Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-01
IN THE GREAT SHAFT.

IN THE GREAT SHAFT.
RIDING TO THE TOP OF THE WASH
INGToN MONUMENT. |,
Queer Sensations While Rising $50 Feet
TN the Air-scene from the Upper Land
inr--Is tho Elevator safe:-The Shafts
Movements.
At last word was given, the door was shut
with a bang, and the conductor, with a
glance around the car, pulled the hand cable
downward several times in succession. There
was slight tremhle or shake as the car was
lifted from the floor, and then the heads of
the watchman and the foorman and the
square doorway full of light seemed to slip
down, down, until they were lost The car
moved noiselessly and smoothly as it slid up
the longest elevator shaft in the world. The
eye, turned instinctively upward, winked at
the immense vista, through which the strong,
stiff red cabes-twins they looked like-spin /
themselves up and over two great wheels in
the roof, 500 feet overhead. The light from |
the incandescent lamps filtered through the |
grated roof and sides Of the car giving a |
spotted appearance to the passengers. On |
either side were the rough uneven courses of |
the old masonry, the stones ragged and the
seams zigzagging without regard TO uni |
formity.
The car has passed through the old por.
ton of the shaft, and is running as smoothly
as at the start through the neat, exact ma
sonry of the new work The dark surface of
the granite is checkered with white squares,
the faces of marble blocks that extend en-
tirely 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 below. 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 lat
| ticed gate. These occur on alternate sides,
and, the car having door in both the east
and west sides, exit from the car is thus pro-
| vided in either direction. At $50 feet the
smooth walls are broken by the projection of
| twelve buttresses, three on each side. These
are the rib stones which support the roof of
the monument.
The light from the incandescent carbon is
by this time beginning 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
failing upon the car, and suddenly the con-
ductor gives long upward pull on the
haadrope, and the car comes TO a stop in the
midst 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
A COLD, LONELY PLACE
! This upper landing is a cold, lonely place,
the abutting ribstones cutting it up into an
gular spaces, and the bare floors and shining
white walls tending to give it lonesome
air On each side two oblons windows give
views into the atmosphere and down upon
the flattened 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 hill
top intruding its sharp point, as if in claim
of recognition as part OF the scene.
The spectators are awed, surprised, chiIet
into silence, and they occasionally glance up
ward at the maze of stones in the roof, th,
converging arches, and the seemingly light
airy mode of construction, and then shudde
slightly and hurry into the car. Some TAX
off their hats and put their heads through tn
windows exclaiming ct the dwsrfed appear
ance of the workInen on the mound below
and then, looking up toward the capstone
wondering at the multitude of lightning TO
points which cover each of the four triangle
of the roof.
At last the conductor shouts for all to &c
LII. H.
visitors huddle themselves inside and th
down trip is begun. In about nine minutes th
passengers emerge from the shaft into the ou
A. side atmosphere and mentally congratulal
themselves upon their good luck in safely t,
- turning TO the earth. Then, glancing upwar
along the face of the shaft, which seems to
falling over upon them, they shudder slight
and go away to boast that they have been I
the top of the highest artificial structure
the world.
Is the elevator safe1 has been asked hu
dreds of times during the past week. Th
question is hard to answer, for almost 6
elevators are matter of some slight ris
even under the most favorable circumstance
J., Yet it can be said with truth that the el
ment of danger has been eliminated from t
trip to and from the top of the great shaft
far as human skill can go. The maohinel
has stood the hardest tests for years witho
a break The cables have been tested to
capacity of over ten tons, and the car al
and machinery fitted with the best of safe
appliances.
MOVEMENTS OF THE SHAFT.
Great care is taken to note the movemer
of the shaft, for it does move The law
contraction and expansion Of material
heat and cold operates here as well as eli
where. When the sun shines full on t
eastern face in the morning the stones
that side expand and throw the shaft slighi
to the west Then the sun goes around
! the south and the apex Of the monume
"a makes corresponding swing to the nor
As the orb oreeps about the aky to its FL
setting in the evening the glittering point
top of the monument makes q contra mo
ment around half circle, gradually settli
back to its normal position after the rays
the sun have lost their power. This mo
- ment has never been calculated. but it is ,
doubtedly very slight- The wind. too,
TT an effect upon the structure. From the c
ter of gravity of the shaft, located ia
and 10 inches from the floor, is 4 cross bes
from which is suspended a fine steel vi
protected by galvanized iron tube alb
's. four inches in diameter. This hangs to
floor at the northwest corner Of the eleva
we'll At the bottom is plumb bob wei
ing twenty-five pounds, suspended by me
Us of the wire, and hanging in water.
An iron cylinder protects the instrum
uhf from injury, and Little iron house alb
four feet high keeps of the draue
Through the cylinder is a telescopic
piece, in one end Of which are two vert
:. wires about one-quarter of an inch ap
When a candle is held at an opening In
side Of the box, and the eye is applied to
KIN outside end of the tube, the plumb line
be seen-a fine line between the vert
marks. Any movement in the shift il
n corded by corresponding movement in
nj. line. When tho structure is at rest, and
its normal position, the line hangs still, =
!. - way between the others; but when the 81
sr,. is disturbed by the action Of the wind
,Tsa sways back and forth like the pendulum
,a.r. a clock, always coming to rest in tue cen
ONT. This is observed every day, and il the Gu
Mt a dian should ever notice the line hanging
hing. at any point outside of the two cross Ii
and he will then know that the monument
Is as bsen permanently moved from its level |
tion. Until then, however, no one need