"If we are to undertake this work with an architect who makes all sorts of errors in his strain sheets ... the result will be that you and McCabe will be damned and properly damned for the balance of your lives and the venerable Rector will probably be hung & Properly hung."

Charlottesville
Jan. 13- '96

My dear Mr. Gordon,

I enclose you some papers that will be rather a shock to you but that will speak for themselves. It makes me more and more convinced that we can't safely undertake this task which is before us without having a thoroughly trained inspector and not only that but a supervising architect. Men who will be entirely in our interests and who will be paid by ourselves and who will be making us frequent reports. Neither Thornton or Echols are fit for this sort of thing; they haven't the practical experience nor are either of them very practical men. We ought to take the whole affair out of the hands of the buildings and grounds, excepts as to the transference of money. As you are probably aware I have been very much dissatisfied with the character of the work that has been done in the reconstruction of the two terraces, but being very distrustful

of my own knowledge of such things I could never shape it in such a way as to prove to myself that I was not making a mountain of a mole-hill. The whole thing has made me right sick. If we are to undertake this work with an architect who makes all sorts of errors in his strain sheets; with a superintendent like Echols, who has not verified any calculations, and another superintendent like Thornton who accepts strains and deems safe what, when brought to the tables of experienced facts, proves to be unsafe and another superintendent like the venerable Rector who has neither the time nor the tables nor probably the capacity to make reliable calculations the result will be that you and McCabe will be damned and properly damned for the balance of your lives and the venerable Rector will probably be hung & Properly hung. As you may remember as I said before may Heaven bless all mixed Committees and save me the

trouble of having so far to force my conscience as to bless them. Do pray burn this letter; it is written in such bad temper. I started in good humor enough but as the thing has worked upon me my gall has risen. I shall expect you on Friday and you and I and McCabe must talk these things over where we can do it without any feeling that we are treading upon other peoples toes and possibly finding fault where fault is not due. Send the papers back to me at once please. Mr. McDonald has not turned up hereyet but we are expecting him every day.

Very sincerely yours,

W.C.N. Randolph