River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-01-25
A JOURNEY SKYWARD.


MOnument-The Work of the Past
Year--A Trip to the Top ofthe EIe-
vator.
The end Of the thirty-fourth year Of
the existence of the Washington monu-
ment finds that massive pile dividing
space at the height ofthree hundred and
forty feet and with ambitious notions Of
reaching FIVE hundred and ffty-fye feet
by the close Of 1884. By the middle Of
the coming year its height win begin to
compare fayorably with the highest edi-
fees in the world, and at its close it will
be as high, if not higher. than the spires
of St. Peters in Rene. At its compile
ton, atan altitude Of FIVE hundred and
ffty-five feet, il will be forty-four feet
nearer the clouds than any
known structure. The stereotype joke
about the unfinished Washing
ton monument will then be seen no
more in newspaper columns. For years
everything doubtful has been referred to
the time when the monument would
probably be finished, and a reasonable
notion seemed to prevail that it never
would be. These latter ideas sre pretty
well gone now, as its completion seems
an assured fact. There was not much of
the monument 10 be seen Il few years
ago over the treasury, looking down
from the higher portions Of the city, but
1t has crept ~ amazingly this last year
In that time ninety feet have been adj
ded, making since the resumption ofthe
work i'm 1880 the addition of 100 feet
Popular interest in the monument in
Creases as il shoots higher up, The fact
straight ahead that Il is going to overtop
I'll similar STRUCTURES is an important ar
gument that this enthusiasm is nOtgOIng
TO wane. The process of erecting sueha
towering obelisk Is futl of interesting de-
tails. Some of the incest calculations Of
engineering skill are embodied in its
construction, along with the best me
chanlcal work pr3cunbe.
The monument is composed ex-
tlusively of marble and granite. The
marble IS quIrried at CCcksysvile, bid,
and the granite comes from RocSland,
Me The stones come 10 the sheds
roughly cut and are there dressed TO the
right proportions. These blocks are
then numbered, and await their transit
ton from earth to Il truck, on a level
with the floor of The monument. Each
stone weighs about three tons, and the
elevator can easily accommodate two of
them. Tire man at he wheel consumes
On TcachiH the lpp, the crane. an arm OF
the derrick takes hold ofeach stone, and
10y a little guiding, the immense weight
is n easily placed in position as II it
were a brick The corner stones are al
WAYS set first The two stoi e-scttets,
McsSTs. Thomas Purcell and Dennis
4Lcary, have each four masous waiting
on them, and one cement man for the
two. THESE eleven men make up the
complement, working each day on the
top and " no II seen at all, by people be-
low them, look about the size or infants.
Mr.. Purcell was empl yed for a long
time on the original work Of the month
inent-the first hundred and fly feet
and steadily since the resumption OF the
work in 1880. setting he first 81 one then
on the northeast oTuer. He Is a fine mas
onand his skill has been called into active
play on many public buildings here and
IN other cities, as well as many tine resi-
denCes.
two 10 lor.y dollars each, in their rough
state, and about twenty dollars more
when dressed. Each course Of stone
adds two feet. and for each course sep
arate plans are drawn. The first course
at the base is two feet and five inches.
The shaft has tapered from fifty
five feet square at the bottom to forty
feet five and hall inches square at its
present height. The interior measure
ment is ten feet less, or thirty-one feet
five and a half inches square. Begin
ming With a thickness of fifteen feet at
the base. the walls will be about fifteen
inches thick at the top.
Every morning observations are
taken to determine the settling of the
immonce eight, estimated to be now
74S1l ms. From bench mark IN the
feid adjoining the elevated ground on
which the monument rests, obsel vations
are made, and the slightest depression
of the earth's surface IS noticed Then
q series OF marks on each corner on
the outside of the structure are carefully
noted. The viriatioLs. lfany, are COM
pared from day TO day, aud SO far the
settling has been ascertained to be an
inch and quarter. The entire settle
ment has been perfectly Uniform, affect
ing all sides similarly, and is therefore
aim Cst mnoticeable.
The work of building the 81 at is divi-
ded into sections OF twenty feet As this
height IS completed, the elevated appar-
atus, which Is built IN similar sections,
IS raised Il correspond II height. All
the work is ''plumbed" nom the inside.
The method is simple enough to Mr..
Mclaughlin, the superintendent, but
full of puzzhnl scientific details TO a no.
vice. In each corner of the base, in the
interior, there are stones permanently
set. Each of these is capped lay brass
plate having Il sll-ht hollow IN the cen
ter. As each section OF twenty feet IS
started Il bracket To which the plumb
ing" apparatus IS affixed IS pat up. The
lower bracket rs the standard for the
one above it. In the corners OF each
course a reel of wire lets down tie plum
met to the disc on the bracket below,
and by this the parts of each section are
kept plumb As each section is fin
ished the plummet Is let down to the
bottom, and must point, ifthe wall Is
straight, exactly over the followed
mark in the stone at the base. The
plummet is Il brass cylinder weighing
about fifty pounds, and has point OF
steel which tapers to the hneness of Il
needle. The work is necessarily plum
bed" from the interior since the lessen
INC in the width of the wal is done
from the outside. The leveing and
sQuaring of each course are other deli
cate operations, Wires are stretched
from side t. side, the space sighted, and
the points where the wires cross must
exactly correspond with previous meas
urements to ~ eserve the true square.
None of the ones contributed by va
rious states or societies, now unset, viii
be placed in posltil until the monument
is completed There are about one hun
bred Of these stores, and many Of them
are SC insignificant that it is questionable
whether they viii be used at all. Very
few of them could be trusted to sustain
any weight, and many are already
broken or Crumbling. Some of those
which we're placed in position in the
original part ofthe structure show the
marks of the weather, and may have to
he removed Those to he inserted viii
be put in inches drilled out Of the solid
stone the requisite depth, and will there
fore not be subjected to any great pres
sure. All Of the carved stones viii he
ON the east and west walls, where the
landings OF the staircase are. the steps
running up the north ami south walls.
The last contributed stones wee those
sent bv Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil,
and the state Of Nevada.
The trip on the elevator TO the top of
the monument is reckoned now as the
finest experience of a Washington sight
seer. Work being suspended on top
now, the elevator will not be run again
until operations are resumed in The
spring. so the winter tourist is going t,
miss it. There were SO many visitors
this fall that they were almost in the
workmen's way. The man who attends
the elevator is naturally growing more
lacunjc in his answers 10 be stereotyped