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

.heSe cioSetS az lonS as they were SO
located. Realizing the Importance OF
such conveniences, and being con-
vinced that some provision for them
must be made before the permanent
work on the State house was completed.
the commission sought to provide q
different more convenient and SAFER
locality in the building for these
closets. These new closets were not
contemplated when the question OF
completing the state house came be-
fore the general assembly, nor were
there any plans. specifications or con-
tract relating thereto; but the commits
sion believing that out OF the appro-
pfiation enough had been saved to In
stan these neceSSarieS, made such con-
tract with reference to them as justi-
hes us In counting the most, rigid in.
Nestigation. AT the time the fixtures
were installed there was no sewerage
system In the city of Columbia, and no
municipal regulations covering details
watch though adopted for the sake of
uniformity and governmental .regu-
lation are but arbitrary. Since this in
stallation there has been no complaint
or he presence or suspicion of the ex-
lstence or sewer gas and the location
OF the closets Is such that if the pres
ence did actually exist there could be
no detriment to the health or lives of
the occupants of the State house
Ihis determinatio. on the part of the
committee to make this arrangement
was most fortunate, as subsequent
events proved, for the discovery was
about that time made that the old
water closets had been silently and un-
suspectingly venting their gases
through secret and unknown fiues in
the brick walls OF the building into
the o1hces upon the lower floor and
SSpreaaing disease and death among the
states employees. The commission of
sanitary experts appointed by Gov
HeyWard, while criticiZing some de-
ans or the new work, ordered the old
closets peremptorily and Immediately
removed from the building, and in this
demand Mr.. Edens, the sanitary i'm
spector of Columbia, Joined. The CRATES
or lire places in several of the offices
were directly connected with these
closets and had to be hermetically
sealed until the old work was removed
from the building
The condemned closets had bee, in
stalled at great expense to the State
under the direction Of the commission
which erected the splendid ten thous-
ana dollar steel ceiling" in the main
lobby, nearly Is years ago, largely un-
der the supervision of Senator Mar
shall. who was then secretary OF state
We desire to impress upon you the
fact that you have not been put in pos
session of any evidence or statement as
to the apparent condition of the State
house upon the day when the accent
ance was made and the final INSTALL
ment paid to the contractor We,
therefore, inform you that when the
work was accepted and the money paid
a personal inspection by special com
mittee OF the commission was made
and the roof with all of it's accessories
appeared in perfect condition. and
every stone laid under the contract
was free from cracks or apparent de-
1ectS, ana this Notwithstanding a test
period of nearly or quite q month hod
elapsed from the date when the build
ing was rendered, during which period
we were satisfied that sufficient test
th hnu been made. During. said period
there were several precipitations of
ram notably on the 18th day of May
I9O2, when the rain began to fall about
o'clock in the morning and continued
nntil about I of the same morning
during which time nearly an inch Of
water fell. Rain followed again on
'he i4th, falling during the night, and
on the 18th. when in 81 minutes 3-4 of
an inch OF rainfall was registered
Under this severe test the roof an
peared to be perfect as far as protec-
'ion from water is concerned This
statement is made on official informa-
tion given us by the United States au-
th,rities. =
We confess with the utmost candor
that IN some respects, particularly as
10 the roof and the floor lights, we have
not been altogether pleased with the
result OF the work. But these at the
worst are not as serious as would have
Deen blunders involving the construc-
tlon OF the stone work, and other more
permanent portions of the building,
Which has come up to the full measure
OF the expectation of the commission
II is we'll to remember however, that
we are too prone to dwell upon that
which has not come fully up to our
expectations, while ignoring the fact
lhht thls man probably succeeded in
more important matters where another
would have been subjected to lust
criticism.
We have scrupulously avoided. either
IN this communication or in any of the
steps leading up to the opportunity
which has been accorded us by vo,Ir
honorable body to set ourselves right.
IN making our cause common with that
OF either the architect or contractor
ana nave endeavored to divorce our
Sc'NcS insofar as poSsih from them
FIRST OF all. though out of office. we
are IN measure servants OF the people
and of the general assembly, and If
mat tribunal deems the State to have
suffered injury from either, our. first
duty Is to the State.
However, 1t is but justice to say that
we nave found the contractors in ali
thclr dealings with us honorable bust
ness ness men whom we believe to be above
suspicion OF wrong doing, and who
sought to live up to the true intent and
meaning of their contract with the
State. "
We, desire it understood that we do
not claim that it Is impossible that inn
positions have been practiced upon
this commission by the architect or
contractor, for If any vital defects ex-
lSt in the building or serious mistakes
can be shown to have been made, these
must nave been the outcome Of the
commission having been misled, but we
90 assert In the most positive manner
mat the findings and the conclusions
contained in the report Of the Joint in
Nestigating committee are not sus-
tanned by the evidence therein con
tanned, and if they are ever sustained
~ must ne by evidence produced before
another tribunal. Whether this com
mission or any of it's members were
ever dcSignedly or unintentionally i'm
posed upon or deceived by either arch
llcct or contractor, 1T can only be
proved out OF the mouth or mouths OF
Such member or members, unless it be
conceded that the members would com
mt perjury in order to hide the factk
we would remind Vonr booo,, ~