The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-12-11
THE MERIDTAN-STONE.
SET ON MERIDIAN HILL AS ORDERED
BY GEORGE WASHINGTON.
An ObeItsk of Freestone-The Meridian
stone on It's Travels-Lost sight of for
a while-Serving as a Hitching-Post at
Last in Front of a school.

Washington, it is reported, said 70 his
cabinet in the later days OF his administra-
tion that the independence Of the United
States from all authority would not be COM
plete till We should cut loose from Greenwich
and establish our own meridian We can
readily suppose his profession as a surveyor
made him the first 70 fix his mind on the con-
summation of this project now that the lOca-
ton Of our capital was established and its
foundations lalG. The place designated for
the setting up Of the meridian-stone was the
e1ninence Immediately in front of the door Of
the executive mansion. Washington did not
live 70 see this survey made or the stone set
up, however, and it was left for Jefferson to
perfect his plan.
The final report Of the surveyor was filed
In the Office of the secretary of state and adj
dressed TO the president of the United States
on the 18th of October, 1904 There are eight
pages of this ancient paper. quote one or
two sentences only: In running the meridian
line I first ascertained the place of the star
in the tail of the constellation Ursa Minor, on
its greatest elongatiOn, and then continuing
the vertical circle 70 the surface Of the ground
to the instrument, etc, etc, planted an
obeliSk of freestone two miles north Of the
presidents door, on the height. = The
apex Is the true meridian, etc
heavy leading, however, and 1 conclude
with the report by saying that the line runs
directly through the White House to the sum-
NIT OF Meridian hill, to a Stons where a line
from the center of the dome OF the capitol in
tersects the meridian line. This stone is still
standing, and is within few rods of the
Washington monument. A third and very
important stone, with many signs and figures
cut on it, and standing still nearer to what
no a - House.
has been entirely lost But of course the
meridian-stOne, the one set on Meridian hill,
as Washington had ordered, is the one of
most Importance, and the one which | set out
to write about.
OUR MERIDIAN-STONE ON ITS TRAVELS.
Commodore Porter-I mean the elder COM
modore-when he left the sea settled down on
Meridian hill, with his mansion facing the
White House, and this meridian-stOne in his
very dooryard Years swept on, and the
conmOdOre's spacious mansion was left with
out a master. / look out of my back window
here in my cabin as write and see a tall and
lonely monument of gray sandstone. 1t is
battered and SCARED by a thousand bullets.
But you can read the name and date dis
tinctIy. 1t was reared to the memory of one
of the cOmmodore's family.
As the venerable mansion began TO fall to
decay in stranger hands all the city below
began to swell and reach out for room to
grow. A street came tearing through Mer-
idian hill The great house was OverthrOwn;
the ignorant and unthinking contractors, not
knowing or caring at all about the import
ence of the merdian-stone, and perhaps be-
lieving it to be part of the mansion, under
mined it, and tllmbling it among a mass of
other stone, it was lost sight of entirely.
The soldiers graves at Arlington heights
were in need of fences and gate-pOsts. Tons
of these secondhand stones found their place
there in the course of time, as improve
ments were carried forward 1t IS not GER
tain, but there is some evidence that this
meridian-stOne at one time served as a gate
post to the federal burying ground on the old
Lee property across the Potomac. If this be
so, Washngton's meTidian-stone was serving
as a fence-post to the grounds of his family
estates.
NOW BATTERED AND WORKOUT
However. the meridian-stone could not rest
here Better fences and posts were provided
for Arlington heights. But the burying-
ground of Alexandria was in need of better
protection. the meridian-stOne was rolled into
a fiat-bOat and lowed, along with tons OF
other stones, down to Alexandria. But no
rest here. In the course of time boat-load
of stones which could not be used here was
lowed back up the Potomac and landed and
left in the government property yard, on
Sixth street, near the bank Of the river.
About this time, and not many years ago
now, the architect of the capitol wisely de-
cided that the hdeOus iron fences which sur
rounded the capitol should come down. They
were taken to the property yard before de
scribed and there fell in company with the
battered and WORKOUT old meridian-stOne
WashingtOns meridian-stOne was now nearly
100 years old, and the letters and figures on
its four sides were growing dim, but its trials
were not done. The district established re-
form school for boys some four miles out,
near the old dueling ground, and iron fences
and posts were i'll demand.
The old iron fences that had kept guard at
the capitol were carted there. And once
| more our meridian-StOne was hauled away,
! along with tons of others And as if fate
would have it so, it was saved for n sort Of
| dismal post of honor 1t was badly battered
! and bruised The four corners were worn
! away And so the stone butcher, not know
| ing what his sacrilgeous hand was about, cut
| It into an octagon. Then it was painted
! white. A staple was fastened in the apex Of
/ orr meridian stone that had lifted to the
/ north star and set our measure for us from
! JefFerson's time; and what thenl 1t was set
! up rs a hitching post at the front door of the
| reform school of the District of Columbia.
/ And there it stands now.-JOaquin Miller IN
/ CHICAGO Times