The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-27
a WEIRD NIGHT SCENE.
Working on the Washington Monument by
the Aid of Electric Light.

Washington Republican
At s o'clock last night the elevator in the
Washington monument carried down from its
300feet top to mother earth twenty-one persons.
Eighteen of these were workers and three visit
ors, including Captain Davis and Republican
reporter. Fourteen of the workers had been at
the top for sixteen hours, the last two of which
they had labored in the rays of electric light
This was thrown from the Smithsonian tower
and the Treasury by two of the rejecting lights
of the Brush-Swan company. The needs for this
long trick of work lay in the necessity of secur-
ing the eight immense beams upon which the
derrick to be used to place the roof stones in po-
sition is to be erected These are sixty feet long
and about foot square They stand within the
thirty feet of diameter 20 which the top
of the shaft has narrowed uniting at
the top. mast twenty six feet long will pass
through the center, projecting some fifteen feet
above them. On this will be horizontal bar
twenty feet in length, which will form the der
rick and be easily movable upon certain turn
ing on an ingenious adaptation of the ball bear
ing in use on bicycles and formed of number
of grapeshot from the arsenal, which are placed
between two grooyed plates, So readily does
this respond to the application of force that even
with superintendent weight of twenty tons a
child can turn it.
The gale that came up about 2.3O o'clock yes
terday afternoon. caught the work in a highly
dangerous condition, none of the beams being
then secured, and scarcely any warning pre-
coded the blow. Superintendent Mclaughlin
managed to prevent the panic that threatened his
force of men, many OF whom had hats and coats
blown away, and all hands were soon
hard at work executing what temporary
measures could be inaugurated on the spur of
the monument They had scarcely succeeded
in combating the furious force of the wind when
a violent haistorm came on, corresponding with
the heavy rain which fell in the city. The veloc-
ity of the wind, as registered at the signal Office
was twenty eight miles an hour, but previous
extended experiments with an thermometer on
the top of the monument demonstrated that the
rate shown on the ground was always doubled
on the monument top. These experiments were
made two years since when the shaft was not
much more than half as high as it now is, 80
that the estimated velocity Of the hurricane was
probably not less than sixty miles en- hour. The
men were sustained while at their perilous work
by meals sent up to them at regular hours
The scene from the monument top after night
fall was weird and wonderful The effect was
heightened by singular phenomenon re-
sulting from the reflection Of the powerful
rays of the electric lamps. Standing away over
beyond Arlington was a colossal apparltion of
the monument, apparently sending forth rays'0f
light, and reminding the beholder forcibly of the
representations Of the statue sometime to be
erected in New York harbor with its hambeau.
This was the effect of the light from the Smith
sonian tower A similar but fainter figure was
thrown to the south by the treasury lamp. This
rose up in its majestic proportions from the cen
ter OF the lights in Alexandra, whichwere plain
~ visible. AT the foot of the shaft these phe
nomena were reversed, the appearance in each
case being that of q wedge-shaped shaft Of dark
ness bordered on either side by slight rays, the
smaller end seemingly dipping into the dark
waters OF the Potomac A short distance away
the scene again changed, the top of the shaft
being apparently the luminous center of a star
shooting off rays in four opposite directions, the
shaft being duplicated on the respective reverse
sides.
The lights Of the city, which we're spread out
like the inverted canopy Of the heavens on 4
starry night shone yellow, in comparison with
the brilliancy Of the reflected electric lights