Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-05-20
pretexts for a pecessity for such an al.
lance.
Mount Vernon aud the Tomb Of
WashingtOn.

Mount Vernon and back is $1.5O C25 cents
is reserved as fund for the association. :,
The distance is fifteen miles. In passing
down the beautiful Potomac, the frs,
place that the steamboat touches is Alex.
andria, which affords fine harbor for
vessels of larger size. From Alexandfia
the boat passed Fort Washington, y
where are over 100 Is inch guns, throw.
"a ball weighing 4S5 pounds Then we
pass Fort Foot" where the government
is making permanent fortifcation, hav-
ing appropriation sl,OO0,0O0, and in
which are forty or fifty guns, most of the
heaviest kinds. The walk from the
wharf to the old home OF Washington is
poor, and at times very bad for ladies. As
the visitor goes up the hill upon which
stands the house Of this great man, he
first comes in contact with his tomb and
that Of Martha, his consort. Two monu-
ments stand at the corner Of tho tomb,
with inscriptions TO the memory Of mem
bers of the family who are buried here.
Through the iron gateway we look TO
the marble sarcophegus, on the cover Of
which is the single and sufficient inscrip-
ton " Washington" The " Y. 0bser-
great iustice, said "The end of it to-
wards the door bears long and ridicu-
lous record of the stonecutter who made
the marble coffin. 1t il in tho same taste
with that upon the Milton slab in West
minister Abbey, which is designed to i'm
mortalize not the poet. but the man who
put up the stone" We soon come to the
Washington mansion, but the first thing
which strikes the stranger with surprise
j. the general aspect of decay in the house.
No proper effort is made 10 keep it in or
der, purchased by the Mount Vernon As
-ociation for 100000. Yet all the finds
derived from the liberality of the people
seem to go for the express end of support
ing useless retfnue of servants, whose
chief characteristics are insolence and la
illness, and who appear TO have nothing TO
do but eat, drink, and sleep.
If the money expended in keeping up
this establishment was appropriated TO the
end of repairing the house and keeping it
in order, and laying out the grounds as far
az it went in neat manner, with Ave
-ixths of all the servants dismissed, there
would be TO the stranger a show fve-fold
better OF the premises : but az things now
are, the whole management of this estate
il simply disgraceful to the country that
purchased it for the purpose of making it
worthy Of the name Of the great man
whose remains repose in this beautiful
retreat.
THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD.
This yard is well located, and affords
much 20 interest a stranger. II embraces
80 -~-os. end it, business j. principally
the repairing and manufacturing of ma
chincry. / saw . iron olads costing per
day go 10 Keep them in order, and there
were vessels each costing ~ per day TO
take care Of IT, There are so persons en-
ployed in the yard with daily pay 81
81 10. The yearly income Of Rear Ad-
miral Poor. il $1,000. The navy yard il
upon the eastern branch of the Potomac
river. and il well protected. The first
- inch gun ever cast, was here proved
by firing II SGS times, with charges vary
from 30 pounds Of powder. with shell
Of $50 pounds, 10 20 pounds of powder,
with shot of 5iO pounds II cost 800
each time the gun was fired. it, weight
was six tons. The machine shops are for
making all kinds OF machinery necessary
for vessels. and are upon scale Of great
magnitude. There was nothing that in
tcrested me 80 much as tLe.eDsi ina this
navy yard, Of the steamer Bonn Homm
Ritchie," with 100. inch cylinder. The
engine weighs over a million pounds, and
cost near a million dollars. Two small
engines have TO be used for reversing the
main engine or starting il, and are built
on the side of it. The trip-hsmmer for
making anchors has weight Of 1890
pounds.
THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
The site of the Washington monument
covers 80 acres of land, near the Hstomac
river, directly west of the Capitol, within
the area of the new Park. or Mall The
corner stone was laid July 4th, 1913, at
which time Hon. Il. C. Winthrop of Mas
delivered an eloquent Grafton
upon the life and character of Washing |
ton. The design of il is to have the base |
1 circular temple, 26O feet in diameter
md 100 feet high, upon which there will
De shaft of so square feet at the base,
and 500 feet high, Thirty Doric columns
will support the Declaration of Independ-
snce, and conspicuous in front of the en-
france into the Rotunda, will stand a
statue of Washington. The present
height of the structure is 1S4 feet, and |
cost, thus far, $250,OO0. Here are blocks
If stone and marble brought from all
parts of the world. With the growth of
Washington and the country, this enter
Prise will in time be carried through.
And although many years may elapse be-
ore SO costly monument will be compile
ed yet time, that works such changes
n this and other countries, will, should
Nashiug become the permanent capital
# the Union undoubtedly secure at
east the realization of the splendid con-
eption of this National memorial of the
ather of the country, and the authors Of
he Declaration of Independence.
WASHINGTON CITY.
Ny impression, upon the whole, of
Washington is, that it is city of "mag-
lifcent distances,7 and with some mag
lifcent edifices. The city has an incom-
lete aspect. The last six years has made
great change. At present verything ,