Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-09
AFOOT AND BY CAR.
A Weeks Record at the Washington
Monument.

n weeks Record at the Washington
Monument.
THE THoUsASDs WHO AscESpxp THE sHAFr-oB-
srACLEs TO coMBAr-wISD, RAIN AND COLD
HOW TIE CROWDS WERE MANAsEp-rHE NEED
OF MORE MoNEY-rHE WIG STONE REPAIRED.
1t seems as though nearly one-fourth Of the
people who came to Washington to witness the
Inauguration ceremonies made it a point Of
their visit to ascend the Washington monument
The fact is that the great shaft has come to be
one of the main features of interest in and
about the city, and those who had time
to stay felt that they would leave a
very interesting page of the local book
uncut if they should go away without glimpse
of the earth from an elevation of half-a-thou-
sand feet. So the elevator has been bobbing
up and down as fast as steam would carry it,
packed with humanity, while the iron steps in
side have rung to the treat Of thousands of
feet The record for the week ending yester-
day was something over $4,000 people who
assembled the shaft. Besides this number thou
sands went as Tar as the base and after shlver-
ing in the line for some time gave it up and
turned away 1t was found necessary to mar
shall the visitors in a line extending down the
board walk at times. When the crowd was
manageable on very chilly or unpleasant days.
| south side of the door Of the elevator, inside
the shaft, and thence around the well to the
eastern entrance and out into the open air. In
this way hundred or SO were accommodated
in the warmth and shelter of the shaft while
waiting for their turns to come. Occasionally
one or two or q dozen would break out of the
line and impatiently begin the tedious climb up
the stairway.
on THE DIFFERENT DAYS.
On Friday, the LIST, Zoo went to the top; on
Saturday, $500 were accommodated; the monu-
ment was only open during the latter part Of
Monday and there was not much of rush.
200 going. up; Tuesday was the big day.
l0.5OO making the ascent; on Wednesday.
$500 were counted: on Thursday, $500
climbed to the top level; and Yesterday
the record ran up to about $500. This shows
total number of visitors in the eight days
ending last night of $4,000, or many as the
monument receives in three months under or
binary circumstances.
MORE MONEY NEEDED.
There is one deep-rooted conviction estab-
lished in the minds of most of the folks who
ascend the shaft during this period-a convic-
ton that came to them as they tramped up
through the damp interior, where at times the
water stood half an inch deep on the floor Of
the landings, and in places mud had accumu-
lated so as to make passage menace to the
preservation of garments. This conviction is
that the appropriation for running the monu-
ment is not large enough. 1t is $40, 800. every
cent of which is necessary to supply the coal
for the boilers, to pay the six men who are en-
ployed in and around the shaft, and to care for
and improve the grounds surrounding it. The
conviction is that there is urgent need of at
least two, If not four more men in the shaft
whose duty it should be to keep the floors clean
and to prevent the acts of vandalism
OF which The STAR has printed SO much
of late. The extreme height of the shaft rem
ders it impossible to keep it clean unless two
men are constantly employed with brooms and
mops. The rain beats in at the top during a
storm in quantities and drips down from land
ing to landing. leaving pools and puddles in
corners and often entirely across a floor. The
dirt carried in on the shoes of visitors mingles
with this and forms pasty mud that has. in
many instances, utterly ruined the dresses of
ladies who have made the ascent. This was
particularly annoying during the late rush,
when it was found necessary to stop the car on
the up trip at $50 feet level and compel the pas
sengers to walk the remaining 80 feet This
was made an essential precaution on account of
the great crowds that accumulated on the top
level. rendering it dangerous to attempt the
loading or unloading OF the car at that point
The other day, during particularly heavyrush.
the door of the top landing forming the way
into the elevator well was broken from its pO-
sition and hung loose. The way was boarded
up temporarily. and it was not possible to re-
pair the door until yesterday morning.
IN THE DARK.
To add to the discomforts of the crowds one
of the pistons in the electric light engine broke
on Thursday morning and the whole lighting
system had to be shut down for nearly all day,
while the visitors tramped up and down the
shaft armed with tallow dips One passenger
In the elevator during this eclipse, noticing
the darkness and remembering the stories Of
the dampness of the shaft, asked the conductor
If 1t were not due to the presence of 'fre-damp"
that the lights went out.
vANDALs STILL AT WORK.
couple of men were arrested day or two
ago for chipping pieces of marble from the
sides of the monument at the base, outside
They forfeited IS each. About ten DAYS ago
some unknown wretch broke off and carried
away human head that formed part of one of
the most deliberately carved memorial stones
in the shaft.
Col. Wilson. the engineer in charge, has had
printed number OF notices, follows, and
caused copy to be conspicuously placed on
every landing and in the car:
"Notce:-wrting upon the walls or railin1s or elm
ping 0I stone and az other similar acts OF vandalism
respect the memory of the Father Of His Co,1ntv %
earnestly requested to aid the authorities in the prSp
monument" ~
LOADING THE ELEVATOR
has now become an art with the conductor who
endeavors to carry up as many as possible at
once. The loads average SO or SO each during
a rush. The first ones in are requested to
stand around the sides; then this hollow square
OF humanity is filled in with other people
packed into the spaces much as the housewife
nils up her trunk when she is preparing to 90
to the country for the summer Little children
are utilized as filters. and extra large persons
must needs stand in the center so as to save
tue space that comes in at the corners formed
by their rotundities. Sometimes the conductor
shuts the door but halfway and stands with
half of his body ont of the car He is a con-
sciencicus man and does not want to take up
any more space than is absolutely necessary.
Once packed in, such thing as turning to
view the various sides of the shaft is impossi-
BILE. A passenger who happens to be set with
his face turned to the east or the west is fortu-
nate for then he will be able to see the memo
rial stones on one side; but those facing north
or south see but succession of white and dark
gray stones slipping silently downward crossed
by the angles of the stairways And those in
the center of the crowd, unless they are excep-
tionally tall, see nothing.
NOT A DANGER SIGNAL
The conductor has erased one query from the
long list Of questions that are propounded to
him by passengers who want to know every
thing there is to know about the monument.
and of this he is heartily glad. On the l3O-foot
level there is a small, white. marble stone that
was donated to the monument by the American
Wing society. 1t was let into the wall num-
Der of years ago, when all that there was of the