Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-02-27

the limit Of prudence, IL not of safety, and
that 1t would be unwise to put any more
weight upon II. Before anything further
could be done, it was necessary to put a new
foundation under the monument.
We have all heard Of the Irishmau who
built his chimney from the top downward.
The history Of the Washington monument at
this period was somewhat similar. Having
raised II l56 feet into the air. it was neoessa-
ry to put bottom under 1t. Chicago lifted
whole blocks of houses with jack-screws and
interpolated new story at the bottom, in
stead of adding it to the top. 1t was not fea'
sible to apply the same method to the monu'
ment. What the jsck-sorew could not do was
done by the pick and spade. new founda-
tion had literally to be rammed under it.
This was done by cutting drifts about four
feet wide under the old foundation to the re-
| quired depth, and then filling 1t with the neo-
essary material. The judgment OF the enRi-
neers in regard to the old foundation was
promptly confirmed. Tney had only made a
slight cut under the monument on one side
before il began to settle. To prevent one
side from settling more rapidly than the 9TH
er, drifts were cut under the foundation on
opposite sides Of the monument at the same
time. The new foundation Of the monument
is 1876 feet square aud 36 feet deep. The
weight OF the old foundation was 80, 600 tons.
! The weight OF the monument and the founda-
ton al II now rests on the bed Is 81 600 tons.
The present foundation is much better able
TO bear the enormous weight Of the completed
monument than the old one was to bear the
uncompleted portion.
During the whole process OF putting in the
underpinning the monument settled p inch
es This could only be discovered by most
accurate measurements with plumb line and
! delicate instruments The work of putting in
the underpinning was begun in 1879. 1t is
not new idea to put in an underpinning by
means of drifting in but, as applied to the
! Washington monument, 1t was entirely new
under the conditions existing, and was q sub
| ject Of anxiety for great while. Much care
had TO be taken that drifts were not open
| when storms came.
The weight Of the whole monument repre-
sents q pressure on the bed of 81 tons TO the
| square foot. It cost S93, 600 to strengthen
| the old foundation. Three different kinds OF
stone we're used in building. Marble was us
ed entirely for the outside the backing in
the old part is blue gneiss in the new part
| 1t is backed up with granite.
| II the bottom Of the monument presented
an engineering difficulty. another one occurred
| when II reached the top. How should the
| cap, or pyramidion, be put on 2 The wall Of
the monument 500 feet from the ground,
where the pyramidion begins, is only about
| IS inches thick. 1t would not bear Of itself
/ great weight. To obviate difficulties OF con.
struction, II was proposed to build cap OF
iron and gild il. small monument was
made ~ a model but the gliding did not
| prove satisfactory Then it was proposed to
| paint the iron part white, in imitation Of mar
bic; but II did not seen absolutely honest TO
| finish of with iron q structure which purport-
cd to BE- built entirely Of marble-it sacrificed
sentiment to ease IN construction. Another
! difficulty was that marble changes color when
wet, and il the iron cap was painted to match
| the dry marble, it would not correspond TO il
| in color when wet, aud pice UerSd. This cap
| is only ne-tenth of the size of the whole
structure, and when viewed from the ground
| appears to be a very small matter; but when
l say that il is 30 feet in height it ia seen to
be OF considerable size and weight. The
gineers finally determined that it should be
built Of nothing else than merble, like the rest
OF the external structure. To Mr.. Bernard
1 X. Green, q civil engineer OF rare ability. who
Is associated with Col. Casey In the working
corps OF engineers, belongs the credit Of de-
vising the scheme which was finally accepted.
l cannot, without drawings, explain in detail
the structure Of the marble roof which caps
the monument. II will be easiest understood,
perhaps, by comparing it to a roof Of marble
shingles laid on u grauite frame, with the eI.
ceptlon that the shingles do not lap, but
touch edge to edge.
For the benefit of those who like Ezekiel,
are fond OF the measuring rod, add the fol-
lowing facts and figures. As completed, the
monument measures exactly 555 feet, 81 inch
es in height. The extra eighth Of sn inch
| destroys the symmetry Of the column when
expressed in figures, but has no perceptible
effect on the monument itself, especially
| when seen = mile away. Why the builders
added this extra eighth Of an inch instead Of
squsring of the top in round inches or feet
may be a suitable subject for Congressional
| investigation. The shaft is 500 feet % iuch-
es high, and the pyramidon, or apex, 55 feet.
| The topmost puiut is 597 feet inches above
mean low water in the Potomac, and 596 feet
| inches above the mean level OF the Atlantic
at Sandy Hook. The shaft as completed is So
feet d inches square at the base, and 81 feet
81 inches square at the top. The we'll is 81
| feet % inches square. The weight Of the
perstructure is ~, POS TONS and the weight OF
the foundation and earth upon it SO, 9l2 tons,
making a total Of 81, 100 tons. The total cost
OF the work to the present date is 81, 1877, no;
to complete the monument by putting in the
present tation blocks lighting 1t with electIici-
~, substituting iron-work for the wooden
stairs, making terrace around the base, etc,
will require an outlay Of SlG6, 800, on the
most economical plan or, If more elabo-
rate plan of finishing 1t of at the base with an
elaborate marble wall is adopted, the esiimat-
ed cost is $6l2, 600.
SO much for the engineering difficulty and
the engineering triumph. When We see what
has been done, it is quite evident that the
Tower OF Babel was begun too soon. 1t
could have been built to day without involv.
ing the race in confusion OF tongue or mind.
Furnished as headquarters with the neces-
sary pass, we enter a door at the base and
find ourselves within the interior of a vast
| ha "a 10 AZ
the top, aud form some faint idea Of the
height of the shaft. 1t is bright, cold day.
We warm our hands at the hre IN little stove
In one corner, while waiting for the elevator
TO make it's next trip. Outside, in a separate
building, is the engine. The elevator is run
in frame Of heavy iron standards. A stair
case winds its way up around the elevator,
but visitors are prohibited from taking that
route even II they desired TO. The elevator
has been used to carry up material for the
structure Of the monument. 1t is strong, but
rough, and bears the same relation to fash
ionable hotel elevator that a freight car does
to a Pullman. We take seats on the plat
form, the attendant pulls the rope, aud We
gradually rise toward heaven in this chariot
of tre-for 1t is the heat under the boiler
that is bearing US aloft on its wings. A kero-
sene oil lamp fastened to the elevator difuses
a dim, irreligious light as we rise. The ele.
| NoNSA eSSo
pace which vertical railways have achieved in
Chicago. II has pace comporting with the
dignity of the monument. 1t carries us up
just as il We were so much heavy stone. As
we ascend, there is just light enough from the
kerosene lamp TO discern IN the old part of
the mOnument the stones given by different
states and various associations. There are
many other stones sent for this purpose yet
remaining to be put up. Those that are ao-
cepted will eventually be fastened to the walls
on the inside of the monument II takes ten
minutes to reach the top by the elevator. II
one had to climb step by step from the bot
tom with d lantern in his hand, as in the mon
ument at Baltimore, he would probably ap-
preoiate much better the height of the monu-
ment. II makes much difference whether
} you have to lift your body 500 feet or wheth'
er it is lifted for you.
When you step out of the elevator, you are
20 feet above the apex of the tallest Pyramid,
and yet the monument still rises SO feet above