New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-25
THE WlSHING TOW MONUMENT


good citizen can read without modification.
II is in reply to resolution of inquiry into
the practicabity of finishing the Washington
Monument at the National Capital in time for
the Centennial celebration and besides an
account of the present condition Of the work
it gives history of the undertaking from its
beginning. Such narrative OF failure
indifference, neglect, and ingratitude may
well make us doubt whether we are
really patriotic people. 1t Is no
less than ninety years since the United States
of America first attempted to construct
national monument to George Washington.
The Continental Congress in 1888 passed
resolution for the erection of an equestrian
statue on a marble pedestal upon which should
be represented memorable incidents OF the war
of independence. Nothing was done however
| under this resolution, and after Washingtons
death new scheme was devised, Congress
| asking and obtaining from the widow OF the
| illustrious patriot in 1919 permission to deposit
| his remains beneath marble monument TO be
set up at the capital. There was some further
| legislation respecting this dcSi"n, but no
appropriation was ever made for 1t. The plan
| of n voluntary association of citizens for the
collection of funds and the execution Of the
work was adopted in 1888, Chiet-Justice Mar
shall being its first President and ex-Pres-
dent Madison its second. The cornerstone OF
| the obclisk which has so long reared its I'M
finished head on the banks of the Potomac was
laid July 4th, 1913, and the work was con-
tinued with tolerable regularity until 1854,
when the funds were exhausted after the ex-
pendture of $4,000. Since that time only four
| IL Al. l. ,,.l,t e thn, ,nnIt
ment (making its present elevation la feet, ana
the tIifling contributions received are scarcely
more than enough to pay the petty expenses
Oess than thousand dollars year, OF taking
care of the property. The Association holds
a balance of about $4,000 in cash and secu-
rites. New-York has voted an appropriation
of $4,000, conditioned upon the collection of
enough money to complete the shaft. New
Jersey has subscribed $4,000 and Minnesota
$4,000 on the same terms and California, by
a vote of the Legislature, has resolved to give
81 900 year until the monument Is finished,
but the Treasurer of the Society has not re-
cciyed the money. Private subscriptions
ceased long $50.
The original plan of the monument embraced
a grand circalar colonnadei building two hun
dred and fifty feet in diameter and one hun
dred feet high, from which was to rise the
marble-faced shaft to hight of 600 feet above
the ground. The tallest structure on the
globe is supposed to be the great pyramid of
| Cheops, which has an elevation OF only 4SO
feet. The spire of the unfinished cathedral OF
Cologne is intended to be $40 feet
high; but at present there are very
few cdilices of any kind that ex-
cecd 400 feet. Many objections have been
made to the plan Of orr monument on artistic
considerations, and of late some fears have
| been expressed as to its stability. a COM
petant officer of engineers. Lieut.. w. l.. Mar
! shall. was recently detailed by the Secretary
| of War to make an examination of the work,
| and his report is submitted with that of the
| Committee. Lieut.. Marshall discovered that
| the foundation was in excellent condition, and
| that the detection of the axis of the
shaft from the perpendicular was only
about an inch and half. In the
construction of the Obelisk. however,
there was one serious fault. The
marble blocks had been dressed to accurate
| bearing surfaces for few inches from the
face, and beveed away in the rear. The re-
suit of this was to throw an excessive pres
| sure upon the exterior edges, and as a con-
sequence the lover blocks are seriously Clipped
and defaced. The completion of the shaft
would of course increase the evil. But this is
not all. While the masonry of the foundation
| is secure, 1t is necessary also to take into
consideration the stability of the earth and
| clay uDon which it rests. The tendency of
| such bed under great pressure is to yield
by lateral motion, and calculation
a, n;rl,t oh tha had
ought to bear in this case is equivalent
to 2O,3O5 pounds per square foot. The
| weight of the completed monument, suppOs =
| ing it to be uniformly distributed, would be
| 1885 pounds per square foot. But in violent
| storms the wind will exert tremendous force
| against the shaft, throwing Gan excess of
| pressure on one side of the foundation over
that on the other of nearly five tons per
"superfical FOOT "The variations of pres
"sure,r continues Lieut.. Marshall, "will be
greater than the entire pressure upon any
"carth foundation | can find recorded. What
% the effect of such strains will be under the
circumstances cannot be foreseen, but there
"is danger that varying and excessive pres
"s,lres upon inelastic earth may in time pro-
" duce permanent yielding of the foundation
"bed, with attendant evil effects"
If these calculations are correct there can be
no doubt that the plan of the monument
| must be changed. Lieut.. Marshall proposes to
carry tho shaft to the hight of 400 feet, re-
ducing the thickness Of the walls above the
portion now built, and substituting brick for
stone filling. This will lessen the pressure by
| about two-thirds, without affecting the stabil-
| ity of the shaft. Instead of the colonnaded
pantheon around the base, Lieut.. Marshall
proposes terrace 200 feet square at the top