The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-24
wasb,npton afonument.

It's now the highest human struct-
i ure in the known world, with one ex-
/ eeption. the Cathedral of Cologne, and
| II lacks but q few feet Of being up to
that. When finished it will overtop all
j earthly structures BIZ many feet. Other
American buildings reach the follow
| ing altitude: The Washington Monu-
ment, at Baltimore. 1913 feet; Bunker
| Hill Monument, POI feet; the Capitol
| ia Washington. 306 feet, Old world
buildings range as follows: St Paul's
/ Cathedral, London. $50 feet; St. Pet
er's. in Rome, 43S feet; the Cathedral
of Milan, 355 feet. the Great Pyramid
| of Cheops, in Egypt, $50, originally 480-
feet: the Cathedral of Rome. 489 feet;
the Cathedral at Cologne. $40 feet.
The history of this structure is almost
coeval with that of the republic itself
| Almost Immediately upon the close of
the Revolution. the subject Of erecting
| a memorial in honor of the hero Of
| Mount Vernon was brought up in Con-
rress. Our Minister to France was
authorized in one of the earliest
sessions to purchase bronze statue of
| Washington. 1t was not done for want
| of funds In 1899 a joint resolution
| was passed directing that marble
monument to George Washington be
erected by the United States. In 1900
Congress passed an act appropriating
| S100.O 600 for the erection of mauso-
leum, and In 1891 bill appropriating
| 5000, 600 passed the House; but none
of these early bills and resolutions
seem to have ever crystalfzcd into hard
| cash.
1t was not till 1888 that the matter
took definite shape by the organization
of the washington Monument So
ciety.'' OF this association Chief
| Justice John Marshall became the first
president On the 4th of July, in 1S40,
| the cornerstone was laid, with impos-
! inc ceremonies, in the presence of the
President and Vice President OF the
| United States. both houses of Con-
rress, together with q vast concourse
| of people. Robert c. Winthrop, then
Speaker of the House, delivered the
address. The Grand Master who
| officiated on the occasion used the
same apron and gavel use by Washing
| ton when he laid the corner stone of
the Capitol Two years later, being
4th of July, 1850. the people of Wash
| ington again celebrated Independence
Day by holding appropriate ceremonies
| at the monument, upon which some
progress had been made. The speech
es we're made by Henry S. Foote, of
| Tennessee, and G. w. Parke Curtis
of Arlington. President Taylor and
his Cabinet were present and occupied
seats upon the shaded platform. Just
as the ceremonies were over and they
were about to return TO the White
House, the announcement was made
that some traveller had brought hand
full of the dust from the tomb of Kos
ciusko, and that the same would be de-
posted, with appropriate ceremonies,
in a niche prepared for it in the monu-
ment. To witness this the Presiden-
tial party stood in the broiling sun for
an hour, at the end of which time the
President was completely exhausted.
Going home he indiscreetly drank
cop:ously of ice water. This brought
on an attack which speedily ended his
life. 1t was this, and not the worry OF
oflice-seekers, that carried off the hero
of Palo Alto.
The building progressed slowly.
Funds were raised by subscription all
seemed among the remote uncertain
ties of the future. At the outbreak of
the war it had reached the height of
100 feet, more or less. There it stood
for years and years, forlorn, neglected;
an eye-sore to the city and reproach
to our people. Some four or five years
ago Congress again took hold of the
matter and made an appropriation for
the examining and strengthening of
the foundations. In this connection
one of the most remarkable feats of
engineering skill ever known was per-
formed. A new foundation 1864 feet
square and 40 feet in depth, composed
of broken stone and cement, was
place under the entire structure. Not |
only that, but it was found that in the
years it had been standing it had |
settled an inch or two out of the per-
pendicular In putting in the new
foundation this was corrected, and, |
Notwithstanding the thousands of tons |
in weight that have since been added, |
it has not varied line from tho per- |
pendicular.
The body OF the structure is fifty |
five feet square at the base. with walls |
fifteen feet in thickness. From the top |
of the terrace the body of the building |
will be 500 feet high, and upon this |
will be a pyramidal roof fiIty-five feet |
from the cornice to the apex. This |
roof will be composed of flat marble |
slabs about eight inches thick. In lay !
ing the stones the very best Portland
is used.