The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-28
mowAnn uNIVERSITY.
a Grand EwIndIe-ENpOSurc OF An
Other RInE-Gcn. Howard Conn
promised.

Capitol upon inc hIst Hlh1chu WV
looking the city and upon ono OF the
most beautiful and valuable tracts of
land in its vicinity. 1t consists of two
large white buildings near which is a
cluslOr of handsome private residences
built OF the same material, these being
the property OF the principal sub con-
tractors upon the main building, who
are in Government employ. The
origin of the University is thus stated
by DR.. Boynton, washington corres'
pendent of the Cincinnati Gazette:
A number OF benevolent persons in
this city conceived the idea OF establish
ing a univesity at the Capital for the
education OF colored youth ana men.
The movement was not even remotely
CONNECTED with the Freedmen's Bureau.
II was to be non. sectRrinn, and to be
erected by contributions collected from
The churches of the North. Shortly
after its incorporation officers of the
Freedmen's Bureau came in, first prof
lered money. which the Commissioner
stated he had n perfect right TO use, and
then, in few months afterward assum-
ed the entire control OF the whole af-
fair. from The day This control began
ROIpard University has been lille less
tku1 u mcGES Of RtSi1l9 over $500 900 Of
public money for the benefit of a ring 81
Ruredu officers. And tins must not be
understood as general statement, but
as II precise, and within bounds.
Dr.. Boyn,on then proceeds TO state In
detail The grounds upon which he
makes this last averment. We cannot
put the case more briefly than in the
Doctors own words:
Further than this, 1t can be made per-
fecLly apparent that the whole scheme
centered upon the idea OF preparing a
\ rich berth for all The members oil the
ring when tho Bureau should be dis
| continued. TIE steps were these: One
hundred and fifty acres OF the most
| available land about the city were pur-
chased with public funds at the rate of
one Thousand dollars per acre, and deed
ed TO the trustees. AT the request OF
General Howard, the most desirable
acre in the tract was given 10 him. Its
| estimated value then was between four
and five thousand dollars. AlterwHrd,
when some questioning arose, the mat
ter was rearranged. Gen. Whittlesey,
the Adjutant General of the bureau.
was made financial agent of the Uni
yeTsity. Without authority from .the
| trustees. a large tract of the property
was laid out In building lots and
sold. At this sale the Bureau ring
obtained the most desirable proper
ty. Then the question OF erecting
buildings for the University came
up. Gen. Howard proceeded 10 do This
with public funds, STIMULATING, or ar
| ranging, with the contractors that the
material used should be purchased from
Il certain Building Block Company,
which, Ia view of This very work, GER
tain officers of the Bureau. himself
among the number, had established.
| In this WAY Gen. Howard, his brother;
lN1a a n Lon
ing man III his Freedmen's Sayings
Bank; the General Superintendent OF
| Ereedmen's Schools, and several other
employees of the Bureau became vir-
tunIly sub contractors on the work.
Some OF these have not been stock
eTS in the Brick Company for the whole
time, though all have been directly i'll.
terested. The affair would have very
questionable appearance, even il the
material thus furnished We're entirely
fit for building purposes. But here
arises one OF the most serious features
of the speculation. The material is
| wholly unfit for its purpose, md Is In
every sense n total failure. II consists
simply of fine sand dug up upon the
grounds and mixed with common lime.
Il steam press gave this material shape
These blocks have, In nlnety-nine cases
out o. the hundred, failed to set except
rs thin scale on the outside hardened.
Not one in hundred can be found
which, after it has lain upon the ground
until It has become damp, can not be
pressed down into mass of sand by the
toe. 1t is very difficult matter 10 find
a dry brick, OF the kind used, that can
not be broken in half dozen pieces by
a single blow OF the heel. And then in
nearly every one, the pieces can be
crumbled into sand in the hand. And
yet buildings costing nearly two hun
dred thousand dollars have been erect
ed of this wretChed material, not be-
cause it was cheap, for 1t cost more than
common hard brick, but to make n ring
of government employees rich.
The worst OF all is that when finished,
the buildings are unsafe, HS the falling
OF one abundantly proves. Nor can
the excuse be pleaded that the unfit
ness OF the material has been brought
out by time. 1t would have been stu
pid enough to begin the erection Of ex.
tensive public buildings with an I'M
tried and INFESTED material, even If /:
had in the end proved good. AS a general
thing public funds have not been used
in experiments upon 30 grand a scale.
But to make the matter worse, long be-
fore the building which fell was begun,
or contracted for, an entire end OF one
already erected fell, and after falling
Il was heap of sand, instead of IA mass OF
4 broken brick. This accident was care.
fully kept out Of the press, and build
tpart which felfw6s replaced, aud two
months afteryapd was cracked oil from
the main building again, and cracked
in four places from top to bottom be-
sides. The main University building
began to crack. and creviceB could be
plainly traced in ten places from the
foundation up through all the four
stories, while the tower was SO badly
| cracked that work on ii had 10 be sus-
pended, and 1t il still suspended. SIEVE
raj oil those engaged in the several con-
tracts upon The work expressed the
opinion that the whole WAS unsafe, and
some who were experts declared that
any sudden jar would bring it down.
| WOTkmen objected to going upon the
building, and An interior chimney
crushing down through the floors added
to the general uneasiness. And vet
the wO-k was pushed on with The great
| est haste, as II lis believed, in order that
legislation might be secured which
should place the property in the hands
| OF private parties before the Burpnu
was finally closed.
The proprict"rs of tho patent brick
| machine themselves had no confidence
| In the fitness of the material they were
| selling IU the government, as is shown
| in th., E'cG that in building their own
private residences they ware careful to
pat in inside walls Of common brick.
There was then no excuse for using
the material in the new Fceedmen'E
Hospital, which has Just fallen with
such disastrous consequences. The
only object WAS Ia use up a large sup
4 ply Of patent brick which could not 10
sold ia Washington. The question OF
criminal responsibility for erecting
mere man traps under such circum-
atances cannot be driven from the mind.
The falling of this structure records