The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-10
and accords 6ttingly with the balance
of the botch worked palmed off on the

the roof leaks badly, flooding the lobby
after protracted rains. Ascending
the roof, as we did, we discovered the
cause of this to be roof of little or
no value. It is a tar and gravel roof,
which at all times is an undesirable
one and wholly inapplicable to as steep
a roof as the one on the State House.
A fine slate roof bought by the State
at heavy expense, and which afford
ed a perfect protection for years, was
taken off and appropriated by the con-
tractors. It will cost the State about
SIG, 600 to put the roof in safe condi-
tion. There are no ventilators, as
called for in specifications, and it will
cost about $50 each to put them in.
8. The dome is the crowning piece
of work in more ways than one. Taken
all in all, it is simply Infamous. To
start with, an uglier or more unsightly
creation could not have been devised,
even if properly constructed. Our
observation and the testimony @ Capt.
Hunt show that it was nothing short
of miserable fraud.
"a technical description by Capt.
Huntt follows, showing that the work
has not conformed to specifications
The outer dome has not been built
according to specifications; many OF
the stones being too short and the
length was made up by cement, which
will in time crack. It will become
necessary, or it is now necessry, that
this work should be entirely gone over,
and all joints exposed to the weather,
or all surfaces, should be caulked with
lead. The top moulded course OF the
cornice in the old work has a raised
joint in the stone to protect it from
leakage. This does not appear in the
new work of the same character.
! The drawings call for a wood truss
under the po1tico roof. This has not
been put in place, and is detriment
to the strength Of this part of the roof.
Between the wall of the building
and the caves of the roof there is a
| vacant space of something over nine
inches, and but for sheet of galvaniz-
ed iron 1872 of an inch in thickness
there would be nothing at all between
the interior of the building and the
"wide, wide world Testimony Cap
tain Hunt.
We call attention to the serious de-
feet in the rear portico, between two
of the columns, which support it. One
of the large Intel stones, which carries
its portion of the gable, is cracked,
apparently entirely through, and is
likely at any time to give away.
The contractors appropriated to their
own use, and actually sold, thousands
of dollars worth of the old material
upon the State House grounds, and
which came out of the building, and
seek to justify their acts by provision
in the specifications which allow them
to ''use'' certain portions Of the mate
rial. We submit that in carrying away
the valuable property Of the State, they
were naked trespassers. The glass
| floor of the porticos should not have
been put III. The contractor passed
over old and reliable flooring for an
experiment with disastrous results.
| The closets and sewerage work is con-
demned according to the testimony of
Inspector Edens. Because the con-
tractors did not protect the interior of
the bull ing while removing the old
roof. all of the painting and frescolng
on the walls were permanently ruined.
These contractors we're required to
furnish good and sufficient bond for
the faithful performance of the con-
tract, and did give bond in the sum
of $50. COO of the City Trust, Safe
Deposit, and Surety Company, of
Philadelphia, to Governor M. 3. Nc
Sweeney chairman of the commission
on completion of the State House, to
secure and guarantee the faithful per-
formance of the contract, said bond
bears date 21st August, 1900. The
form and execution of the bond was
approved blythe attorney general and
accepted by the commission. On the
End June, 1902, Governor McSweeney,
chairman of the commission, .acting
under the oral advice of the attorney
general (as testified to by D. Fl.
Means, secretary, caused satisfaction
to be entered upon that bond and sur
rendered it to the obligators declaring
that the work had been satisfactorily
completed.
This surrender and attempted dis
charge of this bond, the States only
security for the vast losses sustained,