The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-03-21
MANY NAVY jIIlIRS GINE
auditors of Pennsylvania Capitol
Make Startling Discoveries.
FURNISHINGS sAlo TO BE MISSING

Rooms Thought to Have Seven or More
Easy Chairs Contain One or Two,
and Side Brackets and Lamps Sup
posed to Be In Place Can't BE Found.
Harrisburg. Pa. March 19.-The au-
ditors, taking an inventory of the con
tents of the capitol alleged 70 have
been delivered by John H. Sanderson.
the Philadelphia contractor, have dis
covered that rooms in which there are
supposed 10 be seven or more easy
chairs contain but one or two. Side
brackets and electroliers, which are
supposed to be in place. according to
the bills. are missing. and furniture
supposed TO be in evidence is not to he
found.
Superintendent Rambo has given or
ders that none OF the furniture Is to
be moved even from one room to an
other.
A startling find by the auditors was
that 50 lamps. one for the desk OF each
senator. have not yet been delivered.
although paid for long ago at cost OF
$4,000 In the adjutant generals de-
partment. In one room where the bill
calls Tor seven easy chairs there are
but two. in the Mushroom Of the SEN
ate there is one ordinary bootblack
stand. for which $1,000 vas paid. II
could be bought for SS5.
The metallic furnishing contract Is
one which will receive great deal OF
attention from the probers. The Penn
sylyania Construction company. OF
which Congressman II. Burd Cassell,
Of Lancaster county. Is one Of the
principals. received more than $1,000
600 from the state. The commission to
Joseph NJ. Huston. the architect, was
about $4,000 II Is limited that the
state may recover about 100000 on
the contract
The probers want to know from
Huston what caused him to raise the
cost of furnishing the building.
1t is easy to see how the cost went
so high when one takes the inventory
of an ordinary committee room. The
painting Of the walls and ceilings may
be put down al $3.50. parquetry floor at
500. very ordinary umbrella holder at
s35. metallic furniture anywhere from
$4,000 10 $4,000. and other kinds or
furniture about $4,000. II runs into
money very rapidly.
The parquetry floors In the building
are laid on cement floors which cost
s25. 900. The parquetry cost Sl52. 400,
and in many OF the rooms Is already so
badly worn as to be in poor condition.
The original plan was TO put yellow
pine floors in the building at cost OF
S7100. The reason given for the ex-
penditure Of the difference between
s7IOO and sl67. 500 for flooring was
that "parquetry flooring is more sani-
tary and saves costly carpet bills.
Carpet costing almost s. yard was
laid on the parquetry floor.
Another interesting item is that OF
modelling and sculpture with patterns.
1t appears that while Sanderson had
the contract. and was supposed TO fur
nish his own patterns. the state paid
for them at a cost OF sl37.600.
The clocks in the building cost the
state $4,000. and they were paid for
long before the time Of delivery. 1t
,,,o.e Ioornod tbat a number of big time
pieces are stored in the cellar. as
there Is no place to hang them unless
two clocks are put in one room.
Huston says the state still owes him
s104 600. and Sanderson says there Is
a balance of sloS.00O coming to him.