Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-11-11
IN THE GREAT SHAFT.
By ELEVATOR TO THE TOP OF The WASH
lNGrON MONUMENT.
Queer Sensations While Rising $50 Feet IN the
Lr-Inprsssivs View From the Top
Does the Shaft Move?
Washington SGr.

Opculuk VI tuc HdSllhStOA ~
the public. At the rate at which the Wis
itors have baep carried to the top since the
ore1ing on Tuesday last, it would seem
that not only the visi!ore, but the resi-
dents Of Washington, have BEEN seized with
desire to see tie city from a!oft, the pas
tengsrs averaging from 400 TO $50 day.
The car has made steady, regular trips up
tie shaft every hnlf hour, beginning at 9
O'Clock in the morning and continuing,
with an intermission at roop, until 4
o'clock. A trip, with the car !olded, occ1-
pes about tan ninltss. Ten minutes are
sptn. at the top 10 give the Wis tors chance
to Look out of the windows, and then those
who wish to 90 down ara taken back 10 ths
lower regions, about nine minutes being
occupied by the descent. Those who wish
to remain above, however, arc permitted to
do so, but thsy must wait fo- the next
downward trip Of the ca, since no visitors
are allowed t ascend or descsnd by means
If the stairway.
Notwithstar ding the fact that over 80
passengers can bs carried by the elevator
at once, HUNDREDS of people have gone away
from the monum snt disappointed st not
being able to ascend the shat. AIeporter
paid i3it t, the shaft Thursd,y morning
and found the space in the monume ut
sround the elevator we'll fiCe with shiver-
ing pilgrims hall hidden in the darkness.
A moment later and thu electric lights
w re started, shining with a so!t bIillia1cy
10 z'cz course up the shat until the Wis.
i'm WAS shut of by ths towering walls.
Two red cables on the left hand side Of the
we'll were slipping tilen'lJ down into the
| fl ,or and tie eyes of thDse waiting below
were folio wing them with eager anticira-
tion Presently some ore, pressing his fics
sgainst the lattice work that protects the
well, exclaimed: Here's ste ccm%"
pointing to decanding shadow that cut
of the electric lights one by one. A mo-
ment more, AID the shadow couli he
distinguished ss TIE floor Of the elevator
silently aud cautiously crept back to tara
firms. Toe shiverers behind the walls
and in the crner eigerly crowded around
the door of the elevator cage, Presently
TIE h9or of the elevator came in sight be
low ore Of the CrossSeams, and tte1 the
csr, with it's load of p! sseugers, stopped
at the floor of the mo lumeut. Inside q
faint succession of sighs was heard, and
the door was thrown rafting back to let
the relieved passengers get out, ra:Ler
timidly, upon the temporary steps that
had been pat at the door. I'm a minute
the car was empty and in another filled
again, the most eager and the mist fortu.
nate securing seats on the two benches
that run along the ror'h and south sides
of the car, the others Standing in the
centre.
At.Iast word was given, tie DOOR was
shut with bong, and the conductor, with
a glance around the car, pulled the hand
cable downward several times in success
sion. There was q slight tremble or shake
then the heads of the watchmsn and the
fl Doimau and the square doorway full o!
light seems to slip down, down, until they
were lost. The car moved nois elessly and
smc lilly as 1t tlid up the longest elevator
shaft in ths world. The eye, turned in
stinctively upward, wirks cd at the nmen
vista, through which the stro1g, stiff rcd
blss-twirs they looked like-spi them
selves up and ever two great wheels IL tn
roof, 500 fest overhead. The light from
the iucand scent lsmps filtered through the
grated roof and sides of the car, giving 4
spOtted appearance to the passengers. Ga
either side were {, c rough, unsven courses
oftte old masonry, the st mes ragged and
the seams zigz Igging W .thout regard 10
uniformity.
The eye had about tired Of the mono'o1y
of the surroundings when some one ex-
claimed of Che app ,arance Of tie frat CT
the celebrated memorial stones &c. in the
walls. This first series occurs on the
thirt foot level. By the way, everything
in the monument is located by levels"
The bottom is cgll d the e olnd level, and
every landing i, known by the runb:r Of
feet of its elevation. Ga this thirty -fco.
levt are the stones of Maine, DeIeWa-e,
Arkansas AMI the National Grays of Wtsh-
ingtln. Fiom this point to the halfway
level the trip is full of interest, the at
t ntion being drawn to alternate tides
of the car to noe the vati-
GUS tablets AID Inscriptions A coed plan
to follow ia to take one I'll lie going up and
the other going down, paying strict atten-
ticn to each in It's turn The level at 40
feet contains the stones from Nashville,
Tenn, louisiana, Colorado, Alstana,
aud the Columbia Typographical Society
Thence the States and all forts of sOcie-
ii 90 and military Companies are il te ming
led. On the 60 foot level is an old sqtlue
tablet, so badly weathe:-b eaten that it is
illegible from the car. On the next level
is q magnificent stone from Mas achu.
sets and one from Connecticut.
The latter is worn so on the left.
hand side that some Of the raisei
lettering is very indistinct while that on
the other side is sharp and clear. The
city of Washing TOMS tribute to her god
father is neighbor of the stones from VIZ
gtnia and Maryland on the ~lfoot level.
On ths 200.foOt level is one of the hand
comes. collection of stones in the monu-
ment. The tablet from B:emen is q rich
piece of dark stone, highly polished, stand
ing out two inches from the wall, with
rounded cd yes. TIE lettering is elegan ly
gilded on the surface. In the centre ef the
landing is a stone, in relief, from Tur-
kish tenple. Tee rica 0.ienta! ornameL-
tation is in sharp contrast 10 The simplicity
exhibited in the msjority of the stones,
and attracts instant attention.
To the right, under the Bremen stone, is
a large tablet from tie SEiss federation.
This shows % a greater extent than any
other stone in the shaft the vandalism Of
visitors that finally forced the now extinct
d onume1t commits ion to close the shaft to
tie Pablo. Fivs or six Of the large raised
letters on the stone have been tOdly re-
moved and the table. otherwise injured.