The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-28
GROWING FIGURE ARRIVES
Indiana Now Ready to Take Her High
Perch on the Soldiers Monument
She Will Be the Highest Woman in the World
"A Slight Error in Casting Is Cor
rected-Tbe Effect

The browning figure of tho soldiers and
sailors monument arrived yesterday from
Chicago over the Lake Erie 81 Western
line. 10 lies In dismembered and pros
trate condition upon two gondols cars In
the railroad yard. between New jersey and
Alabama streets. AS 1t il. il seems mon
ster, and there were repeated and excited
ordinations of wonder from the large
number of people who visited IL In the
yards, It il ex posed to full view, being too
enormously heavy for crates and 80 large
that there 10 no danger of the vandsl hand.
Nevertheless the company has placed q
guard to protect IL while In it's care. and
the commission has appointed Otto Pfafflin
10 ACT as it's representative on the ground.
The work Of removing IL to Monument
Place will begin tomorrow. being in charge
of man from Terre Haute. He has the
contract, and, judging from the express
sions among those who have viewed tho
statue, he has the sympathy of q large
number who wonder how he will
succeed in getting so monstrous woman
DO high MP in the air. When her Majesty
Indiana" rises to her everlasting perch
upon the lofty column she will have the
distinction of being the highest woman or
statue In the world.
The statue is in six pieces the head and
trunk constituting one, the legs and feet
another. the two arms and the sword being
in three pieces. and the pedestal, in the
shape Of globe. being the sixth. These
are to be elev ated to the position Designed
for the figure through the hollow shaft In
the monument where the elevator Ia yet
The top of the figure will be 2S4 feet from
she ground. lt 10 twenty feet IN height. and
rests on a globe. which is eight feet In
hight. The size may be estimated by the
fact that the arm. which 10 about twelve or
long. The sword Is about twenty feet In
length. The weight of the figure is six
teen thousand pounds Its cost to cast was
$4,000. IL is at once the most ambitious
work Of the artist. George 1. Brewster. and
cast &c. Until within few years 1t was
thought that bronze casting had to be
done in Europe. The figure is among tho
largest pieces ever cast in this country.
There are several elements in it's construc-
tiou and elevation which present new DIFF
ficulties. and the appearance OF the figure
&C the hight selected. has yet to be known.
The belief is that il has been properly pro-
pOrtioped, but there are no examples for
reference. There are no other figures so
large standIn on columns SO high.
A great deal of new calculation had to
be done TO know what the wind pressure
would be. and what the strength of the
iron supports would have to be. The
figure will greatly add to the oscillation of
the monument. which, in spite of its rigid
ity, is about eight inches at the top.
The casting of the figure was accom-
plished without accident. The only error
was in misplacing of the point of the
sword. which was corrected without much
trouble. New machinery had TO be i'm
ported from Europe for the work. and it is
some time after, and was discovered by &C.
cident by President Langsdale. The figure
typities Victory rising out OF the ruins of
war. The artist designed the figure from
two women In Cleveland. Some of his
work il now on exhibition at the worlds
fair.