The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, February 18, 1904, Image 7
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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
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