Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-02-24

7 j. {. .l|
After Keeping the testimony, and
their proceedings secret, as / believe,
from May to December, more than six
months, received note from the
secretary of the committee. dated
Barpwell, :. G., Dec. z, 1903, but mailed
in Columbia. uth Decembsi. giving me
an opportunity to appear before the
! committee, " desired, Having heard
OF the proceedings In May at which ]
was told and believed, Col Marshall
had been present 1 decided, without
having counsel, that I had best not
appear unless the committee desired my
presence. had been guilty OF absolute
ly no wrong, or conscious neglect OF
any duty to the State. but had given
my best efforts to assist the capitol
commission I'm the discharge OF its du-
ties and the proper expenditure of the
states money, hence had nothing to
explain away. But knowing that had
modified and detailed drawings in my
Office not on file in the State house,
omered TO place my office records at
the disposal of the committee. In this
connection see that my note to the
committee has been termed curt" I
wish to disclaim any such intention;
ana If IL is regret 1T, and plead In ex-
tenuation the fact that began the
struggle for bread early In life, and had
not the opportunities OF collegiate edu-
cation enjoyed by some members of the
investigating committee.
But in Justice to the capitol commits
bluIl, WHICH with one exception aD-
proved my work. as well as to myself
and family, wish to say something I'm
regard to the specific findings of the
investigating committee. in the order
stated.
First. AS to the charge that
the plans and specifications filed with
the secretary OF state were not suitable
and complete.
believe this was the first objection
made by Col. Marshall after my elec-
tion as architect, and was fully con-
sidered and passed upon by the capitol
commission in the year 1900, Mr.. Mar
shall alone dissenting. At that time
the commission had before il letters
from four OF the most prominent con-
tractors and builders Of this section
OF the country, who, after studying
those plans carefully to base upon
them bids for very large sum of
bid upon this work. Some OF these
gentlemen were personally known to
members of the commission, and their
statements were to the effect that the
drawings and specifications were plain
enough to make an intelligent bid. th'.t
the plans and specifications were fully
understood and We're proper for good
work. The opinion of such well known
contractors and builders as GUIDE &
Walker. J. w. Bishop & Co., w. A.
Chesterman and Nicholas Ittner COM
monty known as Honest Nick" must
outweigh the opinion of Mr.. Marshall
ana tne w washington expert with any
impartial judge.
Second That the contract fixed the
old work on the completed portion of
the building as the standard.
This is not true. There is nothing in
tlfe plans and specifications which
could be so construed except, perhaps.
the word prototype" on one of the
general drawings, and this was intend
ed to apply only to style, outline, form,
shape; and was not intended to apply
n ri n n hn lftt1L q
ship. Under each of the headings of
the various classes of work the same
was fully outlined, giving the number
of cuts to the inch for the different
parts of the work.
In this connection. 1 may say that
IL was not intended to make the stone
cornice in one piece, for instance The
small appropriation for the whole work
neCeSSitated great economy, and
the scale detail drawings show that it
was to be built up of several members,
as it was done, instead OF the more eX-
pensive one-piece cornice.
Referring to sheet of the general
drawings where the note before re-
ferred to is found, it will be seen that
the work is to be the same only when
1t has its prototype in the old building.
That 1t does not mean that the Cornice,
for instance. is to be identical with the
old work, you have only to see sheet Z
of those same drawings, where the
cornice is distinctly shown to be built
up of several pieces
Third. That the State at great ex-
pense, in the neighborhood of $4,000,
had a splendid steel ceiling in the main
lobby, which the contractors took
and converted to their own use. where
by the State lost in the neighborhood
of $4,000.
The plans and specifications required
the contractors 10 cut Il circular OPEN
ing into the ceiling for the inner dome.
When the ceiling was cut, and it was
thoroughly examined, 1t was found to
be galvanized iron, in bad condition
and difficult to work into shape. es-
peciallv as 1t contained ceiling lights
no longer of use. The contractors said
1t would require special workmen and
considerable loss of time to patch it
up, and would not then be as salts
factory as new ceiling, which could
be gotten I'm less time, and enable them
to be ready for the meeting of the
Legislature, although the new ceiling
would cost them more. After full in
vestigation of all the facts and con-
ditions. I decided that it was to
the interest of the State to accept the
proposed change, and l approved the
ceiling they used, which harmonizes
perfectly with the design of the cell
ing under the balcony around the main
lobby, which was placed there under
Mr.. Niernsee's supervision. AS both
ceilings are in the same lobby and are
seen at the same time, harmony Is es- |
sentiaL Neither the cornice nor cove
mouldings in this lobby were interfered
with, but the new ceiling was used only
In the field or body of the ceiling |
through which the dome is cut The |
contractors thought they ought to have
extra for this new ceiling, but would |
not allow it, and the State got the |
new ceilings without cost.
This item shows the fearful mistake |
the investigating committee made in !
not examining farther into the real
facts instead of giving so much weight |
to that minority report They would |
have the public believe that 1T was a |
steel ceiling" costing in the neighbor-
hood of $4,000, wheB the records in the |
secretary Of states office show that all |
the ceilings and cornices, steel beams, |
and skylights in the rotunda or main |
lobby, and the ceiling over the senate |
lobby together, cost only $789S, on the |
I'd of May, 1889. Any well informed |
will lkknnN,. hnt tlInn n1,r l.