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iHl ?i - ? Astounding Report Made By the Examining Committee WHOLESALE RASCALITY ALLEGED The Committee Gets After the Contractors and the Supervising Architect?A Tremendous Sensation Spronf. The report of the commission appointed last year to investigate the I completion of the State capitol was | submitted to the general assembly J Monday. j The report makes most interesting j reading, since it contains very serious | > criticisms at the work done by tne ' contractors, Mclvain Unkefer Co.. undo,- the supervision of the architect, j Frank j'. Milburn, and the original ! conir?^s:on Those members of the ; commission who approved the final report of the contractor and of the ar- j chitect were: Gov. McSweeney. W. j > R. Cooper, Secretary of State; Repre-: sentative Gantt and \V. J. Johnson. ' and the following from the sinking fund commission: Senator Mower, Representative J. Harvey Wilson. G.; Duncan Eellinger, attorney general; j J. P. Durham, comptroller general; R. j H. Jennings, State treasurer. The gov-1 ?rnor and the secretary of state were ' also members of the sinking fund commission. The investigating com-; mittee's report sustains the protests made from time to time by Senator Marshall, which were not heeded by the commission, and his minority re-1: n-hi/.h hrniiffht 1 port to iue legismtuic ><~ about the investigation. The investigating commission consists of Senators Robert Aldrich and j R. I. Manning, Representatives J. u. I Patterson, J. M. Rawlinson and T. Y. j, Williams, by whom the report is signed. The report is as follows: To the Honorable the Stare and ! the House of Representatives: j < During the last session of the general assembly the following concurrent resolution was adopted: "Be it re- j; solved by the senate, the house of representatives concurring. That the. J j several reports of the commission for , the completion of the State house be. ', and the same are hereby, referred to a i special committee, consisting of two j senators, to be appointed by the presi-1. rfenr nf the senate, and three members < of the hoese of representatives, to be j1 ' appointed by the speaker of the house ] of rop-eseiitatives. to consider the' tame, and report to the next session of j the general assembly such facts and j recommendations in reference thereto as they may deem advisable. That; said committee be empowered to sit j during the recess, to appoint a secrc- { V. tary, and to employ an architect, to i summon witnesses, and shall keep a ' record of all its proceedings, and sub- j nit the same with the report to the j general assembly." j In a< rordance with the said reso- j lution. the undersigned were appoint- I ed to compose said committee. j The subject matter for our consider *tion is the work done upon the State' i house to complete the building, and ! 1 he manner of its performance. By i j an act of the general assembly, ap-1 j proved 17th February. A. D 1000. thej i sum of 1175,(>00 of the sinking fund j was appropriated "to complete the;' State bouse," aud a commission eon- j, sisting of the governor, secretary of j i Siate. one member of the Senate, and two members of the house was desig-;' rated "w:th the sinking fund commisj; sion to take charge of and direct the 11 completion of the State house, to let! j out all necessary contracts, including , the employment of an architect, and i I to see that sa d work is completed ae- j < cording to contract, and to do any and i; every act necessary to carry out the \ I rurpose-- of this act. Provided. That 11 no funds be used except as they are i i actually needed, and shall not be used . i-iiiesg a contract be entered into to ' J complete the said State house for the i sum sc t apart." i'< At the last session of the general : 1 assembly, the said commission mane ., hs third and final annual report, bear- , injr date of 4th February. A. D. 190.1. giving < ircustantiallv all that was done under the act. and concluding with a , lesolutton .as follows: "Resolved That it appeal's to the commission that i the work is satisfactory and that the ; contract has been substantially performed." Page fc9, majority report. At the same time a minority report I, was made by one member of the com- j; mission. Senator J. Q. Marshall, i whereby the attention of the legislature was called to many defects in the work, briefly stated as follows: 1. Plans and specifications submit- j ted by the architect are too indefinite and lacking In particularity, the evil j effects of which were afterwards > shown. 2. The two foundatloas of the front and rear porticos were c onstructed of; | Mill brick, whereas, to conform to the finished portion of the building, granite should have been used. ?,. As the work proceeded, it appear * 4-1?4 *x? a-nro nnf Hnin? ea mat uif luiiuBi-wio ? the work in accordance with the plans and specifications in construction or in finish. 4. That the contractors claimed, and the commission allowed them all the old material taken out of the State house, whereby the State sustained a heavy loss. 5. The failure of the contractors to put in two of the large fluted columns in the front portico, to the injury of the building, a saving to the contractors of $2,400, and a corresponding loss to the State. 6. In violation of the plans and specifications, the spleudid steel ceiling of the main lobby, which cost $10,000. was torn out. and a cheap and common stamped metal ceiling that cost $400 was substituted therefor. Also the ceiling of the house of representatives and the library were badly damaged by the contractors. 7. The contractors removed the gas pipes from the halls of the house and senate, to the loss of the State of that much property. 8. That when the architect reported that the work was ig.mpleted and ready to be received, and that the contractors were entitled to payment objections were made in various particulars. among others as follows: The work had been improperly done, was not in accordance with the specifications. that the roof and walls leaked badly, that the water came through the main lobby, and through the floor and landing of the front portico, all of which was pointed out to the commission. and a proposition made by this and auother member of the commission to get an architect from Washington, in the employ of the general government, to pass upon the w^rk, and whether it was in accordance with the plans and specifications, which proposition was declined by the commission notwithstanding those two members offered to procure such an officer at their own expense, and without coat to the State, and the commission overruled all objections, and directed payment to be made to the contractors. 9. That since the acceptance of the work and payment to the contractors, the roof has continued to leak, and the floor and landings of the front portico have leaked so badly that the water closets, which had been installed thereunder, had to be removed to another part of the building, the contractors defraying one-half of the expense of such removal, the State bearing the other half, a complete loss of {300. 1A koo l\non Orwl i JV. 1 JIUI ^ivrat uao uwu will bo entailed upon the State because it has been forced to pay for defective work, and much of it will have to be done over again. 11. That the bond given by the con* tractors for the faithful performance cf their work has been concelled and surrendered without authority of the commission, and without the knowl-1 edge or consent of at least one of its members. "The matters referred to in these two reports." says the new report, -put your committee in possession of what they had to investigate." The remainder of the report, which is given verbatim, will prove interesting reading: "The first thing they fQ)t called upon to do was to secure the services >f a competent man familiar with this kind of work, skillful in his calling and of such eminent standing in his profession as to entitle his testimony to full respect and every consideration: for obvious reasons we did not care to have one from the city of Columbia, nor even from the State of South Carolina, the utmost impartiality ard freedom from bias or personal inttuKoinor nf fha hicrhoat imnnrtfiTlPP ^IIVU wv I life Vli IUC UIJUVWV ^ "x"-' \ccordingly we communicated with the honorable, the secretary of the treasury of the United States, who at first led us to hope that we could obtain the man we wanted from the office of the supervising architect of the treasury department, but later he wrote that 'the pressure of work in the office of the supervising architect if this department is so great, by rea>on of recent legislation, as to render it practically impossible to make the iieta.il as desired." Thereupon, we corresponded with United States Senator K. R. Tillman, and solicited his aid in the matter. With his usual promptness and efficiency, he put us in communication with Mr. Elliott Woods, superintendent of the eapltol at Washington, who recommended to us Capt. S. S. Hunt, chief constructor :>f the United States capitol buildings and grounds, whom he recommended as a "first-class contractor, who had :?ver 40 years experience in the erection of large buildings.' etc. Accordingly your committee employed Capt. Hunt at a salary of $13 per day. the sum stated by Mr. Woods to be his usual compensation. besides his traveling expenses. He came and examined plans and specifications of Architect Milburn for the completion uf the State house, and the work done thereunder, and attended a meeting of the committee at the State house on th 25th and 2Gth days of May. A. D. 15)03. went all over the building in company with your committee, and pointed out separately and in detail the different pieces of defective work, all of which he described In his testimony annexed to this report. Capt. Hunt impressed your committee as a conscientious and able man, fully alive to the requirements of the work in hand, and fearless in performing it. Your committee feel constrained to report generally that the minority report of Senator J. Q. Marshall is fully sustained by the evidence taken and by the visible facts for all to see for themselves who choose to go over t-e building and make even a casual examination of it. More specifically we find: 1. That the architect. Frank P. Mil- U burn, employed by the commission un- ir der the act for the completion of the s] State house, did not furnish suitable h plans and specifications for such pi work, notably in failing to specify in k< detail what the contractors were re- ti quired to do In many instances, but c< leaving the same to be decided by the m architect, thereby vesting large discre- if tionary powers in himself, which could cj and we are constrained to say. were c< exercised to the State's injury. Said in plans and specifications, and the con- tl tract under which the work was done, tc are on file in the office of the secretary of state, copies of which are hereto an- (>) nexeu, anu a sample 01 wnai are pro- ^ per plans and specifications as used by T the report ,and are filed with the clerk : of the Senate. ' 2. The contract requires that all of * the work was to have been done with i the old work upon the completed portion of the building as a standard. It ' has not been done so, but a mean, crude and cheap quality of work has been " done, marring the effect of the fine 1 work upon the main building, and disappointing every one who hoped to see ' ^ the State house completed in accord- n( ance with its original design. vt 3. Prior to the commencement of this w new work, the State had at a great n( expense, in the neighborhood of $10.- rc 000, caused to be put in the main 'n lobby a splendid steel celling, which was a work of art, as well as of a durable lasting nature, highly orna- I* mental and a delight to the eye of su every observer; by the terms of the contract this ceiling was to have re- or mained, and where injured in the progress of the work, was to have th been repaired. The contractors bodi- va ly took and carried away and con- et verted to their own use this valuable ')f and beautiful part of the old build- la ing, and in ?is place put a cheap er stamped metal ceiling, costing about f"ri $500. and which is a blot upon the nc face of this great building. On this *'r item the State has lost in the neighborhoods of $10,000. (;a 4. The plans and the specifications ?" and the drawings call for two inner t*1 granite columns on the front portico. They are not there. The absence of P0 them is explained by the fact that ^ in attempting to elevate them into cl1 position the contractors broke one of them in two pieces, and rather than put the contractors to the ex- er penae of replacing thp broken column j is they were generously excused from I T1 putting them in at all. they paying I cr the State $600, leaving them $1,400 j profit on that transaction. The office j ae these columns were to perform was i tic an important one, namely, to support j er ihe front pediment of the portico as j to a bond and tie to the main building, j eo In other words, to carry a large lintel! ce stone securing the portico to the main j lei building and thus preventing it from j pc falling away, which it has a tendency ' ch to do. The estimated loss to the of building in all respects on account by of the absence of tho?e columns and th the accompanying parts they were to N< support. Is $2,250. There are two at massive square piers under the porti- an co. They were designed to support an these missing columns, and now per- j do form no duty at all. On page 61 of ; no the report of the commission, is a I ar letter from Architect Milburn on this , <a subject, in which he says: "We can ! do take these out without in any way | is marring the appearance from the ex-1 in; terior, without in any way interfering i It with the strength of the structure." ; ?e Capt. Hunt was asked by Senator w< Mann for his opinion on this point, j jo; and he answered as follows: "[ con- \ oldA. V. n fr An inm.lt to thft IntftllifTtf.TlfP 1 1 1 omul luat Utl lUOUit IV/ IIIV IUiVHtDxuv? of your committee." Explaining, he j '? said: "The practical effect of leaving . \'1( out those columns is to weaken the ' structure. The stone lintel and brick ! ?f work on top of these columns was in- j t'1' tended to bond in the brick wall of j 1 n the pediment and make a solid and f ^ rigid piece of work. It 's important | that this should have boen done., for lie the pediment cornice naturally gives j ' it a tendency to pull off or away from j tn the building, and the bond of this' work over the capitals is what is al ways carried out to counteract thej'h' tendency to pull away from the build-> *0 ing. He overcame this by butting the: ril pediment to the main building with i ,ia iron rods in the form of what we ( a tenu buckles." To the question. "Do ' you regard iaa> as smutirui. m- i <" plied: "Well, if the bracing and an- j tin choring of these rods has been done ! ni< as carelessly as a greater portion r?f I on construction throughout, thi3 build- ' ha ing. I certainly should question its ' ar< safety." | ou 5. The beautiful leaf work upon i r("< the capitals of the old columns will i *P' stand for all time as a monument to ! ha the skill and taste of the artist who j carved them: that upon the new col-: 'T iimns, furnished by these contractors.; required to l>e and designed to be j an modeled after them, is coarse, un- "a sightly, and unfit to stand beside the i?>? old ones. tzc 6. The columns at the rear of tne th< portico, joining the main building, thi should have to correspond with the ' * front columns, lintel stones extend-1 Hi ing from one to another. They have none, and to fill up the space between the capitals and the ceiling they ?have put in tin or sheet iron boxes. painted to resemble granite, while | 'ls all the balance of the work was treat- j Pa ing the State with injustice, this can j only be construed with ridicule coup- J led with contempt. Too much re-1 mains to be reported to dwell longer ! ?r upon this portico. The defective j glass flooring, the cheap, shoddy | stamped iron ceiling, the way 'hel'" flooring leaks in rainy weather. ,0-!.p1 gether with much else, shows for it- t self, and accords fittingly with the balance of the botch work palmed off (-n' on the State. te] 7. Entering tlio building from the s,, portico in bad weather, we find that j-J. the roofs leal; badly, flooding the lob- tjf' by after protracte<l rains. Ascending an the roof, as we did. we discovered the cause of this to be a roof of little (.0 or no value. It is a tar and gravel ()j{ roof, which at all times is an undo- lt^ slrable one. and wholly inapplicable as to as steep a roof as the one on the ni, State house. The plana and specifi- tin cations require the roof to be from three-sixteenths to one-half inch in ed sixe. The gravel put on. or we ini ahould say, .the stones, to a great ex- is tent are as big as a pigeon's egg. or tei larger, up to the size of a man's hand, up in consequence oI which they fall to dh hold the tar la place, and the hot suns tb of two summers have melted it sad - r J' {' has to a great extent nm down lto the valleys and gutters. A fine late roof, bought by the State at eavy expense, and which afforded a erfect. protection for years, was taen off and appropriated by the con actors. The evidence is that it will ">st about $8,000 to put this roof in a loderately safe condition. The spec ications call for 4x30 ventilators to arry off the hot air from between the -*i H n <r nnH tVia t*ru\t tr\ L* no n tho air i motion and pure. They are not lere and it will cost about $50 apiece ? put them in. 8. The dome is the crowning piece f this work, in more senses than one. aken all in all. it is simpfy infamous, o start with, an uglier or more unghtly creation could not be devised, ren if it had been properly conructed. but our observation, and the 'stimonv of Capt. Hunt, shows that is nothing short of a miserable and. He says: "It is done in a very ude and unworkmanlike manner, here was no efTort made to connect ie cornice of the flat ceiling with le cornice of the dome. There is >t sufficient framing to keep the galinized iron in proper shape. The ork is full of kinks and crimps, with ithing to keep it tip. I find the work mghly done, with but few uprights position, and some of these four or fe ty>et apart, with but a single ickness of thin galvanized material it ween the bearings. This is not ifficient to hold this work, or to keep in its proper shape. This could ily have been done by puttng a clrar iron frame, so as to conform with e circle of the work, and the galLnized iron work riveted to the skelon frame of iron, and should have >en made to conform with the circur parts on the inside, and put close lough to prevent the galvanized iron nm /irimnini* Th<? innpr rtnmp is >t seriously supported. One of the aces is bent. The horizontal lat:e brace at the top of the dome, lied for by the specifications, is left it. This has a tendency to weaken e structure. They are intended to iep the thing in a vertical, upright isition. There is only one bracket ere, and probably two-thirds of the rcle out of that. There should be ro more of these iron brackets. The asses and inner work are uot proply in shape, very crudely done. It secure, but very roughly put on. lose little galvanized iron strips are ude, cheap work." "The outer dome has not been built cording to the plans and specifica)D8. In that respect it is not proply done. Some of the stones are o short. This defect has been overnie by the contractor by filling in ment and mortar to increase the igth of the stones, so as to make it issible for him to use them. The aracter of the work, in the course time, will be affected more or less the weather, and will become, by e cracking of the joints, unstable, iw the water table stone course the base of the tower; the joints id the stone work are oracKeu d already cause leakage. The winw frames are poorly made, and do t lit the openings for which they e made. In a great many places, you n see entirely through the outer ine to the inner dome, where there nothing to stop the water from beg driven through and cause leakage, t will become necessary, or It Is now oessary, I should say. thai this irk be entirely gone over, and all ints exposed to the weather, or all rfae.es. should be corked with lead. ie top moulded course of the cornice the old work has a raised joint in e stone to protect it from leakage, lis does not appear in the new work the same character. In two places e stone fronting the face of the balus nie is too snanow ana is nput up ree inches and a half with thin igs of stone to give it the proper ight. ). "The drawings call for a wood iss under the portico roof. This has t been put in place, and is a dctri>nt to tiie strength to this part of p roof. It should have been put in as to give connection for the other nbers. to which the ceiling could ve been finally nailed." (Testimony pt. Hunt.) The bottom members of the archiive is the stone lintel course over e capitals, and should have been mlded inside as well as now shown the outside. This stone should have ve been carried around the entire of the portico celling: this is reired in all classes of architecture, jardless of the requirements of the pcial orders. These stones should ve been solid and not built up in :tions. as shown by the drawings, estimony Capt. Hunt.) 10. Between the wall of the building d the eaves of the roof there is a cant spare of something over nine lies, and but for a sheet of galvan<1 iron 1-32 of an inch in thickness ere would be nothing at all between p interior of the building and the ide, wide world." Testimony Capt. int.) 11. We call attention to the serious feet in the rear portico. b*twen two the columns, which support it. One the largo lintel stones, which carries portion of the gable, is cracked, aprently entirely through, and is likely any time to give away. The contractors appropriated to their n use. and actually sold, thousands dollars' worth of the old material on the State house grounds, and ?k to justify thci; acts bva provision the sper Mirations which allows them "use" certain portions of the old ma ial. The contract requires the con. ictors to "provide all the material d drawings." etc. In this connection py were allowed to use "all old ma ial that is now on the grounds, and I'h parts of the present roof that conrrns to these plans and speciflcains." with certain named exceptions. J to make plain what was intended e said provision reads: "This only vers the granite toiumns. ballusters. 1 iron bracing granite, etc.. in the of that is suitable and the proper size called for." Does that mean "sultle and proper size as called for." for em to carrv ofT and sell, or does it ?an "suitable and proper size as callfor" by the specifications, to go to the building? We submit that It too plain for discussion, that the latr Is the construction to he placed on it and that in carrying away and sposing of this valuable property of e State they were naked trespassers. The glass floor to the porticos, in the i opinion of the expert, should not hare i been put in. The architect had the . choice of the other old and reliable . styles and passed them over to make an experiment with this untried kind of flooring, and as in all other depart1 ments of the work with disastrous re. . suits. The water closets installed under1 neath this portico leaked so badly that ' they had to be removed to another part of 'he building. At first his was required v be done at the expense of the architec. Afterwards the commission allowed him $300 out of the State funds as a contribution towards it. And the lower nassway from the grounds to the entrance to the lower story of the State house is covered with water after every rain. The filling between the rows of glass is breaking up already, and a change of this flnnrlrxr ic a mattor nf immpHiafp necessity. The water closets, like everyth'ug pIrp, are defective, and will cost the State more money to put them in shape and suitable condition. We refer to the testimony of Mr. A. W. Edens, civil engineer and inspector of sewers and plumbing for the city of Columbia, which explains this. The contract required the contractors to protect the interior of the building from rain, while removing the old roof, by the use of tarpaulin or canvas covering. This was not done, and in consequence all of the galleries and many of the rooms were flooded during this period, and the painting and frescoing on the walls of the two chambers were permanently ruined. These contractors were required to furnish a good and sufficient bond for the faithful performance of the contract, and did give a bond in the sum of $50,000 of the City Trust. Safe Deposit and Surety Company of Philadelphia to Governor M. B. McSweeney, chairman of the commission on completion of the State house, to secure and guarantee the faithful performance of the contract; said bond bears date 21st August, 1900. The form and execution of the bond was approved by the attorney general and accepted by the commission. On the 2nd of June. 1902, Governor McSweeney, chairman of the commission,acting under the oral advice of the attorney general (as testified by D. H. Means, secretary, caused satisfaction to bo entered upon that bond and surendered it to the obligors, declaring as follows: "The City Trust. Safe Deposit and Surety Company of Philadelphia, principal under its bond No. 22992C.. dated August 21. 1900, given to M. B. McSweeny, Governor of the State of South Carolina, in the sum of $50,000, conditioned to provide all material and to perform all work mentioned in the specifications under the head of 'Additions to the South Carolina Capitol Building,' is hereby notified that the said principal has justly performed and complied with all the terms and the said principal and the City Trust, Safe Deposit and Surety Company of Philadelphia, surety, are hereby released from all liability thereunder. M. B. McSWEENEY. I "Governor and Chairman of Commission for Completion of State House. South Carolina. "Witness: D. H. Means. Secretary of Commission. "Dated May 23, 1902. Columbia. S. C." This surrender and attempted discharge of this bond, the State's only uoeiirUv fnr thn vficf Inccnc ctictftinoH was not the ac t of the commission, as the Governor alone, advised as it Is said by the attorney general, undertook to perform this act. and it may l?e that the State may yet be able to realize upon said security. Your committe do not consider that it comes within the scope of their duties to determine questions of law Involved in the mattecs embraced herein but would regard It remarkable lndrd if there Is not some remedy, civil ; or criminal or both, to bring these malefactors to justice and to some extent to redress the wrongs to the State. We feel that what we have reported, and the testimony taken, reveals a daik picture, it is true, but nothing short of an actual Inspection of the work can convey an adequate idea of rh<? monstrous swindle of which the State is the victim, appropriately portrayed in the c-losing words of Capt. Hunt's testimony: i "The introduction of stamped metal work in the ceilings of these massive porticos; the utter disregard for the ?:f renefli of Cho ccrnct-.irp liv the re ruoval of (ho two inner columns which wore to carry the bond lintels for securing the pediments of the main structure: the unfinished manner in which the tin gutters were left without the absolutely necessary brick backing, leaving the vertical sides of the gutj tors, which are 20 inches or more in I height, of one thickness of tin entirely | unprotected from the pressure of water in the time of even an ordinary fall of rain?this, with natural deterioration of sheet tin. makes it inconceivable why this work should have been left in its present condition, i "(.*nless something is done at once to rectify this blunder, the interior of the | building is liable to be Hooded at any time, either from corrosion or the expansion and contraction hf the metal. "This, together with the rough and combustible nature of the main roofs, th" crude and unfinished character of the metal ceilings of the main lobby, j the monstrous manenr in which the ' inner dome was finished, made this ! work a parody upon the science of ar} i hitecture and an insult to the fame of i John H. Niernsce and a disgrac e to the j State of South Carolina. R ECOM M EX DAT IONS. I The resolution under which this I committee was appointed requires us j to report the facts ascertained by our j investigations, and also such recomj tnendations in regard thereto as we ! may deem advisable. Accordingly we ; : eoonimend: "J. That appropriate legal steps be taken to recover, if possible, from Frank P. Milburn and Mcllrain Unkefor Co. as much as possible of the damages the State has suffered through their misconduct and breach of contract, and such other legal redress as may seem to be advisable. "'J. That the most glaring and damaging defects in the work be repaired under the authority of the Legislature until such time as the finances of the State will admit of the whole work being done over in a manner to conform to the original design." The report is signed by every member of the commission. ARCHITECT MILBUINIEPLIES A Letter of Explanation to tke Peopf* of South Carolina. To the People of South Carolina: On my return home from a business trip in Tennessee and North Carolina. I find the newspapers filled with a verjr ' sensational report frop the investigating committee, criticising the capitol ; commission, the architect and the contraMor, for the work done on the State bou|e. I want to enter a denial of the charges and to denounce the report as being unjust, and as misrepresenting the facts. I have no objection to any committee investigating or criticising my work: but what I do object to is being ac-' cused of being a party to anything that is not honorable, honest, upright, open and above beard. I labored hard for two years trying to get the best possible results for the State with the small appropriation which I realized was Insufficient; and I - ?- 1? *Uo? tHav expen W Know lu lUC Ijcvyic iuav tu?/ received the value of every dollar expended. and that not one cent was wasted. I had heavy expense in my office, but I think out of the fees paid me I realized $2,000, which amount I will donate to any charitable institution in the State if this or any other committee will prove that I have been a party to any fraudulent proceedings whatever. I expect to give the committee a full opportunity to prove their Infamous (harges. I have been engaged in public work for 18 years and have erected creditable buildings in all of the Southeastern States, varying In number from 35 to 55 buildings each year, and this is the- first time that my name has ever been mentioned in connection with any irregular proceedings. I was supported throughout by the entire commission, with the single exception of Col. J. Q. Marshall, who told me the first time I ever met him and before he saw my plans and specifications, that he felt under obligations to support another architect, which be did with all his power and influence. When at first Col. Marshall found objections to the work, he did not com? to me and discuss the matter as it Is customary for commissioners to do in such cases and say, "Why cannot w? do this or that?" or "Is this practicable?" or "I do not believe you are doing the work right" No. The Urn thing I knew he appeared before the capltol commission with a long typewriter document, with copies ready for the newspapers. Does not this look to be somewhat on the order of a grand stand piay? The capltol commission was composed of the best men the State could produce, and my experience with them warrants me in saying that these men are not lacking in either intelligence or integrity; but. if the report of the investigating committe is accepted it puts them, as well as myself, in a very unfavorable light. It is a pity that honest, honorahl? men like these could have such Infamous charges brought against them, and I for one propose to fight it out. and prove to the people that there to such a thing left as honor. I have just received a copy of the report of the committee which yalticises the work, and as the charges ar? rather broad, I want to consider them carefuly and will answer It in detail as soon as possible. FRANK P. MILBURN. Columbia, Feb. 12. T904. -4 President Roosevelt's marriage register is in London, at St. George's; Hanover square, and so many tourists from the United States have flocked to see it that for convenience' sake it has been placed by itself in an accessible alcove of the old church building. President Roosevelt's marriage to Miss Carow took place ao long ago?seventeen years ago, to be exact?that few persons remember that the American president waa mar rled In a foreign land. He is, it la said, the cnly Ajnericata President whose wedding was not celebrated under the Stars and Stripes. Japanese .Steamer Suok. London, Special?Baron Hayaahi, the Japanese minister here, has received a dispatch from Toklo announcing that two Japanese merchant steamers, the Nakaoura Maru and the Senabo Mara, while on their way from Sakta to Otnru (on the Island of Hokkaido) were surounded and shelled by four Russian warships, presumably the Vladivostock squadron, off tha coast of ' Huntns'ni ffUrushirn. One of the van sels were sank, tat the other escaped. A $50,000 Fire BHstOl. Tenn.. Special.?A special to The Herald from Gate City. Va., says: Guests of the Myrtle Hotel were aroused from slumber at 5 o'clock yesterday morning by an alarm of fire, the flames having been discovered la > 1W. D. Davidson's store. This store and stock were destroyed, as was also the genera] merchandise store of BowL. log. Head & Sloan, entailing a total loss of $50,000, partially insured. Hurderer Captured. Knoxvllle. Tenn.. Special.?John White, the ex-eonvlet who shot and killed Policeman John Burns and John Sharp, a railroad switchman in the theatre at Middlesboro. Ky.. last Saturday while a minstrel performance was being given before a crowded house, was arrested at Mingo Hollow, four miles from the scene of the crime. After dark he was taken to Middlesboro and placed in jail, heavily guarded. Sheriff Howard will take him to Plnevllle. Ky.. at 10:30 p. m. Excitement Is high at Middlesboro. Another Japanese Victory. Toklo, By Cable.?It is reported hero that the Japanese fleet engaged and defeated two Russian warships, whoaa names have not yet been learned at Chemulpo. It is said the engagement began at 11 a. m. and continued until 3 p. m. The smaller Russian vessel in reported to have been sunk and thn larger one fired and hopelessly disabled. 3 /*tli