Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-22

washington Monument Already within
Ten Feet of the Highest Tower in
tI. WnrIu.

Ten Feet of the Highest Tower in
the world.
The Washington monument at the Ma
tiunal capital, which has now attained
height of 500 feet, is the highest human
structure in the known world, with one
'pxception. the Cathedral of Cologne, and
il lacks but few feet of being up to that.
when finished it will overtop all other .
earthly structures by many feet Other
American buildings reach the following |
altitude The Washington Monument at
Baltimore. 1913 feet Bunker Hill Monu- |
ment. 221 feet: the Capitol in Washing
ton. BOG feet. Old world buildings range
ms follows: St paul's Cathedral, Nndon,
MO feet St Peters, in Rome. 4:IS feet
The Cathedral of Milan, 800 feet: the
Great Pyramid of Chcops, in Egypt, $50.
origiually $50 feet the Cathedral of
Roucn. 4S9 feet the Cathedral at Cologne,
$40 feet.
The history of this structure is almost
coevnl with that of the republic itself
Almost Immediately upon the close of the
Revolutions the subject of erecting me
mortal in honor of the hero of Mount
Vernon was brought up in Congress. Our
minister to France was authorized in one
bronze statue of Washington. 1t was not
done for want of funds. In 400 a joint
reslolutiou was passed directing that a
marble monument to George Washington
be erected by the United States In 1900
Congress passed an act appropriatng
100000 for the erection of a mausoleUm.
and in 1901 bill appropriating s?o0,0
passed the House but none of t hese early
bills and resolutions seem to have ever
al nod info hard faSl
ii was not till 1888 that the matter took
definite shape by the organization of the
"Washington Monument Society or
this association Chief Justice John
Marshall became the first president. ON
the 4th of July. 1878, the cornerstone WAS
laid with imposing ceremonies i'll the
presence of the President and Vice
president of the United States. both
Houses of Congress, together with Il vast
concourse of people Robert G. Winthrop,
address The Grand Master who OBLIGATED
on the occasion used the same apron and
gavel used by Washington when he laid
the cornerstone of the Capitol Two
wears later. being 18th of July 1880, the
people of Washington again celebrated
independence Day by holding appropriate
ceremonies at the monument. upon which
some progress had been make. Inc
speeches were made by Henry = Fuotc
Tennessee and g. w. pHrkc CuStiS. OI
.AIiiilG''il' I''''o'I' ~ W. CIV. '''N 60
met were present and occupied seat.
upon the shaded PLATFORM just as the
ceremonies were over and theN were
about to return to the W me House, lh'
announcement was made that some tray
eller had brought handful of dust from
the tomb OF koSclllSko, ana that the same
would he depuSltru with appropropflat
ceremonies, in niche prepared Tor IL II
the monument. To witness this TIN
PreSld"ntlal party stood III tht hfolilh!
sun for an hour. III the end OF winch INN
the PrcHident was completely exhausted
Going nome he lndlScreetlN drank coplouS
ly of ice water. This brought on an attacl
which speedily ended his life. 1t wa. this
and not the worry OF uice-SeekcrS tina
carried OIL he her" OF Falo All3.
The building progressed slowly. lund
were raised by SUBSCRIPTION all over III
country. Its completion seemed anon
the remote opportunities OF the utur'
At the out break OF the war 1t ilad reaChe
the height ct 100 feet, more or less, lher