The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-02-13
A CONVICT'S ROMANCE.
The Story of the Construction of the
Old Statehouse at Albany-The
Price of Genius Who saw
and Grasped His Oppor-
tunity.

New York Herald.
Eouched for by the late Henry
Smith. who said he learned the fact
through being speaker Of the assem-
bly,, there is an interesting bit Of his
tory connected with the old statehouse
at Albany, where it has stood for
years, the finest example Of pure Dor
ic architecture in this country, on the
easterly side Of Eagle street, between
Pine and Steuben streets, its walls
and partitions all Of solid stone, very
much as if its halls, rooms and stairs
had been carved out within a huge
block of marble.
It was completed in 1912, costing
the state about s35O,O0O. It is built
entirely Of Sing Sing marble, quar-
ried and cut within the prison walls.
The old capitol being inadequate to
accommodate the increasing business
of the state, this additional building
was planned and built and is still used
for the offices Of the state comptroller,
the state engineer and surveyor and
the state banking department.
In spirit Of economy it was decld-
ed to have as much as possible Of the
work done by the prisoners from the
material found within the prison walls
at Sing: Sing: fairly good material,
too, but not the best, as it is a soft
marble, as evidenced by the wear
which now shows so plainly in the
steps and by the crumbling Of some Of
the stones from exposure to the wea-
ther. All the material was cut to
within the walls Of the
prison under such plans that when
to Albany there would be no
further work necessary except prac-
tically to lay one stone upon another,
and so on until the whole was assem-
bled in the completed building.
TO accomplish this detailed plan a
system Of marking the stones was nee
The plans were carefully
made and a system Of marking elabo-
rately laid out by the architect in
charge, who found in the prison at
Sing Sing a life prisoner whose record
showed him to be an engineer Of the
highest ability and who seemed as
as any man in the country
@ carry out the work to be done in
he prison, and naturally he was not
to follow his chosen pro-
session in preference to doing the
manual laber Of cutting or. quarrying
stone. So, following the spirit Of
economy referred to above, the plans.
n detail and the system Of marking
we're turned over to him and the whole
work at that end given over to his
eull superintendenee and absolute con-
:rol. :..
In due time the stones in their vari-
JUS shapes and sizes and in quantity
'or the whole building were delivered
n Albany and the work of construe-
ion commenced in accordance with !
be plans and system Of marking orig
nallv furnished. With the very first
;tone there was trouble. 1t not only
lid not ft the place, but none Of the
tones marked to adjoin it fitted it,
md, further. it did not seem ever IN
ended for the place the number in
Heated. In vestigation brought out |
hat the stones were not Of the sizes |:
Il shapes specified and shown on the
,lans. and, as to the system Of mark !
ng, it was quite evident that the :
tones brought together by it had no .
elation whatever to each other.
The bewildered architect hardly ;
new whether he was a candidate for !
he asylum or possibly for Sing Sing !
However. a careful verifcatlon Of his !
,lans and his marking system proved .
heir correctness, and the blame fell !:
quarely upon the civil engineer, the
;fe prisoner. He was questioned, TAX !