Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-09-02
Our Agricultural college.

this building. L E-
After adopting our plan, in June, we
then instructed our architect, Mr.. J.
Brown, of DesMoines, to make his esti-
mates at very liberal prices, so as to be
sure that the building might not exceed
$50, 900 in cost. He did so. The Gov
ernor decided that to follow strictly the
letter of the law, where it says "compe-
tent persons" are to make the estimates
under oath, he thought it better to have
two or more go over the estimates care
fully, before he gave his certificate that
he had examined the plans and believed
it could be built for $5O,OOO We obtain
ed the services of Mr.. Edwards, of Ft.
Madison, who has done good service for
the State on the Penitentiary, and Mr..
Scott, of DesMOines, a stone mason, and
their Oaths are on file in the Governors g
Office that they believe it can be built
for less than $4,000. The Governor
gave his certificate and we have drawn
on the Auditor for $1,000, which has
been paid.
| 1 have been thus particular about the
cost of this building, because it is gen.
orally remarked that when the Trustees
of our public buildings begin they lay
out larger than was intended by the
Legislature when they authorized the
erection of the building; because we
| have been put under most stringent
law not to exceed our limit, and because
we have adopted most beautiful and
costly looking plan of College. 1t is
frequently remarked at sight of the
front picture of the building, as seen
hanging in our post office, that it will
cost much more than $4,000. The Gov
ernor says that when we have the evil
dence of the best architects in the State,
calculated upon present prices, we have
discharged our duty.
We have let contracts for about one
| fourth the cost of the whole building,
and the aggregate of these contracts
come within and few hundred dollars
below the estimates. We have let con-
tracts for the excavation of earth 5 feet
deep under the whole building for the
| basement, and a cellar beneath that un-
der one end and wing, about 80 by 60
feet, which is nearly done, and for the
stone work of the cellar and basement.
| The basement is three feet below the
surface and six above. The wall above
ground is to be range work of stone,
with quarry face and cut stone sills and
caps and water table. All this stone
work is let at its estimate, Sc per perch,
except sills and caps, and they are to be
60 cents per foot. The able is not
included in the contract. The stone
| basement is to be put in this fall, ready
for the brick work in the spring
| We find good, very good stone
about three miles off, and the best of
sand on the farm, and the best of clay
on neighbor's land, little over half a
mile. Two hundred thousand brick are
now in kiln and being burned about
this time. We intend to have another
| kiln burned this fall.
| You know | am famous for having wa
ter run up hill at Fountain Hill - so I
| have gone to work Mt the big spring on
| the College Farm to run the water half
| a mile, and to elevate it between 30 and
60 feet. About half way and in the same
| direction is the farm house and barn.
which this water can supply. | have
| studied much over the kind of pipe to
convey the water in. We had lead, iron,
tile and wood recommended to Us. each
| as being the very best. We have finally
decided to use tile manufactured at Jol-
let, H., ut $3.50 per 1000 for /! inch
calibre, inch s'16, inch $335, inch $50
and inch 500. We get II inch foot
long, and have them laid in hydraulic
cement about l inch thick, the full
| length. From all the information we
can get this is the best and cheapest
pipe.
has new invention of a water engine,
which he claims to be great improve
ment over the hydraulic ram and he
produces good testimony to prove its
practical utility and excellence. He
offers us one of these engines at half
their costa large size of $50 for $4O,--
Mr.. Cowan, of Seneca Falls, offers us a
| hydraulic ram at half price. | am
tempted to get one of each, and try first
one and then the other in the same place.
as it can be done with but little addj-
tional cost, as we shall have the pipes
and dam in. Our waste water drain be-
low the engine, will be four inch tile,
laid in deep ditch, cut five feet deep,
through tough peat bog 200 feet long;
and then ditched out through dry bot
| tom POO feet more to the railroad ditch,
which carries it off through the bottom
land, and reclaiming it from the water
of the big spring. This big spring viii
about fill a three inch pipe. We shall
raise the dam only about one foot above
the deep bog, into which we shall have
to drive pileing, after cutting a ditch
three feet deep.
! This peat bog, the IriShmen say, is as
good as that which they burn in Ireland,
and | should think it as good as that
| which / have seen in Massachusetts,. |
| should Judge that there is two acres of it
about this spring, from two to four feet
thick, making over 900 cords of peat,
good fuel for thestudents rooms for some
years.
In this deep ditch, which had been
| cut by Muscatine 1rishmen when [ was
| there, August the 18th, there was found
numerous buffalo bones some of them
| We're found five feet below the surface
one skull bone with short horn on it.
I know buffalo bones, having seen many
laying about loose on the praries when
first came to this country, % years
ago.
The other members of our Executive
Committee have given this Uoter acorks
over to me, as my speciality, and shall
try my best to make useful, valuable
and very beautiful thing of it. I must
confess that somewhat fear the drain
tile and cement for water pipe; and Mr..
Eames' water engine, as being great
improvement over the hydraulic RAM
If we get them both at half price there
will be no great loss if one does not sue
ceed.
For six months / plead most earnest
ly with the Cedar Rapids and Missouri
River railroad company, for them toput
in passage under the road where the
grade was IL feet high, at the West side
of the bottom land, where we want a
division of the farm, and where it will
accommodate us for stock water of the
big spring, in the four lots. They have
consented at last to accommodate us.
After the sad accident near our town, at
the wagon road and railroad crossing,
wrote the Chief Engineer of the road
through the College Farm, that I thought
he and l would never regret having that
passage under the road, for l foresaw
that just such accidents might happen
on our farm, where there will be from
100 to 500 boys crossing with teams for
all time to come.
The College is 100 feet in length, base