The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-02-17
STATE HOUSE WORK.
The Architect and Contractor HI:
Hard by the Commission.
m TgEIR ELABORATE REPORT

Expert Government Constructor Pre-
nounces Their Work a Par
ody Upon the Science
Of Architecture"
The report Of the commission ap'
pointed last year To investigate u
completion Of the State capltoi was
submitted to the general assemble Oh
Monday OF last week. Inc fepo.
contains very serious Criticisms OF ute
work done by the contractors. VIC
Twain Cnkefer Co., under the supes'
vision Of the architect, Frank +. hl'
burn, and the original COMMISSION
tor accepting the work. Those mem.
hers OF the commission who approved
she final report Of the contractor aro
OF the architect were: Gov. Me,
Sweeney, NJ r. Cooper, secretary OF
state; Representatives CAN'T and ".
J. johnson, and the following from
the sinking fund commission: Sena
tor Mower, Representative }. Har'
vey Wilson, G. Duncan Bellinger, at
torney general; j. P. Derham, com
ptroller general: Il. II. Jennings
State treasurer. The governor anc
the secretary OF state were also mem
bers OF the sinking fund conmlSsion.
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 lesls'
lature which brought about the lnVes-
tigacior. The Investigating conmls'
sion consists Of Senators Robert al
a.ich and r. I, Manning, Representa-
tives J. o. Patterson, j. NJ. ka"!ln-
son and T. Y. Williams. by whom the
report is signed.
TIE COMMITTEES REPORT
After some preliminary statements
the committee says the subject mattet
for our consideration is the work done
upon the State House TO complete the
building, and the manner OF us per,
formance. By an Act Of the General
Assembly, approved 18th February
A. D., 1900. the sum OF one nun
dred and seventy-hve thousand dollars
OF the sinking fund was appropriated
'to complete the State House" ana a
commission consisting OF the cover,
nor, Secretary Of State, one member o.
the Senate and two members OF the
House, was designated with the SINK
ing fund commission TO take charge o.
and direct the completion OF the State
House, to let out all work herein au
,horized, to make all necessary con
tracts, including the employment OF an
architect, and TO see that the Salc
work is completed according 10 the
contract, and TO do any and every ACT
necessary to carry out the purposes OF
this Act: provided, that the funds be
used unless a contract be entered INTO
complete the said State House Tor the
sum so set apart" As the last session
General Assembly the said commlsSlon
made it's third and final annual report
bearing date 18th February, a. D..
1908, giving circumstantlally all tha'
was done under the Act. and conclno'
ing with a resolution asfollows: Re
solved, That it does appear to the
commission for the completion OF the
State House that the work IS satlsfac
tory, and that the contract has beer
substantially performed. Page ~
majority report. At the time a mi
rority report was made BY one membel
Of the commission, Senator j.. Z. Mar
shall, whereby the attention OF the leg
Stature was called to many .1efects II
the work.
The matters referred to in these two
reports put your committee IN posses
sion of what they had to investigate
The first thing they felt called upon tc
do was to secure the services OF a com.
petent man familiar with this kind OF
work, Skilled in his calling, and OF such
eminent standing in his profession as
to entitle his testimony to full respect
and every consideration. Thereupol
we corresponded with United States
Senator 3. r. Tillman, and solicited
his aid in the matter. With his usuaI
promptness and efficiency. he put. us
in Communication with Mr.. Elliot
Woods, superintendent Of the Caplto!
at Washington. who recommended 10
US Capt. S. S. Hunt, chief constructor
OF the United States Capitol buildings
and grounds, who he recommended us
q "irst-class contractor, who had over
forty years experience in the erection
Of large buildings" etc. According y
your committee employed Capt. Hunt
at salary of sl5 per day, the sum
stated by Mr.. Woods to be his usual
compensation, besides his travelling eN-
penSes. He came and examined plans
and specifications of Architect Mil
burn, for the completion Of the State
House, and the work done hereunder,
and attended a meeting Of the com
mittee at the State House on the 10Th
and 26th days Of May, A. D., 1908,
went all over the building, In com
pany with your committee, and point
ed out separately, and in detail the
different pieces of defective work,
all Of which is described in his testi-
nony annexed to this report. Capt.
Hunt impressed your committee as a
conscientious and able man, fully alive
to the reeuirments Of the work IN
hand, and fearless in performing it.
Your committee feel constrained to
report generally that the minority re-
port Of Senator j. Q. Marshall is fully
sustained by the evidence taken and
by the visible facts for all to see for
themselves who choose to go over the
building and make even casual exam
ination Of it.
More specifically we find:
l. That the architect, Frank ?. Mil
burn, employed by the commission
under the Act for the completion Of
the State House, did not furnish suit
able plans and specifications for such
work, notably in failing to specify IN
detail what the contractors were re-
quired to do in many instances, but
leaving the same to be decided by the
architect, thereby resting large dis
cretionary powers in himself, which
could, and we are constrained to say,
were exercised to the States injury.
Said plans and specifications, and the
contract under which the work was
done, are on file in the Office Of the
Secretary of State, copies of which are
hereto annexed. and a sample Of what