University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-01-29
HAD TO CARRY COAL
To HEAT UNIVERSITY
Moody, an Old-cime JanitOr.
Tells of the Early
Work at NJ. L.
THE OLDEST EMPLOYE HERE
Four of the Men Now at
Work Have Been in Service
Nineteen Years.

Four janitOrS now working i'm the
University buildings have been i'm the
employ of the University more than
nineteen years. The oldest ~janitOr in
point of service is W. r. Moody, now
i'm the Chemistry Building. He has
been in the continuous employ of the
University twenty-SiX a The
next oldest janitOrs are: w. II. Tur-
ner who works in SwitZler Hall and
Horace Williams who was working in
Academic Hall until six months ago.
but has been sick since then. These
men started in as janitOrS at the
same time nineteen years ago and
have been continuously in the Uni
ycrs;ty since. Tom Jones who was
in the Law Building has worked for
the University for twenty-five or
t~wenty-siX years but not continuous
ly. Henry Washington, who died
plOy of the Agricultural Farm about
twenty-five years.
Tricky In Those Days.
Mr.. Moody says that the janitors
now haved an easy time compare
with those of twenty-six years ago
when he first started work for the
University in the pow + house back
of the old main building. There
used to be stoves in SwitZler Hall.
which was then the Agricultural
building. Mr.. Moody, who was jan
itor in Switzler Hall until the burn
ing of the main building in 1892,
said that he used to carry five or six
hundred of bushels of coal each year
for the stoves which were in all the
rooms. Then water had to be pumped
by hand from a tank on the roof to
supply the laboratories in the build |
ing.
Steam was not put in until the
the students then We're a great deal
from now. Then, he saws, |
they would cut classes for a day at a
time and parade around the streets. |
Several times, on going to ring the |
bell in SwitZler Hall. Mr.. Moody |
he would not ring it. for some
student during the night would have
taken the clapper. He says that Uni
students did not a much at
to Halloween in those days
because they had a continuous Halo
series of tricks from II years
end to the next.
but He Isn't Discouraged.
Mr.. Moody has been employed in
the Chemistry Building for years.
naturally ask him if he
knows anything about chemistry. He
tells them that he don't know any
thing about the subject, but that he
has g e several students study it for
anything about it. So
he doesn't feel discouraged. he says.
Turner was i'm Academic Hall for
years. and in the Engineer
ing Building W years. He has been
IN SwitZler Hall a little more than a
'ear now. Before he was employed
n Switzler Hall it formerly took two
men to get the University bell start
ID. but Turner. who has but one arm ,
manages to ring the bell himself. He
the rope as far up as he can
each. braces his feet against a wall
which is near and then hangs his
whole weight on the rope. This is
sufficient to get the bell started, and
hen its W weight helps to ring it.
Williams has been in Columbia
fifty years but has only been employ
ID by the University continuously as
Ong as Turner. He says that 400
considered a large enrolment in
ime when the only University build :
ng were the main building the Laws J
H. -