The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-08-13
The Washington Monument.

The great Washington monument, soon
to be the loftiest structure built by hu-
man hands since the days of Babel, is
severely simple in form, but the plain
obelisk, as it nears completion, is develop
ing harmony of proportion which will
add grace to the grandeur of the completed
shaft, with its capstone piercing the air
nearly an eighth of mile above terra
firma-a noble work, fifty symbolizing
the grand character of the great man in
whose honor it is erected.
As the work has now reached an inter-
esting stage Star man called at Colonel
Caseys office last Monday, and asked
permission to go to the top of the monu-
ment. ave are not granting any passes
now," said the colonel "there is not
room on the work for many visitors, but
l am going over just now, and you can
accompany me up the shaft if you wish to
do 3d." This was satisfactory, and after
few minutes walk down through the
White Lot the foot of the lofty column of
dazzling white marble was reached. Look
ing into the engine-room and sscertaining
that there was q pressure of eighty
pounds of steam to the square inch in the
boiler-considerab more than enough to
hoist much larger party-the colonel and
his companion mounted the wooden steps
which lead up to the floor of the monu-
ment, and entering the giant doorway
found themselves in the cool interior, an
apartment thirty feet square, with an
aerial ceiling, at present so far overhead
that it is merely small square patch of
light on the surrounding darkness.
While the elevator was coming down
Colonel Casey explained some of the fea.
lures of the interior construction. Among
these are eight stout columns of boiler
iron, strongly riveted, which rise from the
floor TO the top of the monument. -Four
of these columns, few feet distant from
the four wall angles, are supported on
great stones bedded in the solid blue rock
foundation of the monument. They are
far enough from the walls to leave room
for the substantial iron stsirwsys and
platforms they support, and the twenty
feet lengths are so securely joined and
rammed and braced that they would stand
securely though the walls Of the monument
were removed. The four inner columns
constructed in the same way, are the ele.
vator guides, specially framed and braced
WIN VAOW w ooAosJt ASi hOWhOho CAoC vi
earth does an observation-disclosures excepted
lift one five hundred feet from the
ground. The elevator is suspended by
stout cables of steel wire one and one
half inches in diameter. The colone
lifted a trap in the floor, exposing to view
great drum about eight feet in diameter
upon which the cable is coiled, and as the
drum slowly revolved, parting with it,
coils, the elevator WAS coming steadily
down.
The colonel next called attention to 9
plumb-line in one angle, suspended from
the top of the monument, hanging fire.,
through = graduated metal circle neal
the floor. "By applying a straightedg'
across this circle two ways, in directions
parallel with the walls, and touching thil
plumb line," said he, "the most minut,
DETECTION of the column from the perpen
dicular line can be measured at a glance.
SLOW much DETECTION has been noted ? ,
was asked.
"Not three-eighths of an inch triAt
in a work of this magnitude" was the
reply.
"How might it have been if you had