The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-12-12
THE HIGHEST STRUCTURE,
A TRIP TO THE TOP OF WASHING
TON MONUMENT
An Upward Journey That Takes
Ten Minutes-Largest Elevator
I'm the World-HistoriC Views.

Ten Minutes-Largest Elevator |
In the World-Historic Views.
The car has long ago passed through
the old portion of the shaft aud is run
ming as smoothly as at the start through
the neat, exact masonry of the new work,
says the Washing star in an account of
the new elevator in the great Washing
ton Monument. The dark surface of the
granite is checkered with white squares,
the faces of marble blocks that extend
entirely through the walls, acting as
bond to the masonry. The corners of
the shaft in this new portion are neatly
rounded, instead of being square, as be-
low. At every fifty feet from the floor
to the roof there is an elevator landing,
the floors of levels being extended to
meet the car, and guarded by high
lattice gate. These occur on alternate
sides, and the car having a door in both
the east and west sides, exit from the
car is thus provided in either direction.
At 4G0 feet the smooth walls are
broken by the projection Of twelve but
trcsses, three on each side These are
the rib stones which support the roof of
the monument. At the bottom they
extend about six inches, leaning out
lilOIt anu ulOIt uS lutl ~ UP uubll az
the top they pro Jet about five feet. The
middle ones on each side are little in
advance of the others, narrowing more
rapidly to formian arch for the support
of the capstone. The light from the
incandescent carbon is by this time be-
ginning to be dimmed by that from the
outside drifting down from the windows
in the roof. The great wheels that have
been devouring the cables seem to be
falling upon the car, and suddenly the
conductor gives a lcng upward pull on
the handrope, and the car comes to Il
stop in the mid of a sheet iron cage,
The air Is chilly, and as the passengers
step timorously over the threshold they
button their overcoats and turn up their
collars.
The upper landing is a cold, lonely
place, the abutting ribstones cutting it
up into angular spaces, and the bare
floors and shining white walls tending to
give it a lonesome air On each side
two oblong windows give views into the
atmosphere and down upon the tlattened
earth. The world looks bigger than one
thought it to be; it stretches away on
every hand to a melting blue horizon,
family outlined, with here and there a
hill top intruding its sharp point as if
in claim of recognition as part of the
scene. On the south side the Potomac
reaches down toward the sea; silent and
stcadfast beneath lie, like map, the
! flats of the river front, with dredges at
WORK here and there. A steamer is
crawling down stream at a slow pace,
and the shipping thinly scattered along
! the wharves is silent, as if ashamed of its
scarcity
| From the west windows q magnificent
view is obtained of the old Virginia
| shore, with Arlington showing like q
| yellow spot to mark the resting place of
! the soldier dead. The Potomac drifts
| out of sight around bend, and then ap-
| pears again for q moment with a flash.
! The haze that softens the horizon makes
| it almost impossible to discern the Peak
of Sugar Loaf, thirty eight miles away,
in the northern sky, but after moments
search it appears, the summit seemingly
floating in the atmosphere. The northern
view is first mass of houses, dull red in
tone, enlivened by a patch of white or
+ light brown here and there, with certain
streets shooting straight out from be-
meath until their conycrgug lines lose
themselves.
Beyond the houses are the heights,
marred at intervals by great red patches
of exposed earth, marking the course of
the Aqueduct tunnel. or to the right,
Just below the Soldiers Home, is
larger patch, the walls and banks of the
new reservoir. A country road. some
miles out, suddenly climbs q hill and
shows itself through the trees like a
steady column of yellow smoke.
The city proper is best seen from the
east. From the base of the shaft to the
Capito, standing like Chinese wall,
the mall stretches in charming success
sion Of groves, graceful pathways and
ornamental structures. The Smlthson-
ian Park is gorgeous with the bushes of
Autumn. The picture is marred, how
ever, by line of smoke and steam from
the railroad cutting across the middle of
the park.
Tie spectators are awed, surprised,
chilled into silence, aud they OCCASION
ally glance upward at the maze OF stones
in the roof, the cOnyerging arches and
seemingly light, airy mode Of construc-
tion, aud then shudder slightly and
hurry into the car Some take oil their
hats and put their heads through the
windows, eXclaiming at the dwarfei APP
pearance Of the workmen on the mound
below, and then looking up toward the
capstone, wondering at the multitude of
| lightning rod points which cover each
of the four trianglcs Of the roof. The
aluminium tip looks like Il dark spot
fringed with points. Then the heads
are Withdrawn with a sigh Of relief.
At last the conductor shouts for all to
get on the car who wish to 90 below,
and the visitors huddle themselves in
side and the down trip is begun. In
about nine minute the passengers emerge
from the shaft into the outside atmOs-
phcre and mentally congratulate them
selves upon their good luck in safely re-
turning to the earth. Then, glaucing
upward along the face Of the shaft,
which seems to be falling over upon
them, they shudder slightly and so away
to boast that they have been TO the top
of the highest artificial structure in the
world
Ten minutes are occupied in the as
cent with loaded car. 1t remains ten
minutes at the top and occupies nine
minutes in the descent. The number Of
passengers average 400 to 800 day.
Ont of the Frying Pan Into the Fire.
The Portland Oys70noa tells Of a pc,