Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-29

here adopted.
BIDS FOE THK WORK.
At q meeting held April 8. 1890, Colonel
Cutshaw. engineer IN charge. explained TO
the board the desirabiity Of proceeding
with the work, at least as far as the fifth
dressed stone. thus finishing up to, the
round moulded base course OF the shalt
He also announced TO the board that ne
had bids for the work to submit to the
board.
On motion of Captain A. Pizzini it was
resolved to proceed with the work, as sus-
gested by the engineer, and the board on
opening the bids, found James Neither
wood to be the lowest bidder, and he was
awarded the contract at S4,69O.
THE WORK IN PROGRESS.
The work so far done brings the struc-
| ture about four feet out of the ground.
| All of this masonry, however, will be hid
| den by the dressed work which will sur
round it, and though the top of the foun-
dation, &C., is now six feet out of the
| ground il really represents the ground
| line of the monument proper, the present
stone-work being simply the foundation
for the true base.
The contract has already been made for
five dressed stones TO surmount the pres
ent work.
The first dressed stone VIII measure
about fifteen feet square by two feet five
| inches thick
-Four other stones are now being worked
ct the quarry, each of them costing from
5000 TO 81 400. These five dressed stones
will carry the work to the height OF about
eighteen feet and will finish the base, and
the first stone, or moulded base of the shaft
| proper.
THE COLUMN.
The shaft itself will be composed of thir-
| 4.ar hlnclg of 1Qmos-riVQr QrApita uhQut
F, six feet in diameter and about five feet
! high, the whole TO be surmounted by an
| ornamental capital Of composite order
OF architecture.
STATE CONTRIBUTIONS.
! II is almost beyond doubt that each of
| the States lately composing the Confede-
/ rate States OF America will contribute one
! OF the thirteen blocks composing the shaft
/ and il is possible that Texas viii cOntri-
| butte the capital, which Will be about six
/ feet high and eight or nine feet III diane
| ter, finished ia the red granite of that
, State.
Appeals will be made TO the several le-
! gislatures of the southern States for an APP
| preparation in money sufficient tOpurchase,
! dress. and place in position one stone OF
| the shaft.
THE ARTIST.
| Sir nj. Ezekiel, a native of Richmond,
and once student at the Virginia Military
| Institute, now TeSidentin Rome, celebrated
| as a sculptor throughout Europe, IS now
| engaged on the model of the statue which
is TO surmount the shaft The last letters
| from him state that he has nearly COM
! pleted his model, and hopes before very
| long to be able to mail TO the Committee
on Design photographs of the model from
every point OF view.
The figure will be about twelve feet IN
height. and will weigh probably eight tons,
| 1t will be cast IN bronze under the per-
sonal supervision of MIR. Ezekiel.
THE soLDnR.
The figure will represent Confederate
soldier dressed in the garb Of 1863 or 1864.
| His accOutrements, arms, and dress are all
] 10 be modelled from the ger ulne articles
| themselves, and the man who posed for
| the figure was himself o private soldier in
the Confederate army.
MONEY.
It is hoped and believed that large por-
| ton Of the money necessary TO pay tor the
monument and the statue will be raised in
sums of one dollar from individual Con-
/ federates. Receipts in the form of s0ure-
Rtrs, worth IN themselves if made for sale
| one dollar each, Will be given TO each con-
tributor of one dollar,
The OLD PILLAR.
! "Pompey's Pillar" near Alexandria.
which is the model for this monument. IS
| considered by the best critics in the world
| TO be the most beautiful. imposing and
perfectly proportional shaft III existence.
| The base of the original is of one block Of
stone twenty feet square. The shaft of the
original is sixty-fye feet high, and nine
! feet in diameter and o monolith. and the
capital is nine feet in diameter, and eleven
feet across the top from yolute to volute.
Total height, ninety-hve feet.
OUR COLUMN.
The monument to be erected on Libby
| Hill Will be Pompey's Pillar reduced
automatically in all its proportions one
| third.
This reduction was necessitated by the
fact that stones of sufficient size to repeat
| the model in all its details and in fun size
would be practically impossible to get
without most tremendous expense. The
single stone necessary for the base, II
quarried. would cost from $4,000 to $780,
600.
The monument as reduced viii measure
in the total height about sixty-five feet.
The base VIII be fifteen feet square, the
capital about six feet in height and six TO
eight feet In diameter. The shaft itself
between the capital and the base, circular
and perfectly plain, without ornament OF
any sort--will be about forty live feet high.
IT WILL BE GRAND.
|, The monument when completed will be
visible along the entire length Of Main
street for mile, and viewed from any
point on Main street from Twenty ninth TO
Fifth street viii have always the sky for q
background. The purchase Of land by the
city around the site proper of the monu-
ment has made ii impossible for any one 10
build at point which would deprive the
monument Of the beautiful effect OF the
sky tor background viewed from any
point.
When The whole design is completed
Libby Hill viii BE- euoircled BY terraces