Evening star., 1886-10-28
Plucky People who walk 20 the Top Of
the Monument.

| Flucky People who Walk to the Top ol
the Monument.
| OVER TEN THOUSAND OF THEM WHO HAVE
GONE UP, BUT WHO DON'T CARE TO CLIMB
300 STAIRS AGAIN-THEY WILL WAIT Fob
THE ELEVATOR
The passenger elevator of the Washington
monument is in position, and will soon be com.
pieted and in readiness to carry passengers TO
the 5OOioot Level, when Congress shall authorize
| such use to be made OF it. 1t will be some time
yet before the monument is entirely completed,
for 1t Is necessary to improve the present some
what unsightly surroundings by forming q
mound about the base, which will afford grad
uaI, though irregular, ascent TO the floor Oh the
monument. This work cannot be commenced
| for month yet, as 1t contemplates the filling
OF Babcock lake, and this is not to be done until
after the fish are all removed. Preliminary
steps are being taken, however, and nearly all
the frame buildings surrounding the monu-
ment, which were sold the other day, are now
being removed All the remaining hoisting ap-
paratus, TOOLS materials, &C., were also disposed
OF at the sale so that there may be clear field
tor entering at once upon the proposed work
when the proper time arrives. In the mean
time the monument Is still open to the public,
the top afoot, and they will probably be accord
ed this privilege until Congress makes some
provision for running the elevator for their
convenience.
--~' ~A>>s ~sSS~SA
TEIP.
Since the 1st of April, when the iron stairway
that ascends the shaft was completed and Wis.
itors admitted. ten thousand eight hundred
passes have been issued to applicants. OF these
amy .W9 n9nalea were not used ana therefore
office, showing that visitors very generally
availed themselves of the opportunity to make
a Close inspection OF the monument, even If
they did not tramp to the five-hundred-fOOt
level The asceut OF the monument Is quite an
undertaking, ana many visitors who have gone
10 fhe trouble To secure passes are content to
examine it from the ground after a glance up
the dark shaft brings a realization OF the task
before them. 1t taxes generally about an hour
for persons who are not in a hurry to make the
round trip. This gives twenty or twenty-five
minutes Tor the ascent, ample time to enjoy the
magnificent view from the windows at the five.
hundrec-foot level and twenty minutes to de-
scend.
THE FASTEST TINE TO THE TOP ON RECORD
The quickest time that the ascent has yet
been made in is ten minutes. When it is con-
sidered that to accomplish the task in that
the rate OF fifty feet minute, or as fast the
Freight elevator used to ascend when the mon
ument was in course of construction, 1t can be
realized that this is pretty fast time.
'THE TELLER THAT DONE IT. AND HIS LEGS.
II remember the time that 1t was done in ten
minutes,' said John Shea, the monument
watchman for the past twenty years, in speak
Ing of the occurrence to a STAR reporter the
other day. "Ihe teller that done it was one of
one, but his legs Were all one way up anu down.
give you my word, when he came Saiiin' up
the hill on top OF his wheel could hardly tell
his legs from the spOkes, both being the same
shape and SO near the same size. He hao
extra weight TO carry and he had good reach,
and he made q good JOB OF IL. RIdIn' of his
wheel on the road gave him good wind and
strong legs. That's the best time I know OF,
though saw neater trick than that done by
some Oi these veiOcipede riders. 1t was one hot
morning during the summer that some OF the
signal service men were making experiments
AT the top OF the monument with atmospheric
electricity l believed they called it. They
needed some water for their business, and there
being none handy up stairs three of them
Started, each with two pals full i'll their hands.
ALI three were wheelmen, and were sturdy
looking young fellers. Just they started
with their loads one of them sung out, Ice
cream on the man that first sets his pals
down.
agreed, said the others, and up they went.
They had no lights, but there was a visitor just
ahead with a candie, and he set the pace for
them. Not one OF them stopped 10 rest, and
they all reached the top together in sixteen
minutes. Nobody had to treat, but any one of
them would have been willing to set 'em up
when they were through"
There are S9S steps to be assembled, so that
these water carriers cleared over f1fty-six steps
minute without taking into consideration
the many horizontal steps on the ten platforms
or stagings which form q part OF the iron STAIR
way.
WINE DEALER IN FIX.
speaking of treating" continued John Shea,
after The STAR man had made the above calcu-
lation, reminds me of the way one OF the boys
here put the screws on visitor at the time the
capstone was set. The visitor, who by the way
kept a wine shop, wanted to go up tile outside
perpendicuiar ladder, which you remember
then reached from the 5OO-ioot level to a
iaader, but he lost his heart when he went to
crawl on to the scaffold, and yelled for help.
One Of the boys, VINO knew him, was standing
near by and hallOed, Now have you where
want you. The best bottle In the shop or you'll
have u stick there, for devil a bit will help
you: TN The promise was MADE in less than no
Tne suggestive way IN which Shea wiped his
mouth, as ne concluded, gave rise TO u suspicion
that he knew that the promise was kept.
LADIES WHO MAKE THE TRIP
"Do many ladies go up?' repeated Shea.
"Well, should say so; nearly as many as men;
and when 1 tell you that sometimes we have
over a hundred visitors q day you may know
that a good many ladies make the trip. never
knew one of them to back out after coming over
here, aud can't say that for the men. I be-
lieve, though, that Two ladies gave out when
they had about reached the top and tainted or
nearly nearly tainted Int; & Asa general thing they come
don't hurry. have known two ladies, both on
crutches, TO stump every s,ep OF the way to the
something to say when thev get Sack byr uSs lns
remark / hear over and over every day is:
Well! that's the last time I'll make that
soo.;' ' - '"e "'S' 'i'ne'
ONE VISITOR WHO DIDN'T ASK ANY QUESTIONS
81 suppose everybody has some questions to
ask?" suggested the reporter.
IL never saw but one that didn't, and he was
a mute from Kendall Green You see the peo-
pie that come here are from Senators down to
Ioafers and burglars, and their questions are as
different as they are. When they stick to the
monument am all right, but when they carry
me To the Capitol and 10 Arlington and soldiers
Home, and every where, have TO strain myself
a little TO satisfy them"
SOUNDS IN THE SHAFT
THE STAR man took his stand inside the
monument and the noise OF party descend
ing sounded as II they were dancing Jig on
the head of an enormous bass drum. The sound
OF their feet striking the iron steps was taken
up and re-echOeG down the enormous shaft
nIiing II with weird din. Above it all, how
ever, could be heard the voices of the sight
seers as they called to one another in the DARK.
were the bottom, too.
THAT ism t as pleasant sound as heard in
here the other day" said the watchman COM
ing beside The STAR man. "a party OF Young
ladies were coming down." he continued ..and
they began singing. 1t was beautiful. Their
voices Here as clear as bells and the nearer
they came the more beautiful was the sing
ing. Lord love you, sir, / was really sorry
when they reached Inc and got here" mean.
ing at the bottom OF the steps,
After the visitors had all reached the bottom
the young man who spends the day at the top
that no damage Is done mp there, soon made
his appearance, swinging his lantern by his
side. Its been pretty long day." he re-
marked, as he passed out into the fresh air.
THE MONUMENT wATCHMEN.
There Is o watchman at the monumen: dav
and night. Three men compose the regular
watch iorce, and each one is on duty eight con-