The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-11-13
HOSTING FREEDOMS STATUE.
Charles T, Thomas Recalls His Dizzy
Experience on the Capitol.

bApelleuCo oH Lnc Odplloi
Charles F. Thomas, the mechanical
engineer who placed the statue Of Free
dom on the capitol in Washington, lives
with his family in cottage at No. 80
Eleventh street, Brooklyn. He is of
stalwart proportions. A long, gray
beard gives him venerable appearance,
but his keen eyes are restless and
sparkle when he talks.
you see that framed certificate on
the wall?' he said. We'll, that was
signed by Abraham Lincoln twenty
years ago, a month before he was as
sassinated, 1t testities that Mr. Thorn
As, superintendent Of construction Of
the new dome, placed the statue of
Freedom on the dome on December 2,
1868, at II NJ, and that the scaffolding
whereby the tholus was built and the
statue was raised to its position was de-
signed and erected by him.
IL was eight years building the dome
and placing the statue in position. You
see under that glass bell on the table
yOnder model of the top Of the new
dome, the statue, and the circular scat
folding, whose top is above the head OF
the statue. That little model. a few
inches high, and whose largest timbers
are no bigger than matches, will sus-
tain a weight Of one hundred pounds.
The elevation of the top of the scat
folding on the western face of the CAPT
tOl was 800 feet. Two workmen and
myself only were allowed TO 90 on the
structure. We climbed to the top by
means Of cleats fastened to one Of the
uprights. Washington is windy place.
Gusts used 10 come from the most I'M
expected quarters on that lofty place.
1.-The head Of the statue was hoisted
to its position by means Of An eyebolt in
the cluster Of feathers in the helmet of
the statue, The instant it settled into
place thirty-four guns were fired by q
park Of artillery east Of the capitol, and
the guns Of all the forts near Washing
ton responded.
1T was by the wish of Jefferson
Davis that the head Of the statue was
crowned with the helmet surrounded
by circlet Of stars and topped off with
an irregular but picturesque bunch OF
feathers. Mr.. Davis was secretary OF
war in 1855. The sculptor, Crawford,
designed statue of Freedom with the
liberty cap To the cap Mr. Davis OBJ
iected, because, he said, the cap was
worn by freed slaves among the ancient
Greeks Mr. Davis objected that the
design suggested that Americans had
been slaves, Mr.. Crawford objected to
a change. Nevertheless he prepared a
design similar to that now in the CAPT
toll. Mr.. Davis approved it, and it was
adopted. At once newspapers opposed
to Mr.. Davis in politics said that his
motive in securing the change in the de
sign was that ne did not want an EN-.
blem on the capitol which indicated tina,
slaves could ever be made free.
After the scaffolding was partly re-
moved ! stood on the feathers OF the
helmet, while photographer took my
picture. He couldn't say, Look pleas
ant, or Hold your chin a little higher,
please, because he was at South First
street and New jersey avenue. | tied
a rope through the eyebolt in the centre
Of the top Of the head, so that a blight
was formed which hung down the slop-
ing side of the head. Iplaced my right
foot in the blight The left foot was on
top of the head. Standing thus the
photograph was taken. -
In the stercoscopic view which Mr..
Thomas has, his form looks like that OF
a blackbird newly lighted on Liberty
head
After the photographer had dropped
his handkerchief to signify that he had
done with me, | dropped on my right
knee and took hammer from one
pocket and some steel dies Of letters
from another pocket With a blow on
each die | stamped words on the top
most feather of the plume. They have
never been seen by anyone but myself,
and will not be in a thousand years. ]
believe the statue will never need re-
pairs. The words are as follows:
"A. Lincoln, President of the United
States; Thomas Hugh Walter. archi-
tect; B. B. French, commissioner Of
public buildings; Charles f. Thomas,
superintendent of construction of the
new dome. ~
''1s it a fact that Nulcan's face in the
allegorical painting in the eye of the
dome, over the rotunda, is your por-
trait?"