The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-14
Was ExcenentIy Engraved.


The plate is AZ by inches. The
engraving, which WAS, of course, done
by hand, is very excellent work. En-
graved by F. S. M" is in the lower
right hand corner in small letters, and
is still as legible as the other engrav-
ing.
The corner stone itself is 10 by 10 by
80 inches, and is the only stone found
in the old building which had been
carved. At a glance no one would have
ever taken it for the corner stone had
it not been for the plate.
Beneath the plate there was hole
carved out in the stone only liz inches
deep, 4 inches wide and inches
long. This had been filled with ce
ment and the plate stuck on the ce
ment, while still wet.
How IL Was Found.
While Davis, the laborer who found
the stone, was digging, his pick struck
the copper plate tearing it away from
the stone. 1t was in this way it was
known that ii was the corner stone
Whether the pennies came from
within the stone or had been on it can
not be told. as the plate had been
broken away. 1t is thought, however,
they had been placed beneath the
plate just before it was stuck on.
Either that way or the pennies We're
placed on top of the stone and the wall
built over them.
When the negro found the corner
stone, Mr.. A. p. Stewart, the sub
contractor who is doing the work now
under way at the City Hall, was
near by and was called. The plate was
put back at once and dirt thrown over
the hole.
Mr. w. H. Witcover, the architect of
the building, was then notified. Mr..
Witcover decided not to take the stone
up or examine it in any way until he
could see the Mayor and get him to be
present. II was arranged that the
Mayor and the architect should visit
the site and unearth the stone at 6
o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Digging Corner stone Out.
At the hour named, Mayor Myers,
Mr.. Witcover. Superintendent of Police
Garfunkel, Detective Murphy and i
back, Mr.. Stewart, the contractor. Mr..
Burgess, of the Savannah Contracting
Company, and a representative of the
Morning News, met to excavate the
stone.
The dirt by which it had been hid
den, was first removed The plate
was then taken away and laborers
were called to dig the stone out. In a
few minutes 1t was free. AS the stone
was lifted from its place the two pen
MES fell.
1t was then thought that there were
other objects in the stone. and the &C.
ment was broken away with a pick.
Nothing was found. however. when the
cement had been removed. Some time
was spent in examining the pennies
and the plate.
A different head was used in those
days on money from the one now seen
on United States coins, a head that is
not as pretty as the one now in use.
The pennies are large, as big as a half
dollar. On one side of the head the
word Liberty is engraved, and be-
meath 1t the date. "179S." On the re-
verse side, zone Cent" is marked in
rather large letters and '1-1OO Dol" al
SO.
Finding Was Accidental.
1t was only by the merest accident
that the corner stone was found. The
search for it had been given up Ions
ago, when the excavations were made
in the northeast corner, and 1t was
not located. IL was found in about
the middle of the western wall
The chances apparently were all
against finding IL at all, as the old
wall was within the line for the new
wall. The pile of dirt on the western
side of the lot was being moved and
in digging away this dirt, the stone
was struck. There was no intention
of tearing away the old wall. as 1t had
already been torn away below the
level Of the cellar for the new build.
ing.
The excavations for the new founda.
ton would have been made further
to the west and the old wall buried
by the new building without the cor.
ner stone ever having been found. haC
not the stone been accidentally struck
1t was in the very bottom layer of the
wall.
Stone Is on Exhibition.
Mr.. Witcover will this morning place
the plate and the two coins on exhi-
bition in Theus' window. at Bull and
Broughton streets. The corner stone
itself will be placed on exhibition as
soon as it is cleaned.
Mayor Myers presented Mr.. Stewart
with one of the coins and those pres
ent insisted that the Mayor keep the
other. The plate win be placed in the
panel over the door OF the Council
Chamber OF the City Han. No dispo-
sition has yet been made Of the corner
stone. 1t is a rather rough affair.
MAYORS ESCAPE.
Mayor Myers and the others who
ufolfaG The Nttsr ID.