The Red Cloud chief., 1880-09-23
Work Renewed Upon the Washington
Monument.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago work was sus-
pended on the Washington Monument.
after having attained the height Of $50
feet. In the years that interviewed be-
tween the stoppage If work up 10 two
years ayo nothing was done toward
completing the structure. and 1t stood
"a an emblem of unpatriotic devotion
of a great people To the illu,trions man
who led the American armies tn victory
over an oppressive foe. One hundred
years after the birth Of the American
Republic, Congress took steps to COM
plcte the monument. Two ears and
more were devoted To strengthening
the foundations. so that the monument
would stand the pressure OF h addi-
tional 20, 900 tons Of stone necessary 10
take il up to the height originally in
tended 800 feet. For some weeks now
the top of the monument has Shown
signs Of activity and life. The old
board covering and the rotten derrick.
which stood the summer heat and he
wintry blasts for twenty-five years. dis
appeared, and in their places appeared
evidences of modern machinery and
hosting apparatus. and a score Of work
men engaged in removing the upper
LAYERS of stone, injured by the water
and the frosts. Under the direction Of
Colonel Casey. the Commissioner 81
Public Buildings and Grounds. the work
upon the monument has progressed
very rapidly. The diameter OF the
monument ut the base is iifty-six feet.
of which thirty-one feet Is Of mason
nv, the well hole in the center be-
ing twenty-five feet At h height
IF $50 feet the thickness Of The mason
nv is eleven feet eight inches. and this
Colonel Casey thinks is wholly unnec-
essary, and so he proposes o thin
point up to reduce the thickness about
three feet, making the distance from
the outside edge Of the marble 10 the
inside line of the granite eight fee, eight
inches. BY doing this the base OF the
monument will be relieved OF much
pressure and the structure viii bs
stronger. The filing in back OF the
marble TO the line of the well hole from
the base up to the present height has
been done with irregular sized blue
stone and cement. In removing tho
upper LAYER of stone for the distance Ok
about two and q half feet, al sizes %
stone were found from the size of n
mans hand TO 4 block eighteen inches
thick and two or three feet in length
An even surface has now been made.
and from this point up nothing but
cut granite blocks. every n made TO
lit in its place. will &c put in The old
plan Of putting in bluestone heller
skelter will not be followed, but instead
a regular course of granite. An e!e-
vator has been erected inside the o
ument. which carries all the one and
material to the top. and as the work
propresses this will be extended up
wards also. The elevator IL \ perma-
peut one. and when the monument IL
finished will be used 90 take passengers
to the top. Colonel Casey told your
correspondent while standing on the
top Of the monument that he expected
to add twenty-five feet TO the height
before cold weather sets in Before
the end of this fiscal year. the S0sh of
next June. he feels confident that sew
enty feet will be added To the monu-
ment. making the height then 2sD feet.
Alargc number II memorial Stones
contributed TO the monument twenty
fiye or thirty years ago, are IN = Sfn-Ai
frame building on the monument
grounds. These he does not intena TO
build into the monument proper. but
will have them made thin and fastened
on the inside as il goes up By copper
bolts. As these stones are Of irregular
sizes, Colonel Casey says il viii . o be
advisable to put them into the waA Of
the monument proper. because il viii
interfere with the regularity Of the
structure. Ali viii be used. however,
and made 10 show 10 advantage very
many Of the memorial stoaes in the
monument on the inside. facing the
well-hoie. are badly injured BY the W.
ter running down upon them and The
effects Of The weather A number Of
these were ~elabora;ely let'ered in gill;
and the lettering IS almost iilegiole--
Washington Cor. HiLsaeipaSa Bsiie:sa-