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Show It happened next day that Dr. Me rrill was late to class in physics "two." This, however, didn't worry the Sophomores a great deal, and they lost no time in leaving the room when their fifteen minutes had passed. The question was not "Where is Dr. Merrill?" but, "What shall we do?" Again Scott came to the front with his idea of putting the numerals on the hill. "Do it now!" cried the ready Sophomores, and they started on the run toward the hill. Forgetting Dr. Merrill and physics "two," and deliberately cutting all their classes, they worked until their autograph was reposing, in all its forty feet of length, upon the broad side of the "U" hill.The placing of the "07" on the hill was regarded as a challenge by the Freshmen, and consequently no one was greatly surprised when an "08" replaced the Sophomore numerals. The next few days were strenuous ones, indeed; "07" and "08" replaced each other alternately on the hill. This strife between the two classes finally came to an end when it was suggested that they unite with the upper classmen and construct a mighty "U" as an emblem of loyalty to the whole school.Early one bright spring morning the people of the city were amazed to see two long wavering lines of fellows stretching some distance east of the lime kiln. Everybody wondered-even the few belated students. "What is it?" everyone asked everyone else, until they found one who knew. "It is the bucket line," he explained. "The fellows are passing buckets of lime to others who are making a U." Hart and Hume were there, marking off the dimensions and directing the work. The "U" that emerged from the hillside was not a perfect one, but it was there, dazzling white against the purple gray of the hills.By the time the spring of 1906 came around, the "U" was a sorry looking affair. The snows and rains had washed most of the lime away, so that it needed refilling. A petition for a half-holiday was handed to the faculty. It was granted and the work was started. Scranton and Scott were put in charge of the construction. A much larger "official block" "U" was then laid out. Originally the area was about 5,000 square feet, but the dimensions were reduced about five feet before the "U" was filled in. There were about six hundred students engaged in the work. Four hundred formed a bucket line a thousand feet long, from the old lime kiln to the letter. Two hundred buckets were kept in motion for nearly six hours, and probably each bucket was passed twenty-five times, making five thousand buckets in all. When the great work was finished, it was viewed with entire satisfaction by everyone.In the spring of "07" the students again saw the necessity of straightening up their "U." It was apparent, however, that this would have to be an annual occurrence, if lime was to be the material used. Stayner Richards, president of the Student Body, finally suggested making a concrete "U," which could be easily touched up each year with whitewash. Accordingly the old monogram was destroyed, excavations were made, and forms put in for a concrete "U" five inches deep. The letter was 100 feet wide and 100 feet long; the sides were fifteen feet wide and the bottom twenty feet, with a total area of 4,750 square feet.The first problem was how to ge the water up the hill. The solution came,when a prominent contractor furnished a water wagon and "Uncle Sam" |