Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-30
TIE srArrr or 1tnrRrY.
The Hight of the structure-Its
Construction and the Immense

The Hight of tine Structure-Its
Construction and the Immense
Wind Force IL Will have 10 Endure.
New York World.
The total hight of the Bartholdi Statue
of Liberty Enlightening the World will
be, when completed, 81 feet above the
water level. The hight of Trinity spire
from the surface of the ground is 2S4
feet. The Bartholdi Statue will there
fore be SO feet higher. The hight of the
towers of the New York Brooklyn bridge
is 278 feet above the water level. The
Bartholdi statue will therefore be SO feet
higher.
Gen. Stone, engineer in-chief of the
Bartholdi statue pedestal, was inter-
viewed by World reporter as follows
"What is the present state of the work on
the pedestal, General ?"
"You are aware that the foundation
mass of 23,500 tons of concrete, WIS
finished last year in Muy, and the
building of the pedestal, proper, of
granite and beton, was commenced. Thut
work continued until the funds we've
nearly exhausted and the cool weather |
came on, when building ceased and work |
was carried on only at the quarries, where |
we continued to get out and cut the |
granite. When work ceased in building
the pedestal was up to the ninth course Of
masonry. There will be 40 courses of
granite in the finished pedestal, so there
are SO courses yet to build"
us any of the stone prepared ?"
"Oh, yes. A large quantity. Three
courses are already at Bedloe's Island,
ready for setting, while ut the quarries ut
Lute's Island, there are five courses
dressed nll ready to ship, and five courses
on which the cutters are at work; so TINT
in short time the stone for one-half the
hight will be ready for setting"
| THE statue, it is said, is made of sheet
copper. What will hold it in form when
set up, AMI how will it be attached to
the pedestal2"
inside the sheet copper there will be
II very stronv framework of wrought iron,
consisting of four large angular pillars
brhced with iron from bottom to top.
This iron structure is to come from
France with the statue, and weighs about
1870 tons-much more, in fact, than the
statue itself"
This iron framework will rest upon
and be attached to two strong steel
grders which we shall place on the top
VI the pedestal, and these two girdeIs
will have two others directly under them
ut right angles. About 60 feet below the
top of the pedestal there will be two
other pairs OF steel girders. which will be
connected with those ON the top by steel
eye-bars, 80 TINT the Orders which
support the weight of the statue and its
framework will be anchored to the
! masonry and held securely by the weight
, of the pedestal itself"
"What is the extent of the steel work ~
THE weight Of the steel system will be
about $50 TONS"
"What is the necessity of such strong
; attachment 2"
! 1.-The statue, while colossal in size, is
: by no means correspondingly heavy
:; While Isl feet high, it, with its interior
4 framework, weighs only 900 tons; but il
= hns great surface nearly 1000 square
0 feet-expused to the wind. With strons
y wind blowing on this great surface tit
y tendency would be to overturn the statue
: and III such an effort the wind, since thu
9 centre of gravity is more than 60 fee
u above the top of the pedestal, would hnv,
the advantage of grent leverage. In Gus,
u violent gale should strike it, II cyclon
&c such as has been known at Mount Wash
,. ington and i'll many parts Of our country
~ the wind effort to overturn the stntu
j. would be nearly 1000 foot tons. Now
70 the weight of the statue resting on IL bus
y of only 40 feet squire would not by I'M
d means suffice to overcome this effort q
u the wind, ind it becomes necessary t
L. attach the weight of the statue to til
VI weight of great mass of the pedestal
III This is accomplished by the system q
n support and anchorage which | hay
~ described. This system has been S
nc 1rNiNu,l tlnt IL will la. l,,a L.
u ali its parts, so thnt it can he watched an
kept constantly in good condition "
IL How will the statue be lighted whe
q, complete p
~ instead IF having lights streamin
y" from the dialem, rs was first proposed,
~ would prefer, should it be found prat
"a tlctble ny electricians, to have light
er placed, with strong rcilectors, around th
" foot of the statue, casting II very stron
" light upon II and thus giving ii the NJ
~ pearitnce during the night of u shinin
~ statue. Then / would like to have grei
er vertical beam of electric lights sprin
'e- from the top of the uplifted torch Sue
er u beam of light would strike upon IL
le lower stratum of clouds, and its refe,
ne ton when even light clouds are over i
rs could be seen far out to sea md ut col
FL siderable distance inland where moul
'S' tains do not intervene"
ne 'What do you think will be the in
~ preston made by the work when con
IeI pleted ~
i9t II think that it will be by far mo-
it, grand than any of us can we'll concei1
until We shall actually see it, There
nothing of the kind in the world
present with which we can compare
A Even the site chosen for the monumel
ia is such that it will appear ms if all hi
RI been constructed by man, even the islam
"A for the sole purpose Of presenting
beautiful artistic form the grand i'd
that liberty enlightens the nutions of Il
world"
nj. The reading of the preceding statcmcn
,ay by Gen. Stone will give better extent
ect the colossal character of the Statue
of Liberty than has yet been had To ere
ill such n statue is astupendous undertaken
rd- involving many important problems
adj construction. II is hard to realize tn
les the statue itself will be ms tall us an orc
of nary church spire, and that the torch he
mt aloit will he more than 30 feet high
led than the mighty towers of the great Ne
lc- York and Brooklyn bridge.