Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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It out. Prom Its appearance It looked to nie us if some one hud used some kind of bar to prize It loose. The work i.ad tho appearance of being well done. 1 remain, Yours, very truly, Columbia Plumbing and Cornice Works, H. B. Chapman, Manager. Telegram i Columbia, S. C, Feb. 18.1004. .V C. Dover. Ovula, Fla. Did the state house roof show (lash ings were torn out when you examined 11? (Signed) Frank P. Mllburn. Telegram: Ocala, Fla., Feb. 18,1904. Frank P. Mllburn, Architect. Yes, some hair dozen places absolute ly pulled away from wall. (Signed) A. C. Dover, i Columbia, S. C, Feb. 15. luoi. .Mr. Frank P, Milhurn. Dear Sir: I am a native of Qoorgla, but now a resident of Charlotte, N. C. I urn a practical cornice and metal und Sheet worker, with 22 years actual ex perience. i did a great deal of work on the State capltOI at Columbia; had charge >r the sheet metal work of the Innui dome and the outer dome, and ;.ls(, the guttering, and the same was put tu | according to the plans and details for the same, by experienced workmen. In II gooii. workmanlike manner. I have read the published testimony of Mr. Hunt relating to my work, and the Sa'me Is in tin; main not true. I have this day been on the roof and examined the dome and gutters. The door of the lantern or the dome has I been badly abused since the work was . ? ompleted and accepted. There have been holes made in the copper, which j ?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 ue made of Merchant's ol! method IX tin, which is the standard of America, nnd proper material for that particular! work. It rests on a granite foundation and has all the- protection necessary. After three years use it is in perfect condition. I I have had large experience with roofs, and have been familiar with this j ???oof, oft' and on. since it was put on. i In this matter, again the testimony of Air. Hunt Is largely untrue. It is us ?phalt and gravel, and not tar and gravel. None of the stone used in Its ] construction were one ami a half or iwo Inches, and the little slipping noted ] is Only some slight excess of material, us is common to such roofs. The cost of metal ceilings In 1901 and X902 was very much less than it was ;m 1889, because of progressive Ideas I and methods in this kind of business! and prices of material. Al hough I had no interest In the celling of the main lobby or elsewhere, my work was neat it. and 1 had conversation with Mr. Unkefer shout same, and I know that the new ceiling cost nine than it would have - est to repair the old one. but to tlx the old one would require the im portation of special expert metal work ers, and a great deal of time, which would have resulted in Inconvenlenci to the legislature. Yours truly, (Signed) Q. a. Ray. To Whom it May Concern: (lenth nu n: I have read with sur- ' price Capt. Hunt's testimony In re gard to the roofing applied to the state house, and have the following to sub mit: j The roofing on this building is what is known as "Warren's Anchor Brand, Natural Asphalt Hooting." and was ap plied by the '?Charlotte Roof and Pav ing company" of Charlotte, N. C, ac cording to the plans and specifications adopted by the Warren Chemical and Manufacturing company of New York city. This roof is what is known as ' our 'Standard Anchor Brand Asphalt Hoofing," and has been applied accord ing to our plans and specifications. It contains no coal tar. or coal tar prod- ! nets, nnd Is composed out of asphalt | throughout. in reference to Capt. I Hunt's assertion that the roof Is of lit tle or no value. I might stale that while there ate- some leaks in the roof, these leaks an- occasioned, not through1 the fault of the roofing, hut for other icasons not in the rooting contract, j Now, the pitch Of this roof, as nearly ! as 1 can ascertain, is about four inches.j to the foot, and the roofing Is well ! adapted to this class of construction; in fact we do 11? >t hesitate to advocate, and furthermore to apply this roof ing on buildings whose roofs have a pitch of (0) six inches and upwards to the foot. The crushed quartz used for the graveling surface Is such as will pas., through u mesh from r,-if> 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 ? ggs. or tho size <>r a man's Viand. I submit the above testimony in] defense of the Anchor Brand Roofing, | Which has been attacked by Capt. I Hunt, ami trust it will be accepted us [ such. (Signed) ' Walter B. Harris, Representing Warren Chemical and Manufacturing company, 17 Battery' Place, New York city. I notified the Charlotte Hoof and Paving company repeatedly to send i men to repair this roof. They sent men more than once, but finally Mr.1 Dover, the mnnogor, told me that some one was tampering with the roof and that he thought that water was run ning through the copper work and around the windows. It Is a fact that some of the frames ami sash were blown in during a severe windstorm last summer, and more than likely this accounts for some of the leaking com plained of. Mr. Hay Informed me that holes bad been punched In the copper! dome. I cannot say as to this, but j 1 do know that people were permitted i to go and come at Will. On two or more occasions I sent my men to Inspect the roof after It was i reported to me that It had leaked. They reported that a scuttle, which Is about I Hue.' or four feet square, was left off; and one time both scuttles were off. 1 required that the roofing contract ors give a guarantee for 10 years, which fully protected tho State's In terests, i The committee say that a fine slate fOOf was torn off which cost the State a great amount of money, and they further ?ay that i? afforded perfeet pro- j tectlOn. Hut they did not produce a Single Witness to prove these assertions. Who told them? The absurdity of the statement is proved by the fad that the principal argument used In get ting the appropriation for the improve ments was that "the roof was full Ol holes and leaked like a seive." Besides being old and worthless as a roof, tlnno was o very small portion of tile stati on the roof, only that -art that could be seen from the ground- that is, tie Steep mansard the rest was of copper and was sold for lunk. Eighth. Numerous objections to the dome which are so disconnected OS to i.ssit ite somewhat of a general 10- i ply. It should be Clearly understood that I originally planned for the construc tion of this don.I < ast steel, just like the material used for the dome of the capltol at Washington. Cel. Marshall Objected to this, and the commissi.m. as i believe, largely influenced by its desire I., satisfy him. directed the change to granite. This change n.s sitatcd n greatly increase 1 load, and I not only carefully considered the strength Of the main building to sup port it but, at my own exnense. had tho best expert In this line tO make an examination and calculation of the pressure, Oh the masonry, of the pro posed increased load. The proposed change was feasible, but instead of supporting the dome on two steel beams, as tlrst designed, I had pui In four large box steel Blrdors, and Increased the thick ness of all that metal. The expert referred to Haid, "We are satisfied that ( lhere is no question as lo the strength Of this revised design." With this Change it became necessarv to give greater pitch to the roof titan origi nally Intended, and to make numerous modifications and changes in the spec ifications and detail drawings for the work. For Instance, the change in .pitch of thereof obviated the necessity for the ventilators shown in tho orig inal plans, which would have been un sightly thereon. The modified und re vised drawings for this portion of the work are still on die in my office and could have been seen by the Investi gating committee and their "expert" had they so desired. It is charged that the window frames of the dome do not nt. This appear once Is no doubt caused by the fact that some of them were blown In dur ing a severe storm lust summer. Ah tin, thai th. ie are kinks and crimps In the gulVatil'/.ed iron of the inner dome. Mut these are no doubt due to natural expansion and contrac tion. Again that some stones on the out side of the dome tire too short, and the contractors filled up the spaces. Now, tie- fact is, you cannot keep the Wtltor out of a close Joint of stones; there must be space enough to calk and ce nt, nt. and it is necessary tit that point. It must be understood that tl>? little water 007.log past the cement swells the oakum and this makes the Joint water proof. Hut the great bulk of criticism of tlie work on the dome is that i It Is not according to plans ami specifications, and that the nlans actually used are not what they should be. It is true that much of It is not according to the drawings and specifications seen by the . oinmittee and their expert, but are substantial complance with the modified drawings and detailed working plans. As to the criticism by Mr. Hunt and the commit tee of the plans as changed and actu- ? ally carried out. 1 Insist that neltheu this contra, tor 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 eapitol com mission, who saw the work as it pro gressed and when it was completed and accepted. Ninth. That the wood truss under the portico roof, callcl for by the draw ings. Is absent. Att.r the commission deckled to omit the two columns before referred to. the wood truss was no longer prop er, the drawings were changed and Steel trussed perllns substituted, span ning the portico the shortest way. And h.-re again the committee under takes to criticise the use of built Up sections, as culled for by the drawings. Instead of expensive solid stones. In- . deed, they criticise everything except, the contract price, which every body knows was very low. Tenth. That a sheet of galvanized iron 1-;;L' of an Inch thick is all there is between the interior <>f the building and the ??wide, wide World." These gutters are not galvanized iron, but the best quality of IX tin. which is the best gutter lining that can be used. Copper lasts longer, but the expansion is too great. These gutters, which are of the usual thickness for this class ot work, are painted on the under side, ? aulked with lead in the stone and the gutter bed lays Hat on the stone cor nice. Eleventh. That one of the large Ho tel stones In the rear portico is cracked, thl* being the last of the specific, charges which Is numbered. This stone showed no defect when the work was accepted, but has bro ken since then. I do not believe it is likely to "give away." Apparently per fect Stones will sometimes crack In a building and cannot be guarded against. The committee could have easily found evidence of this fact, had they desired it. In several large 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 tin- west corner. Next: That the contractors .lid not protect the interior of the building dur- . Ing the work. It is almost impossible to fully pro-; toot a building during repairs and changes nnd let the occupants remain Inside?It is not 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 commis sion that they hud done all they COUld do to that end. In this connection It must be remem bered that many of the stains from leaks in different parts of the building were there before the work under In vestigation begun. Next: As to tie- cement doors and. water leaking from above. Only one day last month I was sur- j prised to see so much water ill the ? passageway under the front portico, as it had not rained for several days, and I called the attention of Mr. Wil-< Ham Hanks of The State to the condi tions. Careful examination showed j that the walls of the building wore sweating all around, but where the dirt was against the building it absorbed the water, while it was not so absorbed I where the cement lUlOI'S Joined tho walls. The walls sweat regularly.! This would not have bc.-n th. case had they been built hollow In the outset they had enough thickness for air | space in the centre. This Is one of the most serious defects In any part of the Slate house, I had nothing' lo do with1 It. Next: As to the defective water clos ets and plumbing. This work was all done before the, city'had plumbing rub s, or tm Inspec tor of sewers and plumbing, or even a sewerage system. .These rules vary In different cities, and In the absence of any prescribed rules each architect ose? such plans ami methods tis seen best, considering incatlon and sur roundings, general appearance and sanitary rules. in all these matters there is constant Improvement, tust ?h we have greatly Improved on old ?los-, ets in the basement, which were In stalled when Col. Marshall was on the commission in charge of the State: house Improvements. I trust that the! State is able tb get even mole venti lation, by electric fans, as suggested, or otherw ise, as Die present location was j not built for this purpose, or there: would have been more Ventilation. t think the following letter will enable the public to form a correct estimate of the Inclination or this Investigating committee to condemn everything In sight: Office of a. W. Edens, C. F.. Inspector of s. weis ami Plumbing, Room No. X. City Mall. Columbia. S. C.. Feb. If.. Knit. Mi. Frank P. Milburn. Dear Sir: At your request I take i loasure in stating that the plumbing Under the two porticos of the State boose will compare favorably with any piumhing that has come under my ob servation in this city which was in stalled prior to tho passage of the present City plumbing rules. The clos ets and otiur fixtures are of good qual ity. The principal defect found was tlio want of proper ventilation. Yours respectfully, isigned) a. w. Eldena, C. E. Next. It Is charged that the contractors, as "naked trespassers," carried away aftd disposed of o'.d material, which was valuable property of the State; and the committee says they attempt to Justify the Bel by an item of tho I pt ific.ilions, which does not support the r.onlcntlon. This Is another evidence that the commit tec did not consider tho reports of tho eapitol commission, as tho legis lature directed It to do; for It appears In one of those reports that under the item of the specifications referred to. the contractors, and other bidders, .were told before bidding that they would get all the old material, except the marble; that the contractors al lowed lor the value of this old material ill their bid; that the commission luhy investigated the matter; that the at torney general gave his official Opinion that the general opinion had been that the contractors owned the old mate ilal, and the commission could not claim it; that the opinion of the attor ney general was approved by the com mission, excepting only Air. .Marshall; am! the commission rcferied Mr. Gar funkel's proposition to it to buy the old material from the contractors. 1 repeat that 1 cannot believe that this Investigating committee consid ered the report, or knew oi these facts. If they did, l think a discriminating! public can see that they uro determined I to uphold Col. .Marshall's minority rea port, even If a suppression of cold facts Is necessary. Generali) ; As an evidence that I gave the Stale | good and honest service in the expend iture of Us money em the- State house. ! and in refutation of many charges made-, but not sustained, by the in vestigating committee! l desire i<> sub mit the following statements of hon orable, widely known contractors, not withstanding the chairman of that committee, on the lloor of the senate-, where he was secure from reply, de scended to the tactics of trying to be sonn h and Impugn any of and all wit nesses who dared to speak the- truth, if not in support of ins report: Ntcholus Inner, Contractor, 1'. O. Box 606, Atlanta, tin. Atlanta. Go., March 22,1901. Ah-. Frank 1*. Mllburn, Columbia, s. C. Dear Sir: your favor of the L'uth to hand, l examined the material ami workmanship at cnpltol building, ami Hud it a first class Job. i consider it a good, substantial piece of work. yours truly, (Signed) Nicholas Ittner, Contractor. Savannah, <ia.. Aug. IT, 1903. Ml". Krank 1'. .Mllburn. Columbia, S. C. Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiry of August Tth in regard to the work re cently done on the State- house, 1 Will say that 1 have hud considerable ex perience in large work, and have- had e|tiite.- a number of contracts from the United states government. I was one of the- Arm of the Stewart Contracting company, who bid for the contract Inj Columbia. I was in Columbia Aug. 14th, and while there Inspected the State house work. As a whole, 1 think the- work very satisfactory. There may be some minor things thai 1 would have done- different if l hud been award ed the contract. Anyone looking to hud fault can always llnd it. There is euie thing certain, the Stan- of South Carolina, In my estimation, has re ceived full value for the money ex pended, and now has a capltol that any State might well be pi e>ud of. This is my honest ami unprejudiced opinion. Yours truly, (Signed) J. 10. Burgess, Manager. Savannah Contracting Company. Note. .Mr. Surges remodeled interior, of postofHce building in Columbia, In 1903. Augusta, Ca.. Sept.2, 1903. Mr. Frank 1*. Mllburn, Columbia, S. C. Dear Sir: In reply to your faVOl' of' Aug. 20th, wanting an opinion from us on the new State capltol in your city, we beg to say the writer has frequent ly gone- over this building during con struction and since It was finished, and j Consider it as good a job .as It is pos sible- to make out of a remodeling Job, , ami being familiar with the price paid for the work, I ' consider tin- State se curod a regular excursion price on that building. We ban- had considerable experience in remodeling work, and know how difficult it is to make everything per fectly satisfactory, as there is some thing always In the way that cannot be moved. You would have- no trouble to prove up values it the matter was ? Investigated, as you know from ex perience that it Is much easier to ct'lt- ! leise than it is to execute, Yours very truly, (Signed) J. H. McKenzie & Sons, (lenernl i Ion tractors. By Charles K. McKenzie. Johnson City, Tenii., Se-pt. 2tl. 1903. Mr. Frank P. .Mllburn. Columbia, S. c. Deai- Sir: Replying to your Inquiry of Aug. 2Bth, asking my opinion of the work recently done on the south Caro lina state; house, i will say that i con sidered the same well executed and ful ly up to the standard for such work. I have had experience In remodeling old i capitols, and have found it hard to i please every one, as they do not un derstnnd the many troubles that we; have to contend with. 1 am surprised that any objections are- raised in re gard to the job, as 1 thought the qual ity of the work done, considering the quantity, was well worth the? price paid for It. I should think it would he j worth fully $200,000 to duplicate the. same work now under the present con-, dltlons of markets, epj. yours truly. Signed) J. IS. Parrlsh, Contractor and Builder, Lynchburg, Va. Columbia, S. C. Feb. 3. 1904. Mr. Frank l'. Mllburn, Columbia, s. C. . Dear Sir: Replying to your favor of recent elate, in which you rnquost us to Inspect the work done on the State cnpltol building at Columbia, s. c. we beg to advise as follows: After a careful inspection of the, work, we are prepared to say that In ! mir opinion, that the work se-enis to have been performed In a substantial j am) workmanlike- manner. In our Opin- j Ion, the appropriation was entirely too small for the amount of work under taken. Very truly yours, (Signed) W. T. Uadlow Co.. By G. 11. Hndlow. I General Contractors, Jacksonville, Fla. Columbia, S. C, Feb. IS, 1904. Mr. Frank P. Mllburn. De>nr Sir: I have this day been through the cnpltol building at Co lumbia. S. C, ami after looking over! the work I am satisfied that the work done* by the contractor is a faithful performance of the spirit and intent of the plans and specifications, as the WOt'k done Is worth a gnyi deal more than his contract price. T nlso road Mr. Hunt's report as to Steel celling .and floor light ami am satisfied that In- is entirely loo high in his valuation of the ceiling, and that the lloor light appears to have been used or walked upon bet?re the ccme-nt set, in which ease the damages would not appear for some time. And I would say further, that In re pairing or adding to buildings there are a great many things which no ability on the part of the architect can t'oi sec. and which have to be taken up as they dovelop; so. after care-fully looking over the matter, i am satisfied that the- criticisms upon yourself and contractors are uncalled for ond un just. I finel that the granite used Is not as hard as the original granite; the' texture being coarser. It would not take the same finish. I find that the specifications provide that each class ami style of work shall be so many cuts and the old work would not be taken by Hi" cont actor as his guide in performing his work, while the gen ornl style nnd outlines would be the same / 1 dp not . 'in: der that the vemoval of tin two no]Unius mentioned In Mr. Hunt's i e port WOUld weaken the struc ture. I think the manner in Which you provided for the; change was proper. I find tho thickness of the celling and gutters are such ns are used on all good buildings. it Is my experience as s contractor for 20 years that a number of roofs leak for soma time after the building Ih completed, and to cover thin a guarantee is given for one yea) The copper und tile roof on the gov eminent building in Augusta leuked from lime to time nnd gave the officers considerable trouble. Respectfully, (Signed) T. C. Brown & Son. Per T. C. Brown. Qonerdl Contractors, Augusta, <?n. THE GOVERNMENT EXPERT. No doubt the public is curious to know something more of Mr. Hunt, upon whom tip- committee seems con tent to rest for the support of Its nu merous criticisms of designs, plans and work. With the single exception of the plumbing. I had understood, until last week, that the name of this witness was II. H, Hunt, and that he wtis a govern inent architect, as Commltteeman Pat terson announced in the house, and I 1 made diligent Inquiry in Washington as to identity ami standing. In the limited time at my disposal sime Thursday, i have Inquired as to tin work, position, etc., of Mr. S. S. Hunt, resulting in the following In format ion: Before going to Washington, Mr. Hunt enjoyed the reputation of being a good mechanic. The Washington city dlreotory for 1908 contains his name as a contractor. Tb.- congressional directory does not show any such olllce as "superintend ent of constructing of the United Stales eapitol." The last congressional dlrec lory shows as connected with the olllce superintendent of the eapitol: Superintendent, Elliott Woods, Con gressional hotel. Chief clerk. George H. Williams, 2PJ 10. street. Chief electrical engineer. Christian B. Gl lent, 642 East Capitol street. Clerk, .lohn Welch. 310 North Caro lina avenue, s. E. W. I:. Kllpatrick wires: "Archlb t Bays neither s. s. Hunt nor M. H. Hunt, superintendent of con struction eapitol. Never heard of such Hunt." .1. l<. Taylor, the supervising archl- i tect of tin- United states government, will's: "Office has no knowledge of S. S. Hunt in connection with any of its' work." Haul .1. Pelz of Washington, one ..t the three architects (and the only stir- j vlvor) who designed tho famous con gressional library, says that ids name ' is not in the government Blue Book: that he neither knows S. S. Hunt as a builder; contra' tor or architect, and ; that if he had been of prominence In i ? ?ber capacity, he would have known ? him. Will South Carolinians endorse the llbclous report Of ?bis investigating! committee, confessedly based on the j opinion of this witness, in the face of' the opinions of Nicholas Ittnor Of At- ; Innta, J. E, Burgess of Savannah, j Charles F. McKenzie of Augusta, J. E. Banish of Lynchburg, G. H. Hndlow of Jacksonville, and T. C. Brown of Augusta ? The following extracts from the rec ords of the Capitol commission will no doubt prove interesting to the public: "Upon motion of Mr. Derham: "Resolved. That when the work on the State house is finished, pilot to accepting the same, the architect shall notify the governor, who shall call! th" commission together, who with the architect shall inspect the work, and if the same is satisfactory the cer tificate shall issue." Columbia, S. C, May 22, 11)02. Hon. M. B. McSweeney, Chairman State HoAISC Commission: Dear Sir?I wish to report that Mo llvain, Unkefer Co., contractors, have completed tb" work as outlined by me I on the Slate house. That is. the spir it*, Intent anil meaning of the plans, specifications and modifications of the same, and ate entitled to the final pay ment. Krank 1*. Milburn. P. S. This report to be (lied when the commission arc satisfied with the l work as done. "Resolved, That It appears to the commission for the completion of the State house that the work is satisfac tory and that the contract has been substantially performed. whereupon Mr. Marshall made the following motion as a substitute: Resolved, That In the opinion of this commission the work done under tl e contract to complete the State house has not been performed by the con tractors according to the plans, speci fications and contract, and therefore, the work done is not satisfactory to the commission." A roll call having been demanded up on the question of the adoption of Mr. Marshall's substitute. the substitute was rejected by a vote of 7 to 1. as fol lows : Voting yes?Marshall?1. Those voting tin McSweeney, Jen nings, Mower, Johnson, Wilson, Bel linger, Derham?7. <'?INCLUSION. I hive tried t< briefly and calmly show the public the plain facts connect ed with the State house work, with out resorting to rant and cheap dap trap about bamboozling, etc. 1 have no desire to conceal anything from the public and I court the fullest Investigation, feeling sure of a com plete vindication from the cruel at tack which has been made upon my character for the first time. Very respectfully, Frank I*. Milburn. 1 A I'UK ACIIKIl WITH a REiconp. Tin? itcv, .lohn iiiimio of Onffney linn Tied 488 Matrimonial KuoIm. Special to The State. Gaffnoy, Feb. 16.?Rev. John Uuppe, who has possibly marled more cou ples than any other man In this coun ty, married two more North Carolina couples last Sunday. These were Mr. A. Moore and Miss L. 10. Settlemyer, of Henrietta, and Mr. C. A. Hawkins and Miss Battle McSwaln, of Holling Sprlpgs. This makes a total of 438 knots Hod by this aged'divine. Many are the people who can date their greatest happiness to the time when they stood trembling before him. Miss Blanche Wilson has gone on a trip north. Mr. II. K. Osbornfl has announced himself a candidate for the office of alderman from Ward Six. .Mr. T Davenport has sold his gro cery business to Mrs.- T. Davenport, who will Conduct the business a t tho same place. Mr. Davenport will bo come a knlghf of the grip. Ills line will be groceries. Help In Appreciated. , People's Recorder (colored). It Is Indeed gratifying to note the Interest die Columbia Daily State, tho White citizens of Columbia and else where, and Dr. Bay of lower Rlchland county are taking -In raising and dis tributing contributions of money, food and tint hing for and to tho colored suf ferers of lower Rlchland. All remem ber how their crops were all swept, away by hall, wind and rain last year, and how hundreds of tho poorer class have undergone almost, starvation. Now theso white friends, from their bounteous storehouses, are most liber ally contributing to the needs of the sufferers. Being ti Columbian, we do all the more appreciate this manifest Chris tian beneficence. May the blessed Lord restore to those benefactors ten fold. We thank them, is about tho only pay back that wo can give. a t'nini Explosion. Buffalo, N. Y.. Feb. 21.--Two ni.n wme asphyxiated, one burned to death and Fevernl wore seriously lnji.sed In nn explosion of blast furnace gas at the plant of tho I.acknwanna Steel company today. Tho dead are: Geo. Roynolds, a mason; Michael H. Smith, a mason. Frank Pranatt, employed in the power houso. \\ i Ii I. ii fur The State WOO?Ma The readers of The Stute, or rather thai portion of them who have paid the writer the compliment of reading Ids articles, which have appeared from time to time in its columns mil hardly be reminded of his position on 1 the subject of education. There is. I however, one thing In connection with the question to which he bogs to enter a pint.-st, although it is done With a considerable degree of reluctance. It Is possible. ..r course, that this evil, ami the word Is used advisedly, may not owe Its origin to our system of education, but to a change of pub lie sentiment, which lias found de velopment outside of higher education. Then, loo, the fact must be recogniz ed that In all human affairs, it mat ters not how good the general ten dency is. there must be some evil; but while giving full acknowledgment to this truth, every eftorl should be made to keep tin* evil Incident thereto to i the lowest passible point. Thy evil to which allusion is made Is the craze that has found lodgment in the mind Ol almost every girl that jUSl as soon as she leaves the college or high school she must tind some kind of employment, despite the fact that in the large majority of cases it involves leaving her home and being thrown with strangers. Any system j of education or of public sentiment that instills a feeling of this kind Into the mind of a girl, that she must be In dependent and make her own way in the wotdd, is radically and inexcusably wrong. , There are. of course, many cases where this seeking for emplo] ment Is painfully necessary, and Where this is the case a girl should be encouraged and rendered every assistance; but wl -e this condition does not exist, I she is both unjust to herself and her parents when she voluntarily leaves them lust at the time when they will i derive so much pleasure from her presence in the house. She has been j sorely missed during the four years she has spent at college, bul this separation was cheerfully borne by her parents, ' for they could look forward to the time I when she would finish her education and once more be with them to bright-I en their home. Independence and the desire to make one's own way in the world, is both natural and commend able, but there is such a thing as car rying even a good Impulse- too far, Mid there is something radically wrong in ! any system of home or school train ing that implants the idea in the mind of a girl that she should not be de pendent on her lather, even when lit is abundantly able to provide for her wants. lOven if it be granted that she can have more social enjoyment in the town or city than in the country home of her parents, this furnishes no suttl clent excuse for her to leave her par ents w hen her presence and lu lp af- I lords them such unalloyed happiness. It often ha|>pens that thO mother, get ting on in years, is worn out with toil and care. She has given all her strength and time to the raising and j training of her children, and to her ' it is an Inexpressible pleasure when | her daughter Insists on assuming some ot her duties and responsibilities, and enables her to enjoy a well-earned rest. A number of years ago It was the writer's good fortune to bo a frequent visitor at a home where the condition ?above mentioned existed. The moth er's health was not good and the oldest daughter had simply relieved her of all household cares, not even allowing the younger children t<> trouble her with any of their troubles. This daughter was accomplished, well educated, a very line musician and could easily i have Secured a position to teach. Tins she would have liked to do, but she felt that her first duty was at home. , and the discharge of this sacred duty j will OVO! he the sweetest and tender est recollection of her life, for when she was called on to see that mother; pass away she was sustained and soothed by the consciousness that she had done all that lay in hor power to make her mother's last years pass in peace and happiiu -<s. One of the greatest and noblest men- ? Robert I-;, l.ee?who has ever lived on' this earth, made duty the watchword of his whole life, ami no sacrifice or danger ever restrained him from do ing what he conceived to be right. Tin path of duty often calls us to walk in ways that humanly speaking are the very reverse of the ones we would choose, but then there should ever he present tin- thought that after all the Strongest happiness comes from the consciousness of having done our ut most to promote the happiness of those who are dear to us. Fortunate, In deed, is tin- daughter who, when she looks for the last time on the face of her mother, with her tired hands fold ed across her bosom, can feel that she never brought tears to the now closed eyes or pangs of sorrow to the im- I selfish heart, which has forever ceas ed to beat. If sin- can feel thus then she has a POUCO and Joy that will be her greatest solace as long as life endures, for what ever, for weal or woe, the future has ! in store for her. this Is something that no earthly power can take away. A girl when she first leaves col- . lege .and enters, as It were, upon the i threshold of her life, stands In great need of her mother's counsel and pro tection, and it is a misfortune when stress of circumstances deprives her of this safeguard. If there be one thing on earth that conns as a gift I from Heaven It Is the love of a moth er for her child. No pen can portray It; no plummet can sound Its depths, for it Is as deep and wide as a rath omless sea. to which no measurement can be given, The writer trusts that he may ho i pardoned for giving one more Illus tration of the sacrifice of inclination to duty, the facts of which are just as related. ? A good many years ago there ex isted an engagement between two young people, but there was. In the estimation of the young lady at loost, an Inseparable barrier in the way of its immediate consummation, that ob stacle being an Invalid mother, for 'whose can- the daughter considered I herself responsible. After the lapse of a good many years the mother pass ed away and a short time alter her drath the daughter married the gen tleman to whom she had boon so loin; attached. They were both let ting along in years then, but can any one doubt that that loving daughter found gn at happiness In the few years of her married life? It Is very easy to j believe that In this short time there came to her enough of earthly happi ness to compensate for her long years of Sacrifice to a sacred duty. It has always 1.n a source of won der to the writer that some truly great writer has never made a ?special point of trying at least to portray n moth er's love for a child, following out that love from Its birth, and when *lt first draws sustenance from her bosom, through the years of Its gradual mental and physical development. So far as the, writer's knowledge extends this Is for the novelist an unexplored mine, waiting for the tomb of a master hand to bring Its Jewels into the light of today. Baltimore, Feb. 21.?It was thought that not a life was lost In the fire here, but a charred body supposed to be that of a colored man has been found In the water nt Rowley's wharf. The body Is so badly burned as to bo un irjogolzable. SUIS'/ V Dil ES All Y OITCH. Canal Clcfl Through Region ilnre of All Save Ulbllvul lltuhu???. W E. Curtis in Chicago Record-Her ald. Afloat on the Red sea. Jan. 18.? Every vessel passing through the Sue/, .?anal Is compelled to take u pilot, be ?ause skippers of ordinary vessels can not be trusted to navigate the narrow channel. for the slightest deviation may cause damage that will cost thou sands of dollars to repair. Bach year, however, navigation is tendered easier by the widening of the channel and by the excavation of additional sidings or basins where vessels can pass. Prom the moment the pilot goes on the bridge he takes charge of the move ments of the ship and Is responsible for whatever may happen, regulating the speed according to tonnage und draught. \Vs:els cannot pass In motion. When they meet the one which arrives ilrst at the signal station is compelled to Stop and tie up In the basin until the other goes by. These basins are found at Intervals of a few miles, and tit every basin is a "gare" or station in I charge of a signal officer, who corre sponds to a train dispatcher on one of our railroads, and the block system is used to regulate the movement of vessels. Form? ly no traffic was al lowed at night, but now it is carried on without interruption by the aid of electric lights on the shore and search lights on the vessels. The canal looks exactly what It Is - a big ditch on a desert Of sand on which foxes, jackals, hyenas and oc casionally lion.'; ate seen by the watch men in the signal towers. At sonic places the banks of earth on either side are so high that passengers on tin.' steamer cannot see over them, but for most of the Journey you have a wide I sweep on both sides back to the moun tains that rise from the desert, ami at a certain paint for a mile or two Mount Sinai Is visible 37 miles to the southeast, and Is pointed out to you by the captain or the deck steward. Naked Arab boys run along the banks crying for baksheesh and easily keep abreast of the creeping vessel, grab bing at pennies which pnssongerp throw them from the deck. Half the coins toll down in the water, which Is exasperating to tho youngsters. They do not like to stop and dive for them while there is a chance of getting more, but I imagine they mark the spots and conic bai l; to recover lost bin ksheesh when they have left the vessel. There are only two towns of any account on the canal. One Is lsmalia, a half way point, with a population ol 1,000. it is the only monument In honor of the Khedive [small, who did the most and spent tin.' most to carry out! the enterprise, and lost his throne1 thereby. It is rather a pretty town, 1 abundantly Irrigated, ami hence has lovely gat dens and groves of palms and other trees. Here reside most of the engineers and other Officer's of the canal, because It Is preferable to Port Saul. There is a hospital for sick em ployees, <lub for the benefit of the; Olflcers, and several good houses. In- ; eluding one ere tod espei tally for the entertainment of M. de Lesseps, when ho should be pluased to use it. Beyond 1 lsmalia, as before, are occasional oases in the desert?groves of palms I and luxuriant gardens surrounding the; stations of the canal olilclals, for, wherever you can turn water on that lonely desert everything will grow with a wild luxuriance, it seems as if the earth suddenly released germinating power that had been accumulating during centuries of suppreslon. The chief interest is found in the town of Sue/., because It is tlte crossing 1 place of the great caravans of camels that furnish transportation botwon the! two continents of Asia and Africa, and travel regularly between Cairo, Da-1 mnSCUS and Bagdad; also because bib-| iicill historians believe that here the waters of the lied sea opened 3,5001 years ago and allowed 3.000,000 of the j i hildren of Israel to cross over upon ; dry bottom. It requires n considerable ' concession to the imagination and a Strength of faith that a majority of j mankind do not possess to accept this' theory, but no one knows to the con- ' irary. and experience 1ms taught mo| never to doubt the faith of interesting; .stories, if you do, you depnivo your self and others of much pleasure. It ; Is like a Italy/ing the attraction of a pretty woman, or separating her fea-1 lures Into lots, classifying them and measuring them by the Venus do Mllo. On the other side of the Red sea. which, by the way, is not red. but blue ?us blue as the sky In June?you can 800 the purple peaks of the Stlialtlc range, and a few miles from the shore, , which you cm reach In three hours by donkey, one of these remnrkablol oases that are frequently found in the; desert. This particular one is called the Wells of MOSCS. There is a com fortless hotel kept by an Arab, where beds and refreshment can be obtained, but it Is better to .start, early in the morning, so as to get back the same day, and take a luncheon in a basket ' from Sue/.. Tho trip can be easily: made while the vessel Is coaling. The children of Israel, according to the Bible, wandered til 100 days In tin* wilderness of Shur nnd found no water,; ami when liny came to Ma rah they could not drink tho waters, for they were bitter, and the peoplo murmured against Moses, sayin: "What shall we' drink?" and ho cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree which j he cast into the waters and I ho waters, wcro made sweet. And they came to; Ellin, where there were 12 wells of | water, and three score and ten pnlm trees, and they encamped there by the Waters. And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went ' out after her with timbrels and with dances. That beautiful scene, one of1 the most dramatic in the whole Bible, is believed to have taken place here, for these wells are the Well8 of Elim, and three and ten palm trees st1" shelter a collection of a dozen or more; springs. Tho village is peopled by j naked Arabs, sinewy, springy, en durlng fellows, whose flesh shines like polished mahogany, and who must ro?' sen-' le the young men of Israel when ; they started on the journey that was not finished for 40 years. It Is dlillcult to understand why and how they happened to be wundering about so long down here. If you will' look at the map you will see that Sue/, is utmost mi a line with Cairo, and it was the most natural rendezvous of the tribes, who were scattered all along the Nil' from Memphis, which is .lust above Cairo, to Thebos. which is just below Luxor. The account In the Blhie Is condensed; nnd we are com pel; d to take a good deal of these tra ditions on faith, but. as I have already suggested. It Is worth while to do so. The Rod son is 1,400 miles long, and Its greatest width Is 200 miles. It Is about the shape of a sausage, and ta pers nt both ends. On one side is Arabia, the most mysterious and prim itive of all countries, and on the other side are Egypt, Nubia ami the Soudan. At tho north end what is known as the Slnaltlc peninsula projects southward and divides tho sea into two arms, and near the point of the peninsula Is Tor, tin- landing place for Sinai. Op posite Tor is Jebel Ez-Zelt, which means "tlie mountain of oil." Where po? troloum was discovered some year ft ago and created great excitement. Hun dreds of thousands of dollars hive been expended in sinking wells and building docks, warehouses and roiin ., but havo all boon abandoned. because, for some reason, the manu facturers could not compete with tho Standard Oil company or the Russian factorlos on the Black and Caspian sens. People think that there In a good deal more wealth In Arabia than we know of. It was* anas of greater important** than now. and In ancient days pro 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 it province called Yemen, and derives Its name from the little port It is shipped from, But the people have no enterprise, the coffee orchards have been injured by insects and blight, and the trees have not been renewed. This Is acounted for by had " 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 oil blackmail. Hence, whenever a citizen gets a little ahead, when he shows signs of pros perity, he Immediately becomes an object of plunder and persecution by the tax gatherer and by every other representative of the government. There is no Incentive for the coffee growers to extend their orchards or to Increase their product. One does not realize, until he comes face to lace with the fact, that Arabia Is neatly half as huge as the United Mates. Us area Is almost as great as that of India, and Is nearly equal to that of nur States east of the Missis sippi river. The population Is un known, because there has never been a census, but it is suposed to be be tween Beven and twelve millions. The distance from north to south is more than a thousand miles, and from east to west It varies from 000 to SoO. Yet In all this enormous territory there is i'o centralized authority. The Interior is govere'ned by petty sheiks, each being absolute over the members of his own tribe. Along a coast line of nearly 2,r>oo miles are only six ports, where the sultan of Turkey maintains pasha governors and garrisons to pro tect tlie collectors of customs, who are required to pay him a certain amount of tribute every year, and they wring it out of the people tiny way they can. The relationship between the gov ernment at Constantinople and the Bedouins of Arabia is very slender, ami is due solely to the cohesive pow or of the Mohammedan religion. There is no law In Arabia but the Koran; there aii' no courts but the priests; there are no mails, no postofllces, no postage stamps, and a person who wants to communicate with a distant fried must send his letter by a messenger, which is expensive, or by a caravan, which is the common way. There Is no tele graph line, no newspaper, no railroad, and, strange to suy, not a river In till that vast area except a few shallow, rocky beds, which during the spring bring down water from the melting BUOW on the mountain tops to the *oa. but for nine months In the year are as dry as a crematory. The captain tells me that they pro duce a curious phenomenon. The const of the Red sea Is lined with coral banks, built by those mysterious and wonderful little masons who, like some men that I know of, butt1 fresh water, and wherever tin.- spring Hoods fall Into the sea there is always a wide break in the coral reef. The mountains of Arabia reach an altitude of 10,000 feet, and In spots when- borings have been made the sand Is more than 800 feet dee]). It Is the prevailing Imprcsion that Arabia is a vast expanse of desert, but that is a mistake. There are wide Strips of bar ren sund, which are Irreclaimable for cultivation only because they cannot be reached by water, but two-thirds of the country is capable of cultivation, and. lying at an altitude of 3,000 feet abovo the sea, might produce cotton, sugar and other semi-tropical staples in unlimited quantities. Although there are no streams plenty id' water can be bad for irrigation purposes by digging 20 or ;t0 feet, and the introduc tion of windmills would simplify ihe pumping problem. On the const it is Intensely hot, and the humidity of the atmosphere during the summer season makes life almost unendurable, but in the interior, upon the table lands along the mountain slopes and in the valleys, the mercury seldom rises above 85 de grees, even in mid-summer. While the direct rays of the sun are ?:,(< use. It Is cool In the shade, and at night t he mercury often falls below 50. Move than two-thirds of the popula tion are Bedouin nomads, without per manent places of abode, who live in tents made of camel's hair. Just like the patriarchs of ? Id. They have enor mous (locks of sheep and goals, and lvrds of CO tie 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, nnd transport enormous quantities of dates, wool und other merchandise. William B. Curtis. i School for (Jrown-Uim. Oastonla (N. C.) Gazette. The fUntosvllio Landmark refers to the pluck of a boy 17 years old and of a man twlco that age who recently buckled down to books at Hole's Creak academy without knowing how to read. The boy didn't know his letters, the man began In the lust reader. Yew. that is plucky in a sense. Not that the task is so great, but that the nerve to get one's consent to undo dak* It at those ages is so tare. i'.ut It ought not to be rare. Tin- task is not great, not dlltlcult of accomplishment. Little children who live with hooks and picture blocks learn to read be fore they arc six years of age. Irars without special teaching; with some direct and regular instruction they would learn sooner. We do not boliove that there Is in the Slate an hl.'ernte grown man of ordinary Intelligence and industry that could not learn to rend in six weeks, write in ten weeks, and gel a good beginning in arithmetic In a few more weeks. If he would only give these things attention and reg ular study. Why hasn't somebody started a school for grown men who cannot read and wrlto? The gap lie ? tween the man who cannot read and tlie man who can?how great and how wide it is! What storehouses of rich ness and Vast and fertile Heids are shin away from him who cannot road. Itoyond tin Alps lies Italy?nnd the Alps In this case are not Impassable. The gap Is wide but not difficult 1?? him who tries, and the prize t? so Worth the winning! The man who cannot thinks the way is hard, the man who can knows It Is not. The grown man who cannot read nnd write ?somebody show him, somebody help him. Here's missionary work for one, and priceless happiness for two. Ml'KCtl.vroits IN THOUBMC. Ilm?- Tlrcii Starting War Riitunrn In Italy for Money Purposes. Home. Feb. 21.-? Humors of warlike preparations by Italy having been cir culated a semi-official communication has emanated from the government which is In substance as followa: Stories of alleged armaments and of the movements of warships and troops for service abroad fll*0 entirely false. Indications exist thai this fa se newn is connected with stock exchange speculations and those responsible have been brought before tlie law courts to be punished according to law with Imprisonment of from throe to thirty months. The communication evidently alludes ! to the Insistence by a portion of the press that Italy will he antagonistic to Austria in the Balkans and to the predictions of International complica tions thus causing a fall in Italian bonds and a rise In the exchange on gold. Dr. Jiiinrftnn'* Snee???. Capo Town, Fob. 21.?Dr. Jemssoa has succeeded *n ?omsletiag a oaWnet,