The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-20
Up the Washington Monument.

and so speedy as ap ascent of the 80
feet of the unfinished Washington
Monument. Although no accident
of any kind whatever has happened
since the work has begun, owing to
the admirable precautions that have
been observed, the mere contemDla-
ton of the dangers to be avoided
would give General Washington him
self, if he were here, the cold creeps.
1t must be remembered that the
monument is already among the
highest structures in the world, while
the transportation of the gigantic
blocks of stone TO the top IS some
thing which has no parallel in this
country, and has seldom been equal
ed anywhere. Whether the ascent
is calculated to inspire fear or not
may be imagined from the reply
made by one OF the highest officials
in Washington to the inquiry, "were
you-were you not just a little
frightened going up?' "Frighten-
ed 1! l was perfectly terrified ~ was
the hearty response, given with all
the force of emphasis.
The ascent is made by the elevator,
which runs through the middle of
of the great .obelisk. The elevator is
mere open platform, which does
not deserve the name of elevator, as
Mrs. Gen. GilfiCry put it, it is rather
the terrifier. Every time it goes up
it carries from five to ten tons of
stone, and the only way for visitors
to get to the top is to huddle around
the immense mass of stone on the
Misunderstanding machine. The
platform begins to move slowly and
laboriously upward, grinding and
cracking at every inch from the enor-
nous weight it lifts. In half a min
ute the light Of day totally disap-
pears, and at that moment the hor-
rors of the position suddenly swoop
down upon me. To be dangling hun
dreds of feet above chasm, with on
ly rope between a fall to the bot
tom with 10 600 pounds of stone is
enough to appall any Imagination.
Although the darkness is hlackness
inconceivable, and the intense silence
is broken only by the groaning ofthe
great mass feeling its way painfully
pWard, yet the frightful abyss ap.
pears to become of itself both audible
and visible. The last 80 feet of bal
ancing between heaven and earth is
like hanging between life and death.
Even the elevator man gives up his
heroic efforts to keep up the courage
of the party.
AT length light from the top begins
to appear, and in a minute of two a
pallid party of pleasure seekers steps
out on the platform at the top nearly
400 feet in the air. There is an enor-
nous iron structure running through
the middle Of the obelisk, and around
this the stone is blocked. Six feet
are added every week In three tiers
of two.foot blocks. The structure Is
then six feet above the temporary
platform, which is thereupon raised,
and the work of bringing it six feet
above the lovel is recommended. A
net work of rope is securely fixed
around the top of the shaft, extend
ing several feel off, to catch any un.
fortunate man who might drop over
the workmen are compelled to be
on the very edge in order to complete
the outer layer of stone. A young
lady, not long since, in a spirit of
hravado, threw herself into the life
saving net. A weak spot in the rope
would have sent her nearly 400 feet
70 the earth. A contrivance like the
rigging of ship is on top of the
shaft, and the wind howls through it
with enormous force. When tier
Vi WV vi 10 tllC WOI
are protected in measure from the
violence of the wind, but they ac-
knowledge that when they are work.
ing on a level it Is something terrific.
If anything could repay one for the
horrors of the ascent it would be the
view after reaching the top. Even the
most hardened sightseer must be en-
thusiastic at the great panorama
spread out before him. The vast
Treasury Building looks like Lii.
putian. The plan of Washington be-
comes as well defined as checker
board. The full grandeur of the Cap
itol is then for the first time realized.
When it is remembered that the
Capitol is of almost the identical
dimensions of the great pyramid and
of St. Peters, being perhaps few
feet longer than either, it may seem
that 1T has nothing to lose by looking
at it from any point of elevation.
Everything else grows minute from
the top of the monument, except the
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