The Evening critic., 1885-02-21


This was sufficient to commence work
with. On the 31st Of January, 1878, Con-
gress passed n resolution authorizing the
Washington Monument Society to erect
monument TO the memory Of George WASH
ingtOn upon any portion Of tho public
grounds in the District Of Columbia not
otherwise occupied as the President of tho
United States aud the society might select
as o suitable site The site selected was
Public Reservation No. 3, where the Monu-
ment now stands. 1t contains upward of
thirty acres
in February, 1850, the Washington Monu-
ment Society was incorporated by Congress.
Tho considerations which led to the selec-
tion Of tho site wero tho beautiful view of
the Potomac, thesfact that the Monument
would be in full view Of Mount Vernon, and
tho fact that Washington had selected it
himself as the spot OF proposed Monu-
ment TO the American Revolution. This
Monument was to have been executed by
Cerochi, Roman sculptor, and paid for by
individual contributions. Tho same site is
marked ON Major L Enfant's map of Wash
ington city as the site for tho equestrian
statue Of General Washington ordered by
Congress in 1888.
This map was examined, approved aud
transmitted to Congress by Washington
when ho was President of the United
States.
The cornerstone of the present Monu-
ment was laid July 4, 15i5 There were
present the President, Vice.P President, Sem
ators, Representatives, heads of Depart
ments, the Judiciary, the corporate author
ities Of Washington, Georgetown and Alox-
andris, and delegations from all quarters of
the Union. Hon. Robert G. Winthrop,
then Speaker of the House, delivered the
oration. The work was commenced. In
six years the obelisk reached the height Of
10 feet.
The funds of the society, amounting to
9230,t00, were then exhausted All efforts
to obtain further sums proving abortive
the society, in 1851, in a memorial to Con-
eress, explained the situation and asked
that that body take such action as was
deemed advisable. The matter was re-
ferred in the House of Representatives to o
select committee, of which Hon. Henry
May of Maryland was chairman. In Feb
ruary, 1866, Mr.. May made report rec
ommending an appropriation of 100000 to
aid tho society. This report was brought
before the House under very favorable cir
cumstances. But, unfortunately, there was
dissension in tho society.
1t was in the Know Nothing days and the
society split on that issue. New men got
control Of affairs temporarily. This fight
prevented Mr.. Mays recommendation from
being adopted. From 1854 up to the time,
six years ago, that Congress earnestly took
hold of the matter, only four feet were
added to tho Monument. Its height was
then only III feet. In 1874 one of those
many spasmodic attempts, which, by their
futility, rendered the subject Of when the
Washington Monument w0uld be finished
almost as popular for paragraphers as the
mule and the mother-in-law, was made in
Congress.
1t was next proposed to have the Monu-
ment finished by the centennial, July A.
This movement resulted in bringing the
people to full appreciation of tho Ma
tional disgrace of an unfinished monument.
The fruits of that appreciation took deil-
mite shape in the passage of the act of
August % 1876, creating the joint commits
sion for the completion of the Washington
Monument, of which the President is ex
oflicio member An appropriation for the
renewal of work was made, Colonel Thomas
Lincoln Casey of the U. s. Engineer Corps
was placed in charge of the work, and
shortly afterward Captain Geo. w. Davis
became associated with him.
The commission naturally threw into the
shade the old Washington Monument So.
ciety, and there was some bad feeling, be-
cause the society now had practically nosh-
ing to do. Hundreds of plans for the COM
pletion of the Monument were proposed,
but the commission had the good taste to
reject all of the ornate and persist in the
simple grand pile which was dedicated to-
day. Congress continued its annual ap-
prOpriations and the work went on.
The first work Of Colonel Caseys on the
Monument was at the foundation. Several
reports of army engineers had been made,
as TO whether it was safe TO continue the
structure. SIS the foundation secure?' was
almoet as much asked a question Us was,
"Will the Monument ever be completed?''
| Colonel Casey went to work to mako the
| foundation secure beyond u question. This
he did by undermining, underplnning and
| filling in with concrete packed as solidly as
| it could be compressed. Tho pile has set
| tied but an inch and half since work was
resumed. Its height is 555 feet.
When the Washington Monument So
| ciety was incorporated the following were
| named as inc0rporators: Winfield Scott,
| Walter Jones, j. j. Albert, James Kearney
| Thomas Carberry, Peter Force, W. A. Brad
ley p. r. Fendall Walter Lenox, NJ. f
Maury, Thomas Blagden, J. B. III. Smith
W. W. Seaton, Elisha Whittlesey, b. o
Tayloe, r. II. Crawford, W. W. Corcorau
ana John Carroll Brent. The society's de
sign for the Monument originally en-
braced the idea of a grand circular colo
made building $50 feet in diameter aud 150
feet high, from which was to spring an OBJ
elisk seventy feet square at its base ant
500 feet high. The vast rotunda forming
tho base was to have been surrounded bJ
thirty columns of massive proportions sur
mounted by an entablature twenty feet higl
and crowned by a massive balustrado fif
teen feet in height. Tho obelisk shaft wa
to rise from the pantheon and diminish II
size to forty feet at its apex.
| The capstone of the Monument was lait
in place ON the 9th of December last in
gale of wind and rain. Colonel Casey pu
II in place himself. Topping all is al
aluminium point which constitutes tn
crowniug apex. On its four faces ar
the following Inscriptions:
NORTH FACE.
Joint Commission at setting OF cap5t)ne
CHESTER A. ARTHUR,
W. w. Corcorap, Chairman,
| NJ. T.. Bell.
Edward CLARK.
John Newton.
Act OF August 2nd, 1876.
WEST FACE.
Cornerstone laid on BED ee1 OF foundation Jul
First stone at height OF 4 81 feet laid Angus
| z, 1880.
Oapstono set December O, 1881.
SOUTH FACE.
| chief Engineer and Architect, Thomas Lii
| coin Casey, Colonel Corps OF Englneers.
AHsistants-a George W. Davis, Captain I4th 1t
fantryi Bernard II. Green, OWL Engineer.
Master Mechanic, I, II, Mclaughlin.
| EAST FACE,
Laus Deo.
Among the things placed in the corner
stone were large number of copies o
newspapers. All of them contained article
about Washington or about tho Monumen
| Among them were tho National Intelligeace
| the IuiOn the National Era and the c1lin