The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-16
Vain Attempt to Discover What Has Become
of John McCullough'S MOney-A
Job for Anthony ComstOck.
GRANTS TOMB.
Not Likely To BE Built at the Point First
Designated.

| Not Likely To BE Built at the Point First
| Designated.
| Special to the Indianapolis Journal
| New YORK, Aug l5.--Shall the remains of
| General Grant be removed from their present
place of deposit2 The question is not preposter-
Gus, and there is no conclusive reason for an
swering it conclusively in the negative. New
York is utterly unappreciative of the honor of
having the tomb of the hero. and has already re-
fused to erect suitable monument. Two weeks
of earnest work by committee, the period in
cludng the emotional and demonstrative days
of the prolonged funeral, close tonight with
| only about fifty thousand dollars raised towards
proposed million. The project as a popular
demonstration is now an admitted failure. Con-
tributions from other cities not to be expected
| in any appreciable amounts, and New Workers
have, as body, declined to give anything. Let
| ters were sent full week ago to every New
| York millionaire, whose summer addresses
could DE found. No money responses have yet
| been received All the Vanderbilts are silent
not one of the family having deigned any
sort of reply to the appeals. Counting
| in the sons and sons-in-law of William Fl. Van
| derbilt, not one of whom is possessed of less
heard from. The two Astors who divide the
enormous Astor estate, William and John Jacob
| have sent no replies; but William Waldorf
| Astor, being asked to serve on the committee,
| wrote back from Newport that he had no time to
spare and he has contributed no dollars either.
Jay Gould was personally solicited, while in
| town between cruises his yacht but he de-
ferred definite answer, neither promising nor
refusing. Less than 10 per cent of the commit
teemen themselves have contributed either time
or money thus far. The entire movement is
dead. Hope is expressed that, with the autumn
return of wealth and fashion to town, interest
may be aroused in the enterprise, but the his
tories of monumental funds do not record an in
stance of liveliness after apathy The only 'old
family names in the list at this writing are Van
Rensselaer, for $l5, and Rhinelander for $50.
Last winters charity ball committee of 200 lead
ers of ''our best society" can be hunted over
without disclosing more than six names that are
| now on the Grant contribution list.
| The intmations are strong and numerous that,
| when Congress shall next winter be asked to
make an appropriation for a monument, the
place for its erection will be insisted as Wash
| ngton New York is not beloved of the Nation,
and majority of Congress can hardly be got
for spending half million or so to adorn it with
| a structure toward which her own citizens will
| not contribute. In case Washington is selected
| for the governments monument, the body will
probably be transferred there. Mrs. Grant was
astonished and offended when Mayor Grace,
acting on the opinion of the corporation attor-
ney, informed her that the plot in Riverside
| d. -
the city owned it solely for park purposes. AS
the matter now stands, the park commissioners
have, by resolution, permitted the interment;
| but that action could be annulled if ever any
body chose to carry it into court, and somebody
might take the notion to do it when the time
came to bury Mrs Grant there The feeling
against mortuary feature in q public pleas
ure park grows rather than declines, and it
may be relied on that a proposition to remove
| the remains to Washington would not be much
opposed here. Frederick Law Olmstead, who
| designed the improvements of Central and
Riverside Parks, but is not now connected with
| the work, has declined to advise the commission
ers how to treat the environment of the tomb
| In a letter he describes the site as one which
had been chosen especially for "a certain pur-
| pose very UIlIereuI from CudU DOW prominent IN
the public mind, and its value for this earlier
| purpose, if hastily destroyed or permanently
| injured, would cause loss far greater than the
sum proposed to be expended in monument"
| Olmstead describes the place as the highest on
Manhattan Island, and the only one from which
| an overlook of the Hudson and other scenic
landscape can be afforded to the public. He
adds: THE loss of it for gay, careless, throng
ing purposes will be public calamity. 1t will
be extremely unfortunate if the remains of
the dead are brought into close association
with the gayety of the promenade at this
eliminating point" The present landscape
architect is Calvert Vaux, who says: II advise
| the setting apart of the lower portion of what
we call the loop to the purpose of the sepulchre'
| That means the abandonment of the knoll
| already fixed on for the tomb. and the use in
stead of comparatively obscure slope THE
| present isolation of this new place might be
! considered too complete he adds, but he would
| devise easy approaches by cutting tunnel, the
visible stonework of which would form sort of
| base, as viewed from the river, for the monu-
| ment proper. Vaux would reserve the ground
| around Grants temporary vault, and the site of
| the permanent grave as now planned. for 'the
public refreshing element which belongs some
where in that neighborhood and ought not to be
eliminated" The commissioners have taken no
action on the opinions of these experts, but the
outlook is that, after ALL exactly the site of the
present tomb will not be retained, whether or
| not the remains stay in New York.
MCULLOUGH,S ESTATE