The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-08-27
Novel Experiment at the Washington
3 ..s..t-. + MONUMENT. =. -.


Pigeons have often been put to practical
uses before the present time; but the follow
ing account (copied from the Washington
Star of novel and successful experiment
in which; apigeoH efficiently acted as bull
der's assistant, and contributed its share
towards the erection OF. the column design
ed to commemorate the greatness and good
ness of the Father of his Country can
not fail to interest our readers:-ssWe men
toned few days ago that Lieut.. Ives. the
superintendent of the Washington Monu-
ment, was DESTROYS of arranging the ma
chinery and rigging on the top of the COL
umn in order to an early beginning CT the
work. All the means of reaching the top
had been removed except single rope at
tached to strong brace extending across
the top of the column. first it was sug-
gested that rigger might ascend by this
rope, but Lieut.. Ives, in view of the posi-
bility of an accident by the undertaking, the
rope being rotten, abandoned the plan.-
Since then several experiments have been
made, First, man was procured who,
standing upon the ground outside the col
umn threw stone over it, more than ITO
feet in hight. Having ascertained that he
could perform this feat, small pack thread
was attached to the stone, but the resistance
of the air to the thread prevented his cast
ing the stone more than half the hight of
the column. Next an Indian bow and ar
rows were obtained from the Smithsonian
Institute. The arrows alone were fred over
the column easily, but when the experiment
was made with the pack thread attached,
they could hardly be forced up hundred
feet. A rifle was next obtained, and the
experiments were made inside the column
by shooting the ramrod, with pack-th
attached, upwards, in the hope that it would
descend on the opposite side of the brace
before mentioned; but this plan also failed,
the ramfod sometimes meeting with obsta-
Giles which prevented its taking the direc-
ton wished, and at other times the thread
would be burned off by the firing of the
gun. Yesterday pigeon was obtained and
carried inside the column. A pack thread
was tied to its leg, and the bird was carried
to the top of ladder by one of the gentle
men present and thrown upward; the COM
pany below, to brighten the bird and make
it continue its flight upward, whooped and
shouted; the bird flew round the column
and at last rested upon recess designed
for the reception of one Of the stones pre-
sented by contributors. By again whoop-
ing and shouting the bird was started and
took its fight upward, and rested on the
very brace over which it was desired to cast
the thread This was an anxious moment
for those below. If the bird descended by
the side upon which it rested, the plan
would fail for the time; if by the opposite
side, all was safe. The shouting and
whooping were raised again, but the bird
looked down upon the noisy company be-
low with a quizzical emo you DON'T A
pistol was then fried to frighten him, and
after some moments of suspense, the bird
descended upon the side of the column de-
sired. The pack thread was caught, heav-
Ter cord was attached and drawn up, then
heavier and stronger cord, until rope of
sufficient size was secured over the brace
to enable the Triggers to proceed with safety
to the work of retitting the rigging to the
top of the column, and putting the machin-
cry in complete order for future operations
The experiments were made under the d.
rection of Lieut.. Ives.''
We may add that the method generally
adopted by builders to geta rope over the
roof of high structure, when otherwise in
accessible, is to attach string to kite
and SO fly it over, letting the kite descend
on the opposite side; then by attaching a
rope to the string the former can be hauled
over. In the case in question, however,
this method was obviously impracticable
within the hollow shaft of the monument.
. Scientific american.