The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1884-11-26
CAROLINA TO
. MONUMENT TO THE MEMORY
OF THE GREAT STATESMAN.

cF If1II SsSft:t SI!AtfLS N.
The SarCOphagus that il now being
Greeted in St. Phillips Church,
yard Fully observation-disclosures Ac-
count OF tho Removals which the
Remains have Undergone ut Va
rious Times.
The stone sarc"phagus in st. Phillips
Churchyarl in which the mortal re-
mains Of John G. Calhoun have JUS,
been deposited, to rest, it is hoped, for
all time, was practically completed yes
tcrday, and will b. turned over to the
proper committee to-day or Monday. 1t
was visited yesterday by a large num-
Der of ladies and gentlemen, and. so far
as their opinions wcrc made known on
the spot, the design and execution Of
tho monument arc heartily commended
10y all who have seen it. In the absence
Of any pictorial representation Of the
monument it is not easy to describe it,
but the following account may serve to
give some idea Of its proportions and
general appearance to those who cannot
inspect it in person
The foundation is n solid mass of
brick. about twelve feet III length by
eight feet in width and five feet in
depth, the surface Of the mass showing
only few inches above ground. Upon
this foundation rests a solid block Of
granite ten feet long, six feet wide and
twenty inches thick. which supports in
turn a second block, eight feet hv four
fact ny tw"n:y-four inches. These two
blocks constitute the "Sarcophagus'
proper, rs tn" caSkct which contains
Mr.. Ca!houn's body rests in n cavity
suitably formed to receive it, by hollow
ing out n part Of the opposing surfaces
."f the two stones. 4 third block, sew
zen feet by three, and twelve inches
thick. rests upon the top stone Of the
s~arcophagnS, and supports in turn the
fourth and only inscribed block, upon
which rests, again, a fifth stone Of SINH
lar proportions to the third, the series
terminating in n cap-stonc, which may
~ Wv 10 lCSCilblllIS ~
shape the "h;p roof,:: to he seen upon
many old-tashioncd houses. The
:fonrth-stone. or "dic block,' as it is
,callcd, is six feet long, twcnty-thrcc
inches wide, and twenty-ninc inches
thick tn" fifth stone, therefore, pro-
.i"ctS beyond it on all sides : and the
cap-St"no, hriHS eight feet long by forty
five inches wide and thirty inches
thick, projects likewise over and beyond
both, and thus serves the desirable pur-
pose of protecting the inscriptions and
polish on the inscribed block below j..
The body Of the monument is of such
solid aud massive character as to defy
the encroachlnnntS Of time and of relic
hunters alike, no angle or projection be-
ing offered to tempt the zeal Of the lat
ter, and 40 c%revicc or delicate traccry
being presented to invite the ravagcs OF
rain and frost. AS thus constituted.
however, the structure would present
the unp'caSing appearance Of being top
heavy, to relieve which appearance 4
small column is placed at each corner of
tho fourth, or ''dir block" and these
:ierv" to bring the general outline into
proper and fair proportion. Each
column is composed of a solid and
brightly polished block, and bears for its
capital n crown Of acanthus leaves
gracefully curved to relieve the straight
lines which characterize the remainder
OF the work.
The die block is highly polished, as
t" its entire surface, and bears the fol-
lowing inscriptions on its four lnces ro-
spect'v"ly, the letters being from one
and a half to three inches in height. and
being brought into relief by sinking the
space Immediately surrounding each i'll
.srr'pt'on to IL depth Of thrcc-eights o:
an inch