New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-24

! u
York Harbor. They adopted it with enthusiasm
a committee was organized un Ter the name OF the
French-American Union. and Bartholdi set TO work
to make his first models The full plan of the
Union was made public at the end of 1874. and
subscription lists were soon crculatin; throughout
| France. good deal Of money came in III IN c
and more was promised.
| The actual moulding Of the huge cast bcyan in
1875. The birth Of the statue was celebrated on
No. cmbcr Of that year by dinner at the li,tcl
du Louvre, at which the American Minister, Mt.
Washbuinc, and all The prominent members OF the
FIencl-American Union were present. The rizht
hand Of the goddess was struck of in IFS colossal
PROPORTIONS and sent TO the Centennial Exhibition
at Philadelphia N 1876.
BaTtholdi himself came over in that ycar as one
Of the French jury for the exhibition. The UNI
yelling of his statue OF Lafayette. which was
ordered by the French Gov eminent a Gift 10
the City OF Ncw-YorlS in acknowledgment of the
relief sent to Paris after tie siege AMI which now
stands in Union Square, gave him an opportunity
TO push matters among his Ncw-Yoil1 friends
call for meeting at the Century Club was
issued by William NJ. Evaits. John Jay. w. ii.
WicSham, s. d. Babcocll. William II. Appleton and
Richard Butler. There the plan of the French
Committee was talked over with Bartholdi an
Rochambcau and American Committee was
organized Mr. Eyalts its chairman aud
Richard Butler its secretary. subcommittee
appointed and weekly meetings were held
for time. The question of procuring legislation
from Congress WAS the most important
After some drawbacks and delays joint rso-
luton was introduced accepting the statue an set
ting apart site on either Governors or Bedlows
Island for the statue and on February 22. 1917
it passed both houses. General W. L. Sherman
was sent on TO decide between the two and wisely
confirmed Barthodis choice. Fort Wood was
given up as a military post and turned over to
the Use Of the American committee.
TARDY GROWTH OF THE STATUE.
BaItholdi went back TO France in the fall OF
1876. The political crisis that came toward the
end Of MacMahons Presidency had had disas
Union. Subscriptions had almost asei to come
in and word sent TO the American committee
that the work on the foundation and PEDESTAL VI
the Statue had better be postponed for year or
two. 1t was not until 1870 that money enough
was raised in France to pay the bare exl enses OF
the work on the Statue
In 1873. however, BaItholdi, sangunc and I'M
dauntcd ever, executed the head for the Paris
Exposit n. The other parts followed at inter aS.
and by July. 1880. the French committee saw its
way clear 70 report substantial progress Ia the
American committee and 10 fix probable daic
for the completion Of the Statue. On October
"A, 1881, the anniversary of the surrender Of
CORVALLIS at Yorktown all the pieces Of the
framework and Of the base were put in place AMI
Levi L. Morton. then United States Min str 10
France, was invited T. drive the nyet of the first
ece which was to be mounted. The Statue was
nearly finished in 1888 but the work on tie
celestial here was SO backward that it decided
to leave the completed goddess on exhibit II for
awhile in Paris
Finally, on July 4. 1854, Count Ferdinand de
esscls. who had succeeded NJ. Labouave as
president of the French committee. mn-d the
statue over formally TO the Tn ted States thru-b
MIR Morton 1t stood six months lon or waiting
for the compction Of the pedestal Ii secmcl 70
time that il would haze TO wait forever an1 the
woIl, Of talIino it down was be I'm in January.
1883. with many mis'ivinqs The pieces were
nackcd carefully in 21o cases and slowed IN
hoard the French man-of-war Tscrc nj Roucn
The statue was insured for about hat its value
The lsere had an eVtremelv rough "ovacc mi
Outside the harhor Of Ncw-York size was met by
the French North Atlantic Squadron under Adj
,niral 7 a Combc and escorted into The Pa with
nv'nT colors The IScrr rcacho1 Nev-Yorll in
'un" 1885 Tho 'icccs " the Statue werr
'"htered over 10 Bellows Tsanl and wcro stored
lhcIc nntll last Nav. WI on the work ~ setting
ihe treat copner goddess for the last time was
begun
THE AMERICAN COMMITTEES TRIALS
Tic American committee could do nothnr. Of
course after obtain'nr thc grant Of site from
Compress but wait for the sirnal from VI Bar
ihodi and his friends 10 break ground for tie
>tatue's pedestal. In 1882 some preliminary
steps were taken A rublic meeting was hel1 in
The Academy of Music on November % of that
year, and the taking OF subscriptions was pushed
vigorously.
Work on the foundation inside the old fort WIS
begun in the sTring of 1883 AMI the foundation
itself was finished before the end of that year In
the spring Of 1884 the cornerstone Of the pedestal
was laid and few tiers of granite were added now
and then from month to month. The first bit Of
enthusiasm was AMI the subscription list
hung fire. Statuettes. rhotOrraphs
were struck off by the committee AMI offered for
sale but the returns grew sma Ter and smaller
One hundred and scventy-fve thousand dollars
had been raised by the summer of 1884 and the
persuasive powers were apparently
exhausted. Its Of bad luck could not he
broken.
The NewYork Legislature passed bill appropr-
ating $4,000 for the work on the pc estal INT
Governor Cleveland vetoed il, TO the great disgust
o! tie managers of the Pedestal Fund as unconst
tutional. still greater disappoin tment came with
the winter of 1Ss4'S5 A bill appropriating
81 90 ono introduced during the short session
of Congress ana failed through the neglect of the
Committee on Appropriations to insert the item 10
their final report
In March. 1885. when the statue was almost
ready for shipment and the American Committee
in state of thickenng Despair The UOrId unex-
pecteuy undertook t. raise the S10O 600 still
needed, and opened subscription list of its own
for that purpose. BY July total of l02. 006 80
was turned into the Pedestal Fund. This tlded the
over the fall and winter of 1885. and
served, indeed to finish the massive pedestal in
Arrl 1856.
The iron framework and braces for tho support
OF the statue were put up in May and June and Oh
July IL the work on the copper plating itself was
begun. MANY oil the huge pieces boxen up long. |
shaken about III 70 many landings aud exposed to |
great variety OF temperatures, nad hattene out
OF their original shape. There was great deal OF |
delay from time 10 time in reforming them and the I
summer was nearly gone before he goddess skirts
even were lifted fairly to her waist.
he Last "a al, all, I.a