Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-05
LEXINGTON.
Plans for the Smith Memorfai ""''"-
ipg-Drought.

(Correspondence OF the Dispatch)
LEXINGTON, VA, August Sine
drawings for the new academic build
ing AT the Virginia Military Institute, 10
be known as the Francis ii. Sm'th AGA
demic Building" have been completed oy
Architect w. G. Mcdowell. and by the
,otddle Of the month he expects 20 be pre-
pared To receive bids for construction.
II IS proposed that the building shall be
n fitting memorial to "Thc Father or mo
Institute" who tor fifty years stood AT
the helm and plotted the school safe'y
through all adversely, from lis INCEPTION
I'm 1899 until his retirement in 1889. The
building will be spacious, In order 10
serve it's object. that Of general utility.
IL will be i'm keeping with the cadet bar
racks. which are Gothic in style, and
were erected under the supervision OF
General Smith. The building VIII &C.
cupy a position in the rear OF the court
yard of the cadet barracks, and fill the
space between the Jackson Memorial
Hall and the north wing Of barracks, ana
the front will face the interior OF tae
courtyard, where it can be seen IRON
the stOops and rooms where the cadets
have quarters. 1t will complete the
quadrangle so familiar to all old cadets
laboratories, museum. and professors
rooms The length of the building VIII
be 1876 feet and the width "a feet incnes.
There are TO be three stories, which VIII
make the structure % feet hlgh. n
tower II feet by II feet and "a above
ground elevation will occupy position
over the front. In this tower Is to be
placed a bell and clock Tor noting the
hours. The material will be brick,
succeed and color washed, to be in keep
ing with the barracks. Bedford stone
sills and capstones for the embrasures
on the top wall will be used. The finish
Of the interior will be Of white plaster,
with pine woodwork. The entrance TO
the hall, which is 10 be II by 80 feet. is 10 be
reached by "A vestibule Il by Is feet. From
the hallway there will be a double stair
way TO the third floor, which Will be
lighted by skylight place in the roof. Al
the landing above the stairway there Will
be placed "A special Smith memorial, the
nature OF which has not yet been de-
termned.
On the first floor opposite the vestibuIe
will be a sectiOnrOOm. with seaungs Tor
over To-, and 10 the right Will be another
section-rOom, seating sixty-five. This
floor will he devoted largely to the work
Of the Professor OF Physics and Astrono-
my He will occupy the larger Of the
two rooms, and also have five smaller
rooms, 10 be used as an office, optical
room, laboratory, secton-room, and APP
.paratus-room The Professor of Latin
will use the other large room. The
other floors will conform in rooms 10 the
first floor, the smaller rooms on all floors
being about Is by 20 feet, according To
the walls.
The second floor will be used by the
Professors of Mathematics and Mechanics
and Modern Languages. The former is
TO have the larger section-room and four
small ones; the other large room and
two small ones will be used by the De-
partment of Rhetoric and Modern Lam
guages. Two small professors rooms
Will occupy the space over the veStbule.
To the Department Of Aneralogy and
Geology almost the entire third floor Will
be devoted. The museum containing the
specimens of this department will occupy
the larger room and two smaller ones
on each side. A sectiOn-rOOm, two labo-
ratories, office and storeroom will COM
plete this floor. except a room Of the yes
thule. where u display of arms collected
will be placed. to be known as the Mill
tary Museum.
The heating apparatus, engines, and
dynamos To be used in the scientlnc de-
partment will be placed in excavations
made under ths rear Of the building. The
cost of the building will be in the neigh
borhood OF $4,000.
Lexington has been specially favored
with rains, and, according to Professor
Harry ID. Campbelrs statistics, kept at
Washington and Lee University, there
has fallen 3.12 inches Of rain during July,
the general average here being $50 inches.
Scattered through six days OF the month.
fine showers fell and rain fell on last
Friday to the amount of 81 inches, and
Sunday TO % inches. They only extend
ed two miles south and north three miles
AT Buffalo Golfers Greek, Fairfield and
vicinity, Goshen and Natural Bridge the
drought has assumed d serious aspect
Corn is Injured and pasturage for cattle
dried ND