Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-11-16
TnH wAsHINoToN MONUMENT.
CLIMBED ny TIN THOUSAND rrorLx SINCE
APRIL

APRIL
The passenger elevator Of the Wash
ingion monument is in position. and will
soon be completed and In rsdins" TO
carry passengers 10 the 500.fco, level.
~hen Congress shall su,honss such use
TO be made Of Il. II will be some time
yet before the monument IL entirely COM
ple,ed. for IL 10 Necessary TO inprove The
pr,ssn, ,ome~ha, upsigh,ly surroundings
by forming a mound about the base,
~hieh ~ill sajh gradual. though ires.
alar. ascent TO the door Of the monument.
In the meantime the monumsn, Is open
to the public. who are s'ill permitted TO
~ork their passage 10 the top afoo'. aud
they will probably be accorded this priv.
ilege until Congis. makes some pro'i''
ION for running the elevator for their con-
stnienoe.
Since the la Of April. when the iron
stairway that ascend, the 'hsf, Was COM
pls,ed aud visitors admitted. i0.s0O
p..e. have been issued 10 applicants.
or these only two hundred were no, used
md therefore did 10, fnd their way back
TO the monument Office. The sscen, OF
the monument l. quite an undertaking.
.nd many visitor. Who have gone To the
trouble to secure passes ere oon,en, to
examine Il frsm the ground after glance
up the dark shaft brings q realization OF
he task before them. l, takes generally
.bou, an hour for persons Who are no, In
hurry TO make the round Trip. This
gives twenty OF twenty-five minutes for
he ascent. ample time TO erjoy the mag
niiie.n, views from the Windows AZ the
500 foo, level aud i~eniy minutes 10 de.
.eend.
The quickest time thu, the sscen, has
ye, b,ea made !. In ten minute. When
IL |. considered ,ha; TO accomplish this
task In thu, time I, !. Necessary for the
climb,r 10 ascend =, tho rate of fifty fee,
. minute. ~ .. fast =. the freight ,l,vA.
iof s..d 10 A,e,nd When the monument
wss IN proc'. q obstruction. u can be
realized that lh. !. pretty fast time.
III r,msmter The time that !, vas
done in ten miauis'. .aid John shea.
the monument ~a'chman f0f the pas,
t-sniy year.. IN spsakiag u the osesf.
renee the other day The teller thu,
don, 1, -as one Of these ,tlcciPede riders
lie 49,. lobg.l,ss,d one. ba, bis lsgs
-src I'll one way up and down ! give
you my ~old. -ten De came ssllin' up
the bill on Top Of hi. -h,tl could hard
~ tell hi. Z. from 'he .Pik's. b,ih b.
ing The same .h.p. aud ~ near the same
.iIs. H. h.i 90 stt'a -sighi TO carry
aud be bad s.d rtsoh. ADD b. msde =
good lob Of l.. l.idin' Of hi. Wheel on
The road gave ban good Wind and 'irUng
lsg.. That. ne b,,t time kros ",
though .ss mater trek than that
done by some ~ these ,,loeiPsde riders.
II W. ose ho, morning durins the sum
NET that some u tie ,isn,l service men
-sre mskihs experiments =, the top Of
the monument With 'Aimo.phsiic elec-
lnciiy.' | believed they called a.. They
decided some wafer fOf ih,ir business.
.nd there bsins none handy up stairs
three Of them started, each With two pals
foil in their hands. All three were
-ksslmsn. and we're sturdy looking young
i,llsis. jus, a. they started wiih their
lo.d. one 4 them sung out. lee cream
IN the man that frs, sets hi. pals down.
"Asred. .,id the Others. and up
they went They bad 10 lights. bat
there va. ,bior jus, ahead With .
candle. AID he set the pace ior them.
No, one Of them stopped 10 rect. and
they ell r,seh,d the top together In ,ii-
teen ming,,. Nobody had TO treat. bu,
any one Of them would have teen will.
INK to .t EN- up ~h,n they were
through
There are SOS step. TO be s'csndsd. %
,ks, ,hs.e water carriers cleared over
fhy..is ,,sp, a minute. wi,kol, taking
in,o consideration the many horizontal
step. on the ten platform. or ',asins'
-hlch form q par, Of the iron stairway.
Speaking Of treating" continued
John Shea. "remind. me Of the way one
OF the boys here pa, the screws on vi''
TOR at the time the eaPs,one ". Get.
The visitor. VITO by the way KEEP, vine
.hop. wanted to 30 up the outside per-
pendieular ladder. which you remember
then reached from the 500 foot level TO
.eshold half way up the roof. lie 20,
up the ladder. bat be Jos, hi. neart when
be went TO efs~l on TO the scsfold. and
yelled for help 0ne Of the boys, Who
knew him. va. standing near by aid
hsllOed. Now | have you where wan,
you. The be., bottle in the shop or you
gill have to stick there. for devil bi,
sill help you The promise w's made
in les, than no time, aud be was helped
up"
"Do many l.dis. so up'' repeated
shea. "w,ll. | should cay 50; nearly
&c many A. men, aud ~hen l tell You
thu, sometimes We have over hundred
visitor. day you may know ,ha, good
many ladies make the ,iiI. never knew
one Of them to back out after coming over
here. aud | cant say ,hs, for the men.
| believe. though. iha, two ladies gave
gave on, when they had about reached
the top and tainted. or nearly tainted.
AZ a general thing they come down In
good shape. !, i'm, hard Trip II you
ton, hurry. have known two ladies,
both on eru,ehes, TO stump every step OF
the way to the top aud back sgsin.
Nearly everybody has something to cay
-hen they get back. but the remark |
hear over and over every day i.; well!
that's the las, time III make ,ha, TRIP!
80 ~