DARWIN D. MARTIN 1930 Correspondence Part 2

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Board of Trustees
Darwin D. Martin, Trustee
1930 Correspondence
Part 2 (035 – 063)
September 2 – December 31, 1930

003 The “Six” Home Light Plant description, p.1. [martin_darwin_BOT_1930_003.jpg

TAGS: Darwin D. Martin 1930 Correspondence, PMSS Board of Trustees, bequests, Lincoln Memorial University, power plant, nightwatchmen, reservoir, Fairbanks Morse & Co., funds from bequests, endowment funds, Lazer Gas Engine Co., engineers, old clothes policy, Delco Corporation, Wisconsin Steel Company, extension centers deeds

DARWIN D. MARTIN 1930 Correspondence Part 2

September 2 – December 31, 1930

DARWIN D. MARTIN 1930 CORRESPONDENCE provides images, contents and transcriptions of 1930 letters to and from Darwin D. Martin, a member of the Board of Trustees at Pine Mountain Settlement School from 1920 to 1933 and a generous contributor to and consultant for the School. He was an executive of the Larkin Co. in Buffalo, New York.

[Note: Letters from PMSS staff in the PMSS Collections are carbon copies, typewritten, unsigned, and meant for the Office files. The original signed documents were sent to the correspondents. The initials at the bottom left of most PMSS letters indicate the writer (along with initials of the secretary). For example, “HH” is for Hubert Hadley. Letters from D.D. Martin are typewritten originals on his personal stationery. The following list of contents is in chronological order and not necessarily in the order of the image numbers.]

SEPTEMBER

035 September 2, 1930. To Hubert Hadley [PMSS Director] from Darwin D. Martin, enclosing a letter from Miss [Elizabeth] Hench from her temporary address at Mt. Kisco, NY, concerning the bequest to PMSS of $5,000 by H. Raymond Munger. Hench has “smoothed out the routine papers” and will transfer the money to Mr. C.N. Manning, Board Treasurer.

036 September 15, 1930. To Hadley from Martin regarding a newspaper clipping from Hench, reporting on the donation of $5,000 to PMSS from the will of Mrs. Emma Baker Kennedy in NY. He wonders if bequests should be reported in the PMSS “Notes,”

038 September 16, 1930. Fundraising letter to Martin from Dr. John Wesley Hill, Chancellor, on letterhead for Lincoln Memorial University at Cumberland Gap, TN. (Chancellor’s office is located in Washington, DC.) Citing a devastating drought, the school needs financial help. [Handwritten notation in right margin: ‘HH Is this so? DDM 9/17/30.”]

037 September 18, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], thanking him for the information about Mrs. Emma Baker Kennedy’s will. She “was one of our very good friends.” Hadley feels that bequests should not be mentioned in “Notes” and explains his reasoning.

039 September 25, 1930. To Martin from [unsigned], asking if Martin would send out the next PMSS report to the board. “Our office force finds that it has its hands full….”

040 September 26, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], stating that he doesn’t know the facts about Lincoln Memorial University, but PMSS has also had a drought and some crops in the area were ruined. Although PMSS may be in the same condition as LMU, Hadley wrote that he “could not write the appeal for this school they sent you.” He has heard “gossip” that LMU has “had a great deal of internal trouble,” which he then describes.

OCTOBER

041 October 8, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, comments on the “fires” and asks about one at Big Log. He advises on items to add to the next “Notes” and comments on the October “Notes.” Martin asks questions related to Hadley’s September 26th letter.

042-043 October 15, 1930. Two-page letter to Martin from HH [Hadley], describing the trouble the School is having with the new engine and that Hadley may have to buy a new battery set from Sears, Roebuck and Company. He assures Martin that the recent fires were not connected to the nightwatchmen. Hadley gives reasons why the experiment with using boys as nightwatchmen has been successful. Miss Davis, the housemother at Boys’ House, has asked for more bathtubs instead of showers for two reasons.

044 October 21,1930. To Hadley from Martin, who talked with Mr. James, who sold the engine to PMSS. James explained the reason for the engine’s malfunctioning. He recommends Bould Battery Co., instead of Sears. Lazier Gas Engine Co. is sending Hadley a “sketch.” Martin asked for copies of all letters about the engine.

045-045a October 27, 1930. Two-page letter to Martin from Hadley, thanking him for helping with the light plant problems. Hadley describes the ways the School has been trying to fix the engine; mentions that Miss [Ruth Elizabeth] Campbell, Secretary, has returned from vacation; and reservoir water is “falling quite rapidly” and they are looking for a leak.

NOVEMBER

046 November 3, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, suggesting that he ask for help from the State Engineer’s office. He asks for the number of children who went home in this school year.

047 November 7, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, wondering if the whole reservoir should be cemented. He expresses “confidence in the ultimate success of Fairbanks Morse & Co.’s engine” and explains why.

048 November 20, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], stating that Mr. Boatright will send either an electrician or a mechanic. Hadley feels the trouble with the plant is in the engine and possibly the switchboard, not the storage batteries as Boatright surmised. Martin asks the cost of bringing in a Fairbanks Morse man or Boatright’s man to fix the plant. Previously, Boatright’s man did not accept payment for his work but this time the work may require two or three days.

049 November 21, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], who awaits Martin’s “definite statement” concerning the disposition of the funds ($10,000) from the estates of H. Raymond Munger and Julia B. Schauffler. Then he will report Martin’s statement to Manning. Should the funds be transferred into the General Endowment Fund or put into “a temporary investment” and wait until after the board meeting? Hadley feels that maybe the School should not “spend for current expenses incomes received from non-recurring sources for we have no hope of any such fund being repeated in the future. However, it may be that this is a poor year to start such a custom….”

050 November 21, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, asking whether there was an increase in the wattage of the power plant lamps since 1929. He also asks how Boone Callahan arrives at the need for a 25 h.p. engine.

051 November 24, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, who asks for copies of letters that accompany the bequests of Munger and Schauffler. He also asks for the difference between the General Endowment Fund and “a temporary investment.”

052 November 24, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, who prefers Boatright’s engineer from Benham, as the trip expense would be less than bringing in Morse Fairbank’s man from Cincinnati. More about the lamps and charging battery.

053-053a November 26, 1930. Two-page letter to Martin from HH [Hadley], responding to Martin’s last three letters explaining Callahan’s calculations concerning lamp wattage, whether there has been an increased installation; and the problem with getting a service man from Fairbanks Morse company. He agrees to write Mr. Boatright to send a man soon. He is sending Martin copies of the estate papers he requested and explains what is meant by General Endowment Fund, which is “one of three endowment funds — that is, the General Endowment Fund, the William Creech Endowment Fund, and the Zande Memorial Fund, which the school keeps as trust funds, spending only the interest received from the investment.” He then describes how any excess funds are invested, which is a “temporary investment.”

054 November 29, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], enclosing the papers related to the estates of Schauffler and Munger, given to the School with no conditions. Hadley is expecting the service man from Benham and an electrician soon. He mentions snowy weather and Mrs. [Ruth] Gaines’ Thanksgiving dinner.

DECEMBER

055 December 5, 1930. To Martin from [no signature], Lazer Gas Engine Company, providing a copy of a letter from the Fairbanks Morse Co. and enclosing the gas engine company’s response, “regarding sending one of their men to Pine Mountain.” The Fairbanks Morse letter (signed by G.H. Corlette, Manager, Service Department) offers to “broaden the regular established guarantee” and charge for the man’s time on a per diem basis ($12 per day), instead of per hour.

056 December 8, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, sending a copy of Fairbanks Morse’s letter that he received from Lazier (sic) Gas Engine Co. Martin will not reply until he receives Hadley’s report of the engineer’s visit.

057 December 9, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, enclosing a copy of “Concerning Old Clothes,” that he received from Miss [Katherine] Pettit. He requests that Hadley will be “guided by the spirit of it.”

058-058a December 11, 1930. Two-page letter to Martin from HH [Hadley], who feels that the $12 per day charge for the engineer’s visit is “unduly high,” when Fairbanks Morse “should have seen this job through without any cost to the school.” However, Hadley is resigned to accepting their terms. He encloses his letter to Fairbanks Morse, explaining what the engineers found during their work. He also encloses “page of findings reported by the electrician and mechanic,” noting that “many things were wrong and are yet wrong.” He quotes from Fairbanks Morse’s response to this, stating that the School is “running the engine too fast,” which Hadley feels is Fairbanks Morse’s fault. In any case, Hadley reports that there is some improvement after the repairs. He explains why he feels that “everything will soon be all right” regardless of the fact that Fairbanks Morse “expects to do nothing in regard to this matter.”

059 December 12, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, with questions about the battery for the gas engine. He then quotes Miss Melville “regarding Extension Centres [sic]. The land was given or rented (at Line Fork for $1 a year, I think) under certain conditions. We ought to be sure of our obligation to the givers. There must be a deed somewhere.”

060 December 12, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], asking about the functions of the executive committee and his duties to the committee. He plans to send Martin a report of a meeting concerning batteries with Mr. McGee, district agent of the Delco Corporation.

062 December 16, 1930. To Hadley from Martin, who wants to compare charges by the Wisconsin Steel Company services and those of Farbanks Morse and asks what was included in the $148.88 charge. He offers to have his company order anything that is missing.

061 December 18, 1930. To Martin from HH [Hadley], enclosing a letter from Fairbanks Morse concerning the quotation on Gould batteries. He writes about ordering batteries from Sears, Roebuck company; no charges yet from Mr. Boatright of Benham for the power plant repairs by Mr. Timplin and Mr. Johnson; Fairbanks Morse’s’ charges of $148.88 for engine parts with a comment about their guarantee; and the substitute lights in PMSS houses that are used when the power is out.

063 December 31, 1930. To Hadley from Martin. He wants a copy of the explanation concerning the cut in December salaries by two-thirds. He thanks Hadley for a copy of the Line Fork Settlement deed and asks for that of the Medical Settlement. He quotes the paragraph that explains the donation of Line Settlement land.