Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1898 [PAGE 17]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

PROCEEDINGS

OP THE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

FOR THE

Y e a r E n d i n g A u g u s t 31, 1897.

M E E T I N G OE S E P T E M B E R 15, 1896.

T h e B o a r d of T r u s t e e s of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Illinois met i n t h e P r e s i d e n t ' s office a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y , i n U r b a n a , Illinois, -at 3 o'clock p. m. Tuesday, S e p t e m b e r 15, 1896. T h e m e m b e r s p r e s e n t were Messrs. A r m s t r o n g , Bullard, G r a h a m , Inglis, M c L e a n , Morgan, Morrison, and R a y m o n d a n d D r . S m i t h ; those absent were Governor Altgeld, Mr. J u d y , and Mrs. Flower. T h e m i n u t e s of t h e r e g u l a r m e e t i n g of t h e B o a r d held J u n e 9, and of t h e special m e e t i n g held J u n e 26, 1896, were approved. T h e Secretary was directed t o a d d t o t h e s t a t e m e n t i n t h e m i n u t e s of J u n e 26th with r e g a r d t o t h e q u a s h i n g of t h e i n d i c t m e n t found against t h e m e m b e r s of t h e B o a r d of T r u s t e e s u n d e r t h e flag law, t h a t the i n d i c t m e n t was q u a s h e d by J u d g e W r i g h t o n the g r o u n d t h a t h e held t h e law to be u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l . P r e s i d e n t D r a p e r p r e s e n t e d t h e following p a p e r :

DESTRUCTION OF CHEMICAL LABORATORY.

To the Board of Trustees: Early in the morning of Sunday, August 16th, a fire was discovered in the Chemical Laboratory, and before it could be extinguished the entire building and contents, save the outside walls and .a portion of the basement, were destroyed. The only explanation of the origin of the fire is that about two hours before its discovery a thunder storm, accompanied by ligtning of un 1 usual severity, passed over the University. One flash of lightning was so vivid and so close as to startle all the people who were in the neighborhood. As the fire was discovered about two hours after this occurrence, and as there was no one in or about the building in the meantime, with no fires or lights —2 U . I .