022
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Title
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022
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Transcription
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sion, headed the procession. In the evening a grand banquet was given. Governor Butler made a few remarks and Mr. Wheeler a short speech. Then Attorney General Seth Robinson gave an address on 'Popular Education,' but as most of it concerned Greece and Rome, and very little of it related to Nebraska, any farther reference to it may be omitted here. The banquet—thanks to the good people of Lincoln—was enjoyed by fully a thousand people, dancing being indulged in from 10:00 until 4:00 o'clock. This was the beginning, but the end was not yet, as Lincoln people well knew. The regents visited the building and after inspection, approved the plans of construction on January 6, 1871, but before a student had ever entered its doors, the cry was raised that it was insecure. On June 13, 1871, three professional architects were employed to examine the building thoroughly. Their report was made June 23 and pronounced the building safe for the present and probably for years to come. The probability, they thought, could be made a certainty by a few repairs that would not be very expensive. These repairs were made and September 6 the university was opened with an enrollment of about ninety students the first week. However, the rumor of the insecurity of the building would not down; so March 18, 1873, a special meeting of the regents was called to consider further repairs. After a report from another set of architects, a new foundation was ordered to be put under the chapel. The foundation walls, as they were torn out were to be examined by an architect under the direction of the attorney-general, J. R. Webster, who reported that the foundation had not been in accordance with the contract. The Chancellor in his report of June 26, 1877, to tear down the building and to erect a new one at the cost of $600,000, $40,000 of this amount to be raised in Lincoln. Work was to commence immediately at securing the above amount. The citizens of Lincoln, however, were not satisfied, so they sent to Chicago and Dubuque for architects who examined the building and pronounced it easily repaired. A committee of Lincoln citizens met the regents on August 15. A new foundation with some other repair was ordered, and the bill of $6,012 was paid by Lincoln. Various attempts to secure an appropriation to reimburse the city have been made, but all have ended in failure. At the same time the roof was repaired at an expense of $1,625, but the water still found its way through, till finally in 1883 a slate roof was put on and the 'leak' was stopped.
Just after the reconsideration of the resolution to tear down the building, a committee came from Nebraska City to present a bid for the re-location of the University at that point. This was
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