The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-01-16
WASHINGTON
Some Interesting Facts About the Tall
Shaft Oh White Marble.

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shaft OF White Marble.
The distance nc which the monument
is visible has always been . matter OF
debatable interest with Washington peo-
pie. Not o train approaches the city.
nor a bat speeds up and down the Poto-
mac, but carries . group OF people anx-
ions to see at just what point they q
last see the white marble against the sky
az they depart or first And 10 ID they re-
tnrn.
Probably the greatest distance at
which the monument is seen liz from the
summit Of the Blue ridge at Smokers
gap, . distance OF about d miles in an
air line. The elevation there il I, 1000
feet above the Potomac. The mountain
GERS years ago, with their keen eyes.
trained TO long and sharp sight in the
mountains, detected the white spot
cleaning on the horizon. and they can
always quickly determine its place on
the horizon line. But to city folks. how
ever, the location Of the white shaft ia
not an easy matter. Thousands OF WASH
ington people every summer invade that
region as summer boarders. to subsist ON
fresh milk and fried chicken and incl
dentally in their excursions up on the
mountain to get a sight Of the o u
ment. On clear days il in distinctly Wis
IDLE, especially to those who are famil-
Jar with its precise location. But il is
more easily seen at sunset than at any
other hour, as the sharp reflection of the
suns rays brings out the white surface
Of the marble. The mountain people are
only too glad to point out the monument
to their visitors and usually tell them
the secret by which they can themselves
locate it. This 10 by finding first or the
horizon line the slight elevation Of IN
tour presented by Munsoa's hill. Then
slightly to the left perhaps one degree,
there it is. The point from which TIE
monument was first seen from the Blue
ridge is the mountain farm Of Mr. Louis
P. Shoemaker of this city, and the place
is called Monument View.
One Of the most singular stories that
may be told about the Washington mon
ument is hardly credible, yet IL can be
vouched for as perfectly true. There are
hundreds Of ladies in Washington who
wear upon their hats the plumage or the
entire skin OF o bird which has lost its
life flying against the tall mass OF mar
BILE in the dimness of twilight or day
break. Every morning one Of the watch
men, who spends the night in the monu-
ment, finds about its base quite q mum
Der Of birds who have lost their lives In
this way. This mortality il not limited
to any one species, but includes nearly
all the birds known in this region.
Strange to say. few English sparrows
lose their lives BY flying against the
monument, but the beautiful golden
fnches. cedar birds, starlings, tanagers,
g~rosbeaks and many others of bright
plumage and great rarity have been
found. The Waterman takes these birds
mp town to o taxidermist, who stuffs
and mounts the rarer specimens, which
are sold for . good, round price to col
iectors, and the skins Of those less rare
are prepared for the miiliner. Hardly a
morning comes that there are lean than n
score OF dead birds about the base OF the
shaft.
Another queer thing to know about
the monument is that Ito height and
width vary. 1t In taller in summer than
III winter. and in the latter season its
width on the south side is about an inch
greater than on the north, east or west
side. This is due to expansion under
the neat OF the suns rays. This phe-
nomenon was determined BY Cantain
Greene during the erection OF the shaft.
Plumb lines were hung at each corner
or the marble wall, and the plumb
"bobs. or plummess, were suspended in
pots Of glycerin and molasses. Across
the top Of each pot was laid a finely
graduated steel bar, and three times n
day an army engineer took OF" the
registration thus made Of the expansion
OF the walls. IL was held that the plum.
NETS moved precisely with the points nc
which the plumb lines were attached 10
she top OF the shaft, and the Rlycerin
held them firmly without vibration or
oscillation. SO that the officer could note
any change OF position. All these regis.
trations, twice . day every day OF the
year. were recorded in o book during
the seven years that were occupied In
finishing the Observation-Disclosures