawing.
The machine ia on uxhiblt nt our store and wo. will hglno d to havo you Inspect it.
Do you sutTor with pniuful mctiutroalion? Either retarded, excessive, or insuOtcient
If so, commence at once tu toko Ottoman Pe?nalo Regulators, and they will givo prompt and
permanent relief. These pills cure painful monthly sickness, whiten, agonizing pains "due to
suppressed menstruation, regulate tho bowels, atimulate tho heart,, increase the appetite, aid
S? OTTOMAN FEMALE REGULATORS. oSp?SiS;
and oct as a general tonio to tho female generative organs. They are especially useful as
a tonio after child-birth and will speedily restore-?ha patient to her normal condition. Full
?articulara of this wonderful remedy sent with each box of pills. Price $1.00 per box. Saut
y mail in plain wrapper upon receipts of price.
Ottoman Re rn edy Company,
' P. O. Box 128, Wilmington, North Carolina.
^2?^?TTO^4^TO0\PEITWEEIC~
Boing Mn.'ir selling "500 Lessons In Business." It ts s completo band?
boole i legal and business forms. A completo Legal Adviser-a complots
Compcndnun of plain and ornaments! Penmanship; a completo Lightning
Calculator "?ind "Farmer's Reckoner.
A complete ?.'??-of interests, Grain, Lumber and Cotton Tablet; menjrure
men ta of Cltrrmirro Timber. Lumber, LOBS and 31ns ot O rain, otc, in
ono volume. Over 4Td ? pago?. 250. Uluatratlona.
lt la & complete buaTi-raa educator; brought horns to every purchaser.
SIMPLR. FRACrrtCALvi|rf PLAIN: 500 agents wanted at once. Boy?
and girls can sell as well 6.' men and women.
One trent In the country mn 45 copies In one day. Another 210 in on*.'
week. Agents nave canvassed un .day and sold a CODT at event boto?.
Sell inp price ?1.50. Liberal disc0onis to ugents. Send "??>cior outUt;
?BfnolionKuarantecd (or money rt^tindr>d.)
Circulars free. li. J. -N10UOL.S! & CO., Atlanta, G?.
mn do when you purchase pianos or organs of " s.
M. A. MALONE, COLUMBIA S. C.
As mnnufncturor'a agent tor roany o ? ?.ho best factories, hisprices nra ns io\N^vtho lowest,
is lnrge business is built np on tho strength.of hrs roliability AS a con?cientotisn-oxport ia,
musical instrumenta. Qothis advice before-purchasing; then you will know wh?tS??u ara
Southeastern Lime & Cement Co.
CHARLESTON, S. C.
Building Material of all kinds. High Grade Hoofing,
' "RUBEROn>." Write for prices.
11
WE ARE LOOKING ?
FOR YOUR ORDERS
COLUMBIA LUMBER & MFC CO.
COLUMBIA S.C. ?
Mk
Everybody Should Read This.
Wo sell tho best gouda for the least money that they can legitimately bo sold nt. If
you need anything in tho nwchinory supply line write us for prices.
J. A. GUlGNARD, m. COLUMBIA SUPPLY CO., C Atkinson, Sec anl Treas,,
Ooliinibisx, 8. C.
YOUNG MEN, YOUNG WOMEN, WAKE UP
Prepare yourselves to meet the demafrdfor Stenographers, typewriters
and liookkeepers. Write for catalogue of
M AC FEAT'S BUSINESS COLLEGE, Columbia, S. C.
W. H. Macfeat, official Court Stenographer, President.
THE GUIGNRAD BRICK W/ORK
COLUMBIA, S. C.
Building and Re-Pressed Brick. Special shapes to order. Fire
ra Cotta Flue Linings. Prepared to till orders for thousands or
Ijtrt r\ W <~? f / U Don't think that ovory one who hangs out a sig
lUe VV d LC II maker" is competent to repair your fina watch. I
aro fully competent aro scarce. We do work only 1
best-we can make any part of a watch, or a COE
Our prices are often no moro than you pny for iij
When our clmrgo for work is $1.50 or over we will pay express charge ono wny. if
watch, I*. H IJACHICHOTTJK & CO, Jewelers, 1121 Main St-, Colu^
Repairing.
H
Whiskey Morphine I Cigarette ! All Dr?g and-T?
Habit, j Habit | Habit Habits.
Cured by Keeley Institute, of ?. C
1329 Lady St. (or P. O. Box 76) Columbia, S. O. Confidential correspond"
ince sojJdtcd^^^^
L/ime cement, Plaster,
Terra Gotta Pipe, Booting Paper, Car lots, small lots, write,
Carolina, Portland Cement Co^ Charleston, H. C.
A Chapter of Accidents.
Wm. Young, colored brakeman on
the Southern railway, while riding on
the engine of a freight train at
Santuc, jumped off to throw a switch,
but fell, his left arm going under the
wheels of the engine. His back was
also badly bruised. Dr. F. D. Kendall,
tho Southern's division surgeon, am
putated his left arm.
Wade Swygert, also a colored brake
man on the Southern, was run over
by a freight train ab Peak's. The
wheels passed over both of his legs.
Dr. Kendall amputated his right leg
at the hip Joint. It may be neccessary
to amputate his left leg also. He is
in a critical condition.
M. P. Tapp was Injured in tho un
ion depot Tuesday morning. He was
there about 4.30 o'clock to take the
train for Augusta. On attempting
to board thc train he slipped on an or
ange peeling aud fell, his left arm go
ing under the wheels of a moving
train. Dr. Kendall had to amputate
the arm ut the elbow joint. Mr. Tapp
ls originally from Fairfield county and
is well known in Columbia, where he
used to live while in the employ of
If you are mn w
the Southern railway a.s ? conductor.
Laf.ely he has been living In Nash
ville. Tenn. He has relatives in
Columbia and many friends here.-C>
umbia State.
THBSB must be strenuous times
when the politicians continue their
ork in freezing weather.
?*d A ant to ki.1-.* tin
M :l. about your
tr juhle, sena tor my
(ree booklet?- *nd sett
examination blanks
No. 1, Nurvoi.s Ucblll
ty (Sexual V eakness),
N?. a. Vancocele, No
C, Stricture, No. 4, Kid
'.^ejr and H'addorOom
plaints. No. IS, Dlseafte
of Women, No. 8, The
Poison King (Blood
Ircdaont, No. 7, Oa
lerrh. TheBe boo kr
?hon.dbetn thehantl
of 3Very person amid
cd. ia ur. Hathawax
I the author, ls recoi
|nl?.ed ail the bott au
itborlty and expert 1
United States o
Wrtti
Tins prolonged and severe winter
leads us to the conclusion that the
coal-barons are in league with their
friend the devil.
BOTA
lUiBLOOD
The Great Tested Kemedy for the speedy
and permanent cute of Scrofula, Rheuraa
tum, Catarrh, Ulcers, Ectema, Sore?. Erup
tion^, Weakness, Nervousness, ana all
BLOOD An'D SKIN DISEASES.
It is by farthe best building tip Tonic and
Blood Purifier ever offered to.the world, l t
makes new, rich blood, imparu renewed vi
tality, and possesses almost miraculous
healing properties. Writ? for Book ot Won
derful Cure?, tent free on application.
If not kept by your local druggist, send
$i.eo for a large bottle, Or >s .00 for six bottle?,
and medicine will be sent, freight paid, by
BLOOD BALM CO., Atlanta, OK
?SUj^
Help and
Be
Wc want all thefcarpenters to send
us their address. Just for the Address
we will send a present.
Then wc want them' to help ?us to
get orders all over tho State
We will pay a commission.
SMD BUILDERS SUPPLI>
fll5 Plain St Colur
CnAltLES C
-Wholesale
X^isl