The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-06-03
4 DEATH TRAP
II the State Rouse Declares a Special
Investigator Committee.
RECENT WORK rs DEFECTIVE.

T.,c Governor is Urged to have
The Whole Business Torn
Out and Ncw System
!nau1Uratrd.
The state house indeed contains a
death trap. Its basement is polluted
with foul and poisonous gases which
find their way into the offices of GER
tain officials, as reported in The State
recently, and the State will be put tt
some expense to correct the evils.
This condition OF affairs was
brought to the attention of the secre.
tary Of state recently and he referreS
the matter to the governor. The lat
ter asked special committee TO in.
vestigate the alleged dangerous con.
ditions. and this committe submitted
it's report to the governor Friday.
It was charged in the outset that
only the plumbing and sewer lipes
in the basment were in a bad stale OF
repair, yet the committee found that
the work recently finished under the
direction of Architect Milburn is also
in bad shape. The members Of the
committee were men who are entirely
disintereSted: DR.. T. Grange Simons
OF Charleston, president Of the State
board of health: Dr. James vans
secretary of that board: DR.. j. w
Babcock and Mr.. u y Gln.e:, at.
torney general and the legal adviser q
the State board of health.
This committee not only condemns
the sanitary arrangements, but calls
attention to the heating apparatus
which distributes air through the
building in the winter. This air, it is
shown in the report, is not h5 and
some changes are necessary. Tbs
legislature refused to make an appro
priation for a heating apparatus, but
something must be done next winter
The governor has no funds with
which to undertake this work anc
may be forced to borrow the money
with which to meet the expense cl
tearing out the rottng piping anc
the now useless and filth hiding
false walls in the basement.
<Ew WORK roEDENNFD
The committee regretted that they
found much to condemn. The whole
design is crude and the work is done
imperfcctly in many particulars. AS
to tie new work just completed under
the direction OF Mr.. .Milburn the
report says:
The urinals under the new porticos
were choked up and the flushing appar
atus defective; the rentilating shaft
is too small and its frequent change
OF direction should he made BY gentle
curves and l.ot by sharp angles: tht
ventilation Of the toilet room is de-
fec!ire: the fresh air inlet at side
Of steps showed no current OF air upor
lighted candle: we could discover ~
back venting Of the water cinsets or
account OF concealed plumbing: The
reducing couplings Of water pipes in
dicatcd Inferior plumbing.
OLD WORK 4 DEATH TRAP.
In regard to the conditions in tht
basement. work done about Is yea~:
ago. the committee says:
All rooms in cellars were foGlll
kept. i'll smelling, and showed lack G
ventilation. The room used us a watc
closet now used as store room toI
old records were dark, damp and fou
smelling and their air shafts vented
their gases into the rooms above.
In these rooms nothing seems t
hlye been done except TO remove IN
bowls Of the old water closets, leaviGs
the soil pipe connections as dead end
imperfectly plugged.
Concealed plumbing prevented
careful scrutiny Of work under floors.
The private water closet IN frs
floor above basement was filled viii
foul air which is discharged into th'
main corridors and no fresh alrringres!
was provided for. The flush to the
closets was insufficient.
A dead wall was behind th'
eastern water closet in which iroi
grating were placed for ventilation
drawing air from the interior Of th'
building Open lead pipes supposed
to be back vents discharged into the
same space.
HEATING APPARATUS.