News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-12-27
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
4 TRIP To THE TOP OF THE LOFTIEST
STRUCTURE IN AMERICA.
The Height of 40 Feet Already Attained
and 40 Feet TO be AddCd-The Elevation
of Other Lofty Towers and Buildings.

of Other Lofty Towers ana buildings
The Washington monuments finished
to height of 40 feet, at which it will
remain till the work is resumed in the
spring. There is yet to be added 140
feet before the shaft is completed, but
even now the smooth white pillar is the
loftiest artificial elevation on this conti
nent, and, with twelve or thirteen ex
ceptions, ON this planet. When COM
pleted it will be the highest structure of
human hands in the world. Washing
ton will then be not only first in war,
first IN peace, and first in the hearts of
his coumtrymen, but also first in the
height of his monument.
Since the column has grown to such
an altitude it his attracted visitors in
crowds, who besiege Col Casey for
passes to enable them to ascend the
elevator that hoists the blocks of marble.
To the great delight of the sightseers
and the hindrance and vexation of the
masons, such passes are issued. Among
the visitors recently was a group consist
ing of a learned mathematician, two
ladies, and a reporter of The San.
When the party arrived at the foot of
the monument its noble proportions
were seen in their full impressiveness.
One does not comprehend the towering
height of the marble till he stands at the
base and glances upward. Then it looks
its full altitude, and the visitor begins
to understand the journey about to be
made in the platform car.
The mathematician, as we stood at
the base, explained the nature of the
trip. 1--WE shall be-" he said, "nine
minutes going up, Or forty-fve feet to
the minute. We can thus easily deter
mine as we go up the height of rival ele-.
vations."
The car presently came in sight,
slowly descending with load of sight
sees who looked much relieved as they
stepped off the platform and separated.
Two empty freight cars were then
shunted off on a tiny side track, and in
their place two other trucks loaded with
massive blocks of marble were rolled
upon the platform. The visitors hud-
died about them while the conductor
collected the passes. Then he gave
sign.
''Oh, we are moving" !" cried one of
the ladies, grasping one of the blocks
very firmly.
All of the party seemed little nerv-
GUS, for we were in for it now. If any
thing broke in the next ten minutes
there would be no help for us. One or
two of the young men affected levity,
but it was so BADLY artificial that it in
creased the thOughtfulness of the others.
The mathematician alone maintained his
He had braced himself
,ss.,;t.s,t ono of the urrishte of tho sls"lo
ton elevator, and was holding his watch
in one hand and in the other a card he
had prepared giving the heights of vari-
Gus structures. A jar, a nervous start,
or carelesss movement would have pre-
cipitated him into the abyss. But to
this quiet man of science the accidental
surroundings save as they bore on the
subject under investigation were of no
consequence.
We had been passing smoothly and
noiseIessly upward for two minutes.
The frivolous young man had relapsed
into silence; the young ladies clung to
the blocks and the reporter clung to the
Young ladies. Nothing was heard but
the drippingof the moisture as it oozed
down the clammy walls. 1t became
dark, and the air was sepulchral. Alto
gether, it was an uncanny ride.
Suddenly the savant broke the
silance. In a dry, clear, composed
voice he remarked:
owe have scarcely begun our trip,
but We are now ninety feet high, or
above all the houses in town. In
another moment we shall be among the
steeples. "
''Indeed !" remarked one of the young
ladies, trying to look interested, but re-
laxing her hold on the marble.
Chow high is Trinity Church
steeple? ?" asked one of the frivolous
young men, subdued into docility and
respectful modesty by his surroundings.
eve viii come to that in time," said
the orderly man of science. ''The first
station on our perpendicular railroad is
Pisa. Here we are; Leaning tower of
Pisa, 179 feet.
81 guess I'll get out here" said one
of the empty young men.
Cant stop, this Is a through train, ="
said the conductor of the elevator,
gravely.
The ladies laughed uneasily at this
by-pIay while the platform car moved
on its skyward way and the professor
scanned his card for the next elevation.
'Here are a group of stations. You
will be obliged to look quick as We pass
to see them at all: Montreal-Notre
Dame cathedral, 22O; Bunker Hill
monument, 221; Notre Dame de Paris,
224."
'Indeed I" exclaimed the young
ladies, after which silence settled on the
group for another very long minute.
The company began to be afraid that
the savant had forgotten his notes OF
had tumbled off But at the right in
stant his calm voice was heard again.
"Six minutes. We have just passed
over the Marent trestle on the Northern
Pacific, 26G feet, and are at the Minaret
of the Great Cairo Mosque, 282. Almost
directly opposite is Trinity spire, New
York. 284. The tallest of the pagodas,
the Pih-She-t'ah, at Soochow, is below
us at about $50 feet Now we are pass.
ing the campanile at Florence, 292, anc
here comes the top of the Capitol, 30I
feet"
"Why, how very interesting" re
marked the young ladies, clmgine
tighter than ever to the blocks of mar
bic. There was little shaking of the
platform. and one of the bIithe young
men declared that it was caused by tht
trembling of the other young man, bu
this he denied with a painful effort a
hiIarity.
"Oh, we're almost there" exclaimed
one of the ladies looking up.
eyes, " replied one Of the young men
glancing over the edge, 'but it's a deel
hole down to the bottom" This was