The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-09
SADLY CHEATED
WAS The STATE.
SCANDAL IN CAROLINA
CAUSED BY THE REPORT OF THE
CAPITOL COMMITTEE.

Declares Ihat GFObs rr1uuS were
Perpetrated Upon the state in the
Construction of the CapitOl-Mc-
Twain, Unkefer q Co., the Com
tractors, and Frank p. MiIburn,
the Architect, Scored-COIIusiOn
ImpIied-OmciaIs Concerned.
Columbia, S. c., Feb. S.-The report
of the committee appointed last year
to investigate the completion of the
State Capitol was submitted to the
General Assembly to-day. The report
makes very serious criticism of the
work done by the contractors, Nell
vain, Unkefer & Co, under the super
vision of Architect Frank P. Milburn
and the original commission.
Those members of the commission
who approved the final report of the
contractor and of the architect were
Gov. McSweeny, w. r. Cooper. Secre-
tary of State; Representatives CAN'T
and w. ]. Johnson and the following
from the Sinking Fund Commission:
Senator Mower. Representative ]. Har-
vey Wilson, G. Duncan Bellinger, At
torney General; ]. P. Derham, Con-
troller General, and r. Jennings, State
Treasurer. The Governor and the Sec
rotary of State were also members of
the Sinking Fund Commission.
The Investigating Committees report
sustains the protests made from time
to time by Senator Marshall which
were not needed by the commission.
and his minority report to the Legisla-
ture, which brought about the investi-
cation.
The Investigating Committee con-
sists of Senators Robert Aldrich and
r. I. Manning, Representatives ]. @.
Patterson, M. ]. Rawlinson and T. Y.
Williams, by whom the report is signed.
A government architect from Wash
ington sustains the committees criti-
cisms.
Charges That Are Made.
In brief the charges are that Mil
burn left much in the specification to
the discretion" of the architect, and
used that discretion against the states
interest; that the work as done does
not comply with requirements, and is
fraud on the state:r that the build
ing commission excused the contrac-
tors from doing work for which they
were paid. and that was worth thous-
ands of dollars; that a steel ceiling in
the corridor was removed, appropriat-
ed by the contractors, and replaced
with $500 worth of shoddy galvanized
iron; the many thousands of dollars
worth of material belonging to the
state was sold by the contractors, and
that a brother of one of the building
commissioners, Mr.. CAN'T, made money
on the transaction; that part of the
portico is unsafe, and the dome a
"monstrosity.
In concluding the committee says:
Your committee do not consider that
it comes within the their duties to
determine questions of law involved
in the matters embraced herein, but
would regard it remarkable indeed, If
there is not some remedy, civil or
criminal, or both, to bring these male
factors to justice. and to some extent
to redress the wrongs of the state"
Recommends Legal Steps.
It recommends that appropriate legal
steps be taken to recover. if possible.
from Frank P. Milburn and McIlvain,
Unkefer & Co.. as much as posi-
BILE of the damages the state has suffer-
ed through their misconduct and breach
of contract. and such other legal re-
dress as may seem to be ADVISABLE"
that the most glaring and damaging
defects in the work be repaired under
the authority of the Legislature until
such time as the finances of the state
will admit of the whole work being
done over in a manner to conform to
the original design.
A tremendous sensation is created.
Architect Milburn declined to appear
before the committee.