The National tribune., 1883-09-13
SOLDIERS MONUMENTS.
Some Practical Advice as to the Material Out Of
Which They Should be Built.
-IONAL TRIBUNF:

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
To the comrades Of the G. A. r., and others
interested in the erection Of memorials 10 the
memory of our country's fallen defenders, l
desire to say few words to you ON this very
important subject.
1t has been the custom of all nations and
people in erecting monuments and statuary 30
the memory of great men and important events
TO use some kind oil stone. But recently
a material has been used for that purpose which
is far superior 10 anything heretofore en-
ployed, even superior to the dark "COPPER" or
olive (brass) bronzes 1t is known as the white
bronze, and is made Of pure refined zine,
primal metal, the same as gold or silver,
which oxidizes to blush gray. Our scien-
tific works say of it, as follows:
Zinc.-When exposed to the air or placed In
OF oxide which does not increase. Ihi5 hlIn VII!
resist the chemical effects of the atmosphere for 81
time.-IFatts' Dictionary Of Chemistry.
The insolubilty of its oxide protects the zinc SO
that when the finn Is once formed upon 1t thefe Is
no further change Brandes Encyclopedia Of
Science, rot |.
When zine is exposed TO a moist atmosphere its
surface becomes coated with q thin film OF oxide
which protects the metal beneath from further
oxidizatiOn.-C e Chambers Encyclopedia, ro!. TO-
Zine, when exposed to the air. becomes covered
with Tim OF oxide of q gray color, which Is not
further altered by exposufe.-EteIneHtS Of CheBlis
ry by John w. Draper, H. ID.
Zinc, when exposed to the atmosphere, will
cover itself with II thin film of oxide, which adj
heres closely to the metal and protects 1t from fur
ther change.-ApQtetons Apsericd5t Encyclopedia
Vot TO- page 636
We might continue on in quoting what sci
enatic works say as to Its durability. There is
not Il scientist OF any note but that indOrses it
as being indestructible even in our variable
climate, and the best known material row in
use. | find the list headed by Prof r. Ogden
of N..yr VCyl %ba Io4o
F. Craig, u. s. Government Chemist. Washing
ton, ID. c.; in fact, all who have written on the
subject agree this point.
To the eye of some, marble and granite, when
new, look the best, but lasting fine artistic
work cannot be produced of these materials en-
account OF their disintegrating propensities, as
may be seen by going into any old cemetery,
where you will find the marbles moss grown,
rough, and in some instances the inscriptions
gone, cracked, broken. and iron-rusted. Their
composition is such that unto dust they must
return.
Marble is composed of crystallized carbon
ate OF lime The carbonic acid of the air dis
solves it, and the storms wear it away at the
rate of nearly One-eIghth of an inch IN fifty
Years. Granite is composed of alumina, field
spar, hornblende, iron, mica potash, and silica.
The dampnesS of our climate dissoIves the pot
ash and feldspar, and the iron Fusts it. Both
classes of stone are great feeders of moss; are
porous, absorbing moisture, and freezing cracks
and scales them OFF. Not so with the white
bronze, which is free from all these evils.
The Hon. G. w. Potiyin, of GAINESVILLE, Ohio.
was sent on a tour of inspection by the Mus
kingum County Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Association TO carefully inspect national mOnu-
mentS, with the view of deciding on the ma
| terial they should select. He wrote from Hy-
| annlS Port. Mass, August 10, 1882, after care
| fully inspecting Nantucket, Providence, and
| Bridgeport monuments, and others erected in
memory OF the soldiers and sailors of the war
| of the rebellion, that the two latter were very
| beautiful and massive, costing some $4,000
| each, but were badly cracking, some of the seams
! being opened wide enough for him to thrust
| his hand IN, and the copper bronze statuary
| and tablets were as black as ink. lie said hC
| would prefer white bronze monument, cost
ing $1,000 TO any 10000 monument OF marble
or granite that had come within his Observa
| ton.
| The soldiers white bronze monument erected
at Sing Sing. n. Y, in 1873, is spoken,very
highly of by Ira J. Griffin, treasurer of tn,
monument fund. There was one unveiled July
4, 1888, by q. ID. Baily Post, No. 200, Lowville
| Lewis county, n. Y, which, from the account
given in the Journal and ReDH5ticaR Of that place
must be thing of artistic beauty and highly
appreciated by its purchasers. As to cheap
ness the work could not be duplicated in stOni
1 IOI OOupiS tLiG LiOuOS- Inc oDtSStlOu W tAs
dark and olive bronze is its dark color wheI
| oxidized and its tendency to exude verdigFes
| besides, they are very expensive.
Comrades, you who desire to erect lastins
memorials in memory of comrades that hayt
been mustered into that Grand Army above, il
is certainly worth your while TO look this mat
ter up. Let US not trust those records to ex
pensive, massive piles of stone that are every
| day proving failure before our very eyes. Th'
great Independence rock, spoken of in Genera
| Fremont's explorations, has lost its aneien
records from the wearing of the elements. i
is the largest known granite rock in NOrtt
America. Feeling that in this matter / an
doing unto others as / should wish to be
done by,
am, yours. in F., c., and L.,
EvANsBURG, o. L. 3. WOLFE