Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-08-11
THE POPE'S GIFT.
Fished from the Bottom Of the
Potomac After Forty Years.
One OF the Oldest and Deepest Mysteries
OF Washington City Mt Last Cleared
Up-A Valuable Discovery
Made by Diver.

uliar slab or stone, which, if some of
he old residents who have been con-
ulted on the subject are not badly mis-
aiken, is find of real value and in
terest in connection with the early his
tory of the city, says the Washington
Post.
1t was several days ago that the find
occurred. Diver Harry Edwards was
down on his third trip in the morning,
and was guiding the nozzle of the large
suction hose that is used in tearing up
Tie soft bottom to give the wOrkmcn
lcccss to the foundation of the piers.
lear the southwest corner of the abut-
Gnent on the district side he encountered
he corner of a piece of large dressed
tone, which he at first thought was
,iece of the masonry of the pier which
lad become detached and fallen out
IS the dredging gradually brought
he whole of the rock to view he
EASILY saw that the material was
not such as plebeian bridges are
made of. 1t was a sharply cut
md beautifully polished piece OF
ylricgated marble, striatcd in veins of
pinl1 and white, which, seen through
the green scintillating light of the
later, took on iridescent tints as fresh
IS if just turned out from the
"culptor's hand. It was not large
block, more like 4 slab about six inches
nick and perhaps one and onc-half by
.hrec, feet in surface dimensions. But
/ Was in the way of the engineering
FORK. and therefore, whatever it was,
t. had TO get out Of the way, and, stoOp-
:ng down, aided by the buOyancy of the:
water; Edwards turned the stone over;
and rs he did 50 noticed half-elfaced
inscription on one side. Feeling that
perhaps there might be something to
he curious find he Signaled the bucket,
md, as his time below was nearly up,
tScendCd with the marble and had IL
.andcd on the barge, instead of being
thrown O2 the common scrap pile with
the rest of The refuse.
The matter was investigated and the
facts brought to light make it almost
-ertttin that one of the oldest and deep
est mysteries of Washington has been
ut last cleared up.
The story Is. one not very widely
known, and it may be briefly stated as
tAi%: During the first years of work
upon the Washington monument there
we're contributed from all quarters of
The globe memorial stones to be inlaid
Oh the inner wall of the shaft. The
crowned heads OF nearly every land
were proud to contribute toward Amer
i2a's memorial to the greatest hero OF
rlolcrn times, and tablets of granite
md marble, appropriately inscribed
ere received by the monument
society, and placed. pending their
insertion, in long wooden
cEl ~,
foot OF the shaft. Among 9th
CTS that were received in the. winter of
1853 was a block of beautifully striated
marble from the pope Of Rome, with
the simple inscription: "Rome to amer
i"a," meaning by that not the religious
but the political power represented by
Rome" But it was in the days of the
old know-nOthings, the american
party" whose incorporate zeal lid not
top Tor fine distinction 81 definition,
nd. thinking that they saw in the gift
IN in5idious invasion Of papa3y into the
and of the free and the homo of the
DrUvC, there were Ominous grumblingS
IT wrath on the reception Of the Gift by
The authorities at Washington But,
slough the cloud lowered, it did not
burst.
The hard winter of 1858 passed and it
WINS late in the spring OF 1854 when the
work on the monument was once more
begun. The morning Of March 5 Of
thac year the city was electrified to
learn that the night before an unknown
band Of viGilantcs had broken into the
stone shed ut the foot of the monument
and that tic pope's gift to the struc-
tur" vas missing. But what had be-
| Coi1c OF it no one knew. There was
always wntchnun stationed ia the
ground around the monument, and with
! Eim was good watch dog. but the
maTnuling party had laid their plans
wei. and the dog had been poisoned,
"hila che watchman was imprisoned in
| mis- boS Ivy rope passed around the
, optsidS of the doors and windows, thus
| preventing him from even catching q
| Glimpse Of the party who secured him