Evening star., 1897-04-27

sented arms. Hither and thither paced
two other sentineis with trailed arms.
That night men who had fought in the
blue ard men who had marched in the
gray met as comrades to talk over
the time when they chad faced
each other on the field of battle.
pretentious tomb every one knew that the
time SO ardently hoped for by General
Grant had come in spirit as well as In
name. The immense crowds dispersed to
their homes, and the city resumed its nor
NAL aspect.
THE OLD GRANT TOMB.
Sorry Contrast to the One Dedicated
Today.
The old tomb of Gen. Grant-a squat lit
the brick-buiH affair which was intended
as a temporary resting place for the body
and held it for twelve years-stands as a
woeful contrast to the new tomb in which
the remains are to rest for all time.
The two, the old tomb and the new, stand
close together, almost side by side. The
one imDresseS even the most careless OBJ
server with the idea of temporal power,
wealth and grandeur; the other, the old
tomb, in its simplicity is an emblem Of
sorrow, which seemed to center the nat
ural sadness that hovers about the men,
ory of a hero, and to concentrate those
memories TO one little DOet1c spot.
With the old tomb the thousands who
stood before the grated door each year
thought only of the dead man of war; with
the new tomb that feeling must I'm part
give way before the magnificence of the
artistic structure which has been reared
to preserve the memory.
On little knoll, which was always the
first spot in the vicinity to tell of the ap-
proach of spring and the last to take on
the garb of winter the temporary tomb
stands. The first touch of work done upon
1t was on Tuesday, July 2S, 1855, five days
after the death of Gen. Grant. During
those few days the consent of the Grant
family had been obtained to the interment
in New York and the Riverside Park site
decided upon. The plans of ]. Wrey Mould,
the architect of the park department, had,
in the meantime, been prepared, and day
and night the work went on, closely
board and his colleagues, Commissioners
Borden and Beekman. AS many men as
could possibly work together were set to
work, and the little tomb grew day by
day. There is a granite base, with walls
three feet thick of black and red brick ris-
ing above it until they finish in top of
blue stone. Then a granite keystone and a
barrel roof. Very simple, yet substantial,
as has been shown in the passing years. .
In length the structure is II feet = in
width, II feet inches: in height, Al feet
Its one door opens toward the Hudson
river. The floor of the tomh-is something
the knoll, and is reached by stone steps
from the door. For proper placing of the
coffin and its steel casing, brick piers were
built up from the floor to above the door
level. -.
The tomb was. declared finished shortly
after noon on Friday. August z. and the
steel casing having been set on the piers
everything was in readiness for the placing
Of the coffin in 1T ap the following day
In the years which followed, some i'm
provements -Weregmade on the temporary
tomb. The walls of brick were plastered
with white cement, a grated door took the
place Of the original one of iron and oak:
about the three-foot iron cross q metal
initial &c" was artistically woven, and a
marble casing covered the brick piers
which supported the steel case.
Through the grated doors, mourners and
sight-seers looked into the dingy interior
saw the case of steel with its one light point
at front, where was the inscription in let
1885"
Although a constant guard was kent at
this tomb, and the grating kept always
locked. half dozen years ago the guard.
ians discovered one day that two names
had been scratched on the face Of the steeI
casing to the casket. The guard was more
strictly kept after that. and the yandals.
who would doubtless have scerried avav
the very bricks of the wall II Permitted
were kept away.
Now. the old tomb having served its
purpose well. rests in the shadow of the
granite monument, unguarded and unsung.
THE STEEL CAsKET.
1t Held the Remains Of Gen. Grant In,
Nearly Twelve Years.