OFFICIALS FACED DANGER OF COMPLETE IMMOLATION

That the sword of Damocles, in the shape of a pile of bricks weighing nearly a ton, hung for years over the heads of two University officials was discovered when Massachusetts Hall was recently renovated.

The office formerly occupied by W. S. Burke, inspector of Grounds and Buildings, and C. R. Apted, Superintendent of Caretakers, was at the eastern end of Massachusetts Hall. The chimney at that end of the building had decayed and a great pile of bricks, weighing at least 800 pounds was lying on the ceiling directly above the unsuspecting Messrs. Burke and Apted. How long this deadly and unknown peril had thus threatened the lives of the occupants of the office below is not known.

It was also found that Mr. Burke and Mr. Apted were not the only persons who risked their lives by occupying Harvard's oldest dormitory previous to its renovation. When the inside partitions were removed, the walls of the building swayed perilously, and had to be reinforced both inside and out. The workmen employed refused to work without double insurance.