The Cecil Whig., 1882-12-30
UP THE WASHING TON MoNUMEN +

" NE w "a y IN NUN - WEN !
Ii one feels a desire t. sup full on hor-
rors in Washington there is no way in
which success is 50 certain and 50 speedy
| as an ascent of the 3i5 feet of the unfin-
i>hed Washington Monument. Although
no accident of any kind whatever has
happened since the work begun, owing
To the admirable precautions tnat have
t,een observed. the mere contemplation
Of the dangers to be avoided would give
General Washington himself. if he were
alive. the c'ld creeps. 1t must be re.
nembered that the monument is already
among the highest structures in the
world. while the transportation of the
gigantic bucks of stone to the top is
something which, has no parallel in this
country. and has seldom been egualled
anywhere. Whether the ascent is cal
'ulattd to inspire fear or not may be-
imagined from the reply made by one of
he highest officials in Washington to the
'rqniry, 'were you-were you not just
little frightened going up - Fri ht-
med. I"as perfectly terrifed!' was the
hearty response, given with all the force
.,f emphasis.
The ascent is made by the ELEVATOR.
which runs through the middle of the
great obrlSk. The ell, vator is mere
npen platform. which does not deserve
he name of the alleviator, as Mrs. Gen.
filtiory puts it. it is ra' her the terIitier.
Every time it goes up it carries from five
IA ten tons of stone. and the only way
Tor visitors to get to the top is to huddle
around the immense mass Of stone on
the diah"lIcal- looking machine. The
platf"lm begins to move slowly and la
n"Ii"u>ly upward. grinding and cracking
At every inch from the enormous weight
lay totally disappears. and at that mo-
ntnt the horrors of the position sudden
" swoop d"wn upon me. To be dang
ing hundreds of feet above a chasm.
with onlv a Iopr h-tween fall to the
'n'rtom with 10 600 pounds of stone is
.n"n9h to alpall amy imagination. Al
h"u.h the dal kntsS is blackness incon-
ceivahlp. and the intenS. silence is broken
nj, b, the grooming of the great mass
ceiling its way pain ully upward. yet the
rightlu| ah>ss appears I" become of il T.
elf both andbIe and visible. The last
40 feet Of haiarcing between heaven
ant! earth is like hanging between life
ard death. Even the elevator man gives
mp his heroic efforts to keep up the cour-
,gc of the party.
At length light FROM the top begins to
appear, and in "A minute or two a pallid
party of pleasure seekers steps out on
The platform at the top nearl, 400 feet in
the air. There is an enormous iron strnc-
ture running through the middle of the
nhtli>k. and around this the stone is
hincked. Six feet are added every week
in three tiers of two-foot blocks. The
structure is then six feet above the TEN
pnrarv platform. which is therpupon
raised. aud the work of bringing it six
feet above the level is recommended. A
net work of rope is securely fixed around
the top of the shaft, extending several
feet off. to catch any unfortunate man
compelled to he on the very edge in Or
der TO complete the outer layer of stone.
A Young lady. not long since. in spirit
of hravadn. threw herself into the life.
saving net. A weak spot in the rope
would have sent her nearly 400 feet to
the earth. A contrivance like rigging Of
a ship is on top of the shaft. and the
wind h"wlS through it with enormous
force. When tier or two of stone is
laid the wnrkmen are protected in a
measure from the violence of the wind
hut they acknowledge that when they
are working on a level it is something
terrific.
If anything could repay one for the
horrors of the ascent it would he the
virw after reaching the top. Even tn
most hardened Sightseer must be enthu.
sia~tc at the great panorama spread GU,
before him. The vast Treasury Building
"kS like Lilipufian. The plan of
Washington becomes as well defined as
= CHECKER board The lnll grandeur ~
IT," c pit"l is Then for the first time real
izrd. When it is remembered that the
si"ns of the great pyramid and of ST.
Peters. being perhaps a few feet Longer
than either. it may seem that it has no.
thing to lose hv looking at it from ary
point of ei, walton. Every thing el>e
grows minute from the top "f the mnnu
menr. exc pit the white spendnr of the
Capital. 1t seems to he ON "A mountain.
instead nf :: hill. and amid the. diminish
ing OF every other object the great white
d 'me stands prandl> ont So high tina, it
looks as though poised in air
\ look at the elevator and a prnpnsi
tinn 10 descend is enough to kill any +Ir-
/ rhusi5.>m. huwever. But it is bv com
raiis"n with the ascent simply delight
iui There is no mountain of stone 10
make one fancy how it wnuld feel to ga
t. the bottom of the hideons hole with
it. To the Simultaneous and earnest 49,
snrances made t" the elevator man that
nobody of the party would ever do so
any more. he sardonioaliy replied, "All
of 'eml saws THAR