San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-08-02
THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
Iuterestiag Facts About the Grandest Obelisk In
the World.

Interesting Facts About the Grandest 0beilsk In
the World.
No one laughs now at the Washing
ton monument, writes correspondent.
The day of its being a subject for nd
icule is over forever. Its growth is
the wonder of Washington, and its
beauty the admiration of both Ameri-
cans and foreigners. Already over
$50 feet high, it rises from the banks
of the Potomac great white marble
shaft piercing the clouds and backed
against the blue of the sky. The
monument when completed will be
sos feet high, 48 feet higher than the
cathedral at Cologne. 1t will be Tar
different, however, from the needle
like shafts of the great European Ca
thedral; each of it's sides at the top
will be So feet in width, and the whole
massive tower will seem solid growth
of natural rock rising from the earth
and reaching to the sky. The width
at the base of It's four sides is 55 feet,
the monument gradually tapering for
over 500 feet until it becomes a cone
each side of which is IS feet.
The work of building is going rap.
idly on, aud it is expected that it will
be completed within two years at
least. The lower part of the monu-
ment is granite, with marble facing
on the outside. AS the monument
rises the granite backing diminishes.
A few feet more and it will disappear,
and the remainder of the monument
will be made entirely of marble. Some
of the stones Incorporated in it are
memorial blocks given by different
states and nations. One slab comes
from Greece, another from Turkey,
and others from China and Siam.
All are inscribed in the languages and
letters of their countries. Other
stones are gifts of the different states
of the Union. Others, and none of
them should be inserted, come from
firms and men who wish to advertise
themselves or their business.
Since 1880, when the foundation
was completed, the settlement of the
shaft has been me and quarter
inches, and this though the weight
has been increase nearly 10000 tons.
The settlement l Is been remarkably
uniform, and there is no danger of the
Washington monument turning into
a second tower of Pisa. +.
The action of the monument is
watched most carefully and it's every
movement registered. Two plummets
are suspende Gin it's inside, one from
a height Off feet and the other
from heigh of $50 feet. The
movement OF these arc compared
many times day. The movement
of one should be about ) times that
of the other, if there were no irregu-
lar internal movement of the part of
the structure. But the register shows
that the movement is irregular in
both direction and in size. Some
times the plummets move in opposite
directions and sometimes in the same.
Sometimes the top moves little, but
it's whole sway since the foundation
wa strengthened has been only one
ou, rter of an inch. All of these
movements are very slight, and some
of them can only be detected with a
microscope. The longer plummet
line is encased in wooden box, to
prevent the atmosphere having any
effect upon it, and since the finding
that the spiders had once drawn the
line out Of the perpendicular, care
full investigation is made daily, to see
that the lines are not influenced by
outside causes. Once, when great
CONSERVATION was caused by the If
regularity of the line, it was found
that an owl was perched upon the top
of the line. 1t was caught, killed,
stuffed and given to Mrs. Hayes, and
is now probably on exhibition at Ere
mont. Col. Casey says the monu-
ment will be finished by the 18th of
July next. 1t will probably have an
elevator in the interior, and on its
top will be had one of the finest views
in the world. America will never be
ashamed of the Washington monu-
ment, and it will go down to posterity
as one of the greatest doingS of the
past. Up to 1856 it had cost $780,
600, and since then the appropriations
have amounted to 100000, so that
altogether it will, when completed,
have cost S1,100,OOO.
Southern Railroad Boom.
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