The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-08
A WORTHY TRIBUTE.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE eRr.,
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
Ao highest structure in the World Ioo,,,
Down Upon the National Capita,
"A Noble Memorial to a
Great Nan.

WASHINGTON CITY, Dec. S.-The cop.s+oo,
oil the Washington monument FridaI -
hung in mid-air ready to be lowercd 60
80 e az p H. Saturday when the exterior
VI cne monument was comDieted with tho
single exception of taking down the s+aa.t,,
at the top and plugging I'M with ,na7lIe
blocks the holes left to ia Ike the stacinr ti INV
bers in through. es ''i''
,r me monument stands on the spot that
""AhiiigIon selected for the statue which |
congress had voted him and which it never
.a"Seu 10 De erected. The construction of
1ne monument was at first a voluntary
auaf, and undertaken by the Washington
monumental society, organized in 1875.
"illch raised S23O,OO0 The design of Rob
ert Mills was for a shaft 600 feet high, The
CONVERSIONS was laid July 4, 1913. by Robert
| T. mthrop, speaker of the house of repre
Sehtat'VeS and work went on for about five
years, when the society had exhausted lis
FUNDS and could not realize any more. The
monument was then l74 feet high. Under
| the influence of the centennial CONGRESS- in
August 1916, appropriated $500, 900 to CON
'mue the erection of the monument.
| Inc foundations were deemed Insufficient.
and new foundations were put under the
monument, the w,Vk being completed in
May 1889. A mass Of concrete thirteen feet
six inches thick was put under the old fonda
0on. The Oh foundation was eighty-one feet
square and sixteen feet eight inches thicl,.
and the new foundation is 1876 feet six inches
square. The monument in tifty-tfye feet
square at the base, and the apex will be SIS
feet above the foundation. Tho entire ex-
terror is Maryland marble, AMI the interior
Is granite The walls are fifteen feet thick Gt
the base, and about two feet at tho top AT
different times since the resumption of the
! work congress has appropriated $500 900 foI
the completion of the shaft. The
: original plan contemplated an elaborate
d rotunda and Cololade about the bast
: of the shaft but it is quite uncertain whether
il anything of the kind will be bMlt. Since
y congress undertook the completion of Tia,
n monument Lieut. Col T. L. Casey has hrc,
l. in charge Of it. Mr. Winthrop, who lai,
t. the cornerstone, is still alive and if nothin:
happens to him be will deliver the orato
in the house of representatives Feb. % next
to commemorate its completion
In order that the public may enjoy tn
magnificent view from near the summit q
~ the monument eight windows or port hole
- were left, two on each side of the monument
IT about four feet above the 5O0-fcet leve
Y, When these windows are open the appear
x, dnce Of the monument is marred b
be- two black holes on each side. To obviat
this bemish on the mik-white surfac.
and also for the purpose Of protecting IL
monument from the weather, marble shu
ters about two inches thick and weighing Il
pounds will oe constructed to fit exactl
- these portfolios. These can be opened du
ing visitors hours and closed at all otht
times. 1t is not expected that the interi,
! of the monument will be free from Americs
vandalism, and many name will
written on the walls. If the outer faces
the marble shutters when swung haC
were present to the visitor thay would eve
tuaIly become marred and blackcnei to SUI
an extcnt that when placed in position t
surface would I've defaced, In order that t
outer faces Of the shutters may always
kept perfectly clean very ingenious CO
trivanca has Iean devised by m2ansof viii
the shutters are turned arolni back TO
they are opened.