St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-23
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
The Inception, Growth and Appearance
of the Monument.

| of the Monument
| Special to the Globe.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. ell went to the top
of the Washington monument shaft this af
ternoon for the first time since its compile
| ton, and the sensation experienced in gaZ-
ing out the windows or port holes was GER
tainlv peculiar. The capitol. which is over
mile from the monument, looked more like
small model of the real building than the
structure itself. One popularity about the
view of the capitol that l noticed was that
one could not see the flags on either end of
the building from the top of the monument,
but when one was on the ground both the
| flags over the house and senate end could
easily be seen. 1t is an easy matter to see
these flags twice the distance from any or
binary view of the capitol. but when one is
on top of the monument they cannot
| be seen with the naked eye
Tne White house and several other public
buildings, which are about quarter of a mile
distant from the monument, looked from the
top to be near its base, and it seemed that
| they were just adjoining the monument it
self. Sugar-loaf mountain, thirty-fve miles
distant, in West Virginia, doomed up in the
background and only appeared to be three or
four miles distant Alexandria, Va, seemed to
be only square or two distant, while the real
distance is eight miles. Many of the houses
IN the city looked like small models Of build
ings, and, although apparently reduced in
size, the most distant object appeared to be
the nearest. 1t required ten minutes for the
elevator to ascend and ten minutes
more for It to descend. While the
temperature appeared to be comfortably
warm on the eartn, when we reached the top
al the visitors seemed to be chilled through
and were really glad when the cor ductor of
Tue elevator announced that he was ready for
the descent. The highest point that visitors
are allowed to 20 is five hundred feet above
the ground, while the roof above that point
goes up 55 feet higher.
The construction of the monument was
begun in the early summer of lS4S by the
Washington National Monument society
The structure, as designed by Robert Mills,
was an obelisk 900 feet in height, with very
iiat apex, surrounded at the base By pan
Lheon, with peristyle of marble columns
100 feet high. Shortly after the commence
mcut of the work the height of the ohelisk
vas reduced to 500 feet. and the building of
the pantheon deferred TO some future date.
The foundation of the obelisk as constructed
was so feet square at the bed of foundation,
and this bed was placed feet inches
below the general level of the
ground about the structure. The
foundation was % feet inches thick, and
was So feet inches square at its top. 1t
was built of large pieces of b.uestone gneiss,
put in the masonry as they came from the
quarry, the interstces between the masses
being filed with spawls and a mortar COM
posed largely of fat lime and sand.
The shaft was commenced 50 feet -
inches square at the base, with walls feet
thick. These walls had a facing of large
grained white marble, in blocks of 2 feet
rise aud from Is inches to ID inches thick
ness. sawed without reference to the quarry
bed; and rubbed smooth; and backing Of
blue gness stone rubble. The walls as con-
structed contemplated a finished height of
800 feet for the shaft. By the year 1854 the
obelsk had been bult to the height OF 152
feet, and by 1856 some feet more
were added, making the total height of
the marble shaft l56 feet Il inches. At its
top the sides averaged As feet 95E inches in
length The well in the interior was % feet
/ iuch square. The axis of the shaft leaned
IA inches TO the norhward. The thickness
OF the walls at the top was IL feet 10 SIG
inches. The weight Of this obelisk and its
foundation was some 81, 152 tons. and the
cost OF the structure about $500, 900. On the
18Th OF January, 1877, the Washington
National Monument society conveyed by
deed all their property, easements, rights
and privileges in the monument to the
United States. but no further work was done
ri hn oh, IL. INIT
when, under the act of August 2, 1876, pro-
viding for the completion Of the Washing
ton monument, and the joint resolution of
June a. 1878, to enable the joint commits
sion to carry this act into effect, work was
commenced upon the strengthening of the
foundation, to the end that the obelisk might
be completed to the height OF 525 feet
The work Of strengthening the foundation
was completed on the Goth of May, 1880, and
IA finished the new foundation is IS feet,
10 inches in depth, aud extends down TO a
level inches below the permanent level Of
water in the site upon which the work Is sit
uated. The work Of building the obelisk
was commenced Aug. {, 1880, the old
shaft having first been reduced 10 a height
of 100 feet. and, as before stated, the ma
sorry Of the obeisk was completed Dec.
6, 1884. AS finished, the monument is
sos feet, 50 inches in height, the shaft
being 500 feet, ) \ inches high, and the
uyramidion or apex 30 feet. The topmost
point is 597 feet. inches above mean low
water in the Potomac aud 500 feet 9.36
inches above the mean level of the Atlantic
ri Sandy Hook, y. T., as determined Dec.
l. 1884. by the United States coast
and geodetc survey. The shaft a. completed
is 81 feet, ~ inches square at the base, aud
"a feet, ~ inches square at the top, where
the walls have thickness OF l foot, inches.
The batter of the sides Is .247 Of an
inch To one foot in rise. The height Of this
shaft is slightly greater than nine times the
width Of the base. Its width at top is 2zths
The width Of the base, and IL would come To
s point at height 275 its present height. The
va r. OF the new portion arr faced with fine
grained white marble from the Beaver Dam
quarry in Baltimore county, Maryland, aud
hacked with granite from several OF the New
England Qusrries. The courses are uni
furrhly 2 feet in rise, the blocks VI wider
he'd than their rise, and the bond, the FlenI-
81. alternate header aGd siretcber TIC mar
ule is very strong. 1nc-graiued, and durable,
aud weighs 1857 pound. 20 the cubic foot
The walls at the level Of 100 feet we're re-
duced in thickness to z feet inches, but
from that level are carried up plumb on the
inside, giving a well OF 81 feet 81 inches /
square An iron frame. supporting stair
case and elevator machinery, i carried from !
the fDor to the top Of the shaft The /
weight Of The structure is SLIGO tons. /
U 70 the 1st Of January the cost Of the stfuc- \
ture had been. 81, 1s7. 7I0.3I. o. this the |
Washington Monument society had e1- 1
pended about $3.50, 900 and the United |
States 1857, 7l0.31.
At the close Of the working season OF 1893 /
the shaft had been carried TO the height Of 1
40 feet above ID. floor. During the past I
season the remain der Of the shalt. and toe 4
entire pvramidion. s. feet 10 height, have /
teen finished. adding l45 feet to the struc- |