St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-23

each face are connected still higher up oy
voussoir stones, forming two arches inter-
| seeing each other at right angles. The
| thrust Of corner rib is transmitted to its OPP
| posite, By the use Of horizontal stones be-
| tween their upper extremities. The weight
OF the pyramidion Is 800 tons of 2,240
pounds each.
! In order to light the shaft and the passages
leading to it, dynamo OF about 1000 can
| die power Is being set up in the engine house,
and incandescent lights supplied to the sew
| eral platforms.
| The engine house at the monument will
be enlarged sumo 81 feet to the south, to
commodate the dynamo machine and its
engine, and low, galvanized iron, double
roof, with lowered and glass sides, will be
erected over the engines. The entrance to
the engine house, and from it to the floor of
the shaft. will be through covered passage
beneath the terrace, similar to the one in the
east side, which is to be exclusively for visit
ors to the structure.
The presentation blocks on hand NUN Der
10l. OF this number it is probable that some
are not suitable for introduction in the walls.
Those that are to be- secured In the walls will
have to be reduced to tablets from to 8
inches in thickness. depression may then
inserted and fastened By bronze expansion
stones to be inserted viii be made at an early
0ar.
The backing of the first $50 feet of the
walls is OF rubble masonry, so roughly con-
structed along many of the joints as 10 catch
the water OF condensation running down the
face OF the well, and to defect il inti.rae in
terror Of the walls. This portion OF the in.
terror face will be plastered with Portland ce-
ment mortar, rubbed down hard and lined
off as coursed ashlar.
The present floor Of the monument is some
5 inches below the finished floor of the struct-
ure. This space was left for a granite curb
and cast-iron covering-plates, over the drum
and shaft pits. and the foundation OF tiled
floor. This work viii be done as soon as the
stairs, presentation blocks and plastering are
finished.
The last block Of marble for the shaft was
delivered By the contractor June 90. 1884,
and was set in its place Aug. 9, 1884, thus
completing the shaft 10 the height of 500 feet
in four working seasons. The contractor
finished the delivery of marble under bis
contract, in a most satisfactory manner,
Nov. FL, 1884, at which date it was
closed. Twelve hundred and lightweight
blocks of marble, containing %, 1908 cubic
feet, and 294 blocks of granite, containing
$500 cubic feet, were built into the shaft
during the season. The pyramidiun is COM
posed of 262 separate pieces of marble, con-
tanning 3, 764 cubic feet of dressed stock II
will be observed that the difference between
the least and greatest settlements under this
load is less than 1-16 of an inch.
Quite an amount of work is REQUIRED 10
put the finishing touches on the structure
and its surrounding. An appropriation of
S75, 600 will be required for the ensuing
year to go on with the completion Of the
monument and its surroundings in all their
details
The two doorways leading into the monu-
ment will be closed with thin marble walls,
the stone to match the facing The entrance
will be through short passages beneath the
terrace. 1t has been recommended that the
pond Just north OF the oiehsk be filled to tine
level Of its banks in the interest Of increased
stability of the monument.