Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1896 [PAGE 88]

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PROCEEDING OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

91

The College of Engineering comprises five departments, the Architectural Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Sanitary. In all of these departments there is great opportunity offered to the young man or young woman desiring a practical education, which alone furnishes that power so necessary to success. In all of these departments the young man and young woman have day by day practical experience in the distinctive lines in which they are engaged, thus not only furnishing them the theory in these several departments, but giving them a practical knowledge, wnich fits them much better to cope readily with competition when they go out into the active duties of life to maintain themselves. In addition to this, the physical labor required in th'ese departments in the presence of the studeuts, gives to manual labor a standing and a dignity that is worth a great deal to every young man and young woman. The University is prepared to furnish and is furnishing to our young people a fine literary education, and, at the same time, fitting and preparing them to take a place at once as practical men and women in all of these departments of life, and it is with pleasure that your committee notes the enthusiasm and earnestness with which the teachers in all of these several departments engage in their work, and the interest and enthusiasm manifested by the students of the institution is also noticeable. The Zoological Museum of the University possesses a large collection of valuable specimens which cannot be replaced by almost any amount of money. The same may be said of the Botanical and Geological Museums. The Agricultural Museum is also rich in specimens. The Museum of Indus^ trial Arts contains a large collection of the raw materials of industry. The Art Gallery contains a large number of full size casts of celebrated statues, and a large number of other valuable works of art. The library contains about 28,000 volumes, which together with the libraries of the Agricultural Experiment Station and the State Laboratory of Natural History, make over 35,000 volumes accessible to the students. Your committee desire to call special attention to the fact that the valuable collections in all these museums, together with the library, are located, of necessity, in University Hall, which is the oldest building on the grounds, built without much reference to protection from fire; and your committee believe that there should be built upon the University grounds, a building of sufficient size and made as near as possible fire-proof, in which the library can be placed and which should be known as the Library Building, and alsoin which the the collections of all these museums could be put and there safely kept; and your committee believe that this building should be furnished by the state at once. The building in which they are now located is in such a condition, that, if a fire was to break out, it would be impossible to preserve or save these valuable collections, and if they were destroyed they could not be replaced probably for a quarter of a century, if ever. We desire to call attention to another fact, that the chapel and a great many class rooms are located in this same building, and that there are at times from four to six hundred students probably reciting in that building and there is but one stairway leading from the fourth story in which are the society halls, and that in case of nre it would be almost impossible for the students to get out safely. Your committee also call attention to the fact that the machinery in Machinery Hall is on the second floor of that building, and they are also informed, and from their investigation believe, that this building was not constructed with the idea of having such an amount of heavy machinery on the second floor, and that the machinery in said building on said second floor, together with the number of students that are at work with the machinery at times, istoo heavy a strain upon the floor of said building. Your committee believe that a building should be furnished so that this machinery can be placed on a ground floor. Your committee also note that the power house to furnish heat is so situated and in su^ch a condition that it would appear to be impossible properly to heat the buildings. The electrical plant is also in a building where there are other departments. Your committee believe that all of the heating apparatus, and