The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-27

coffin was put there, August 8, 1850, was
an interesting detail. some few people
then were able To understand the care
with which the case had been constructed.
Early in the evening OF that day, Patrick
Cregan, " no had charge OF the work. with
seven men who had come especially from
Troy, entered the tomb. Everything was
in readiness for the placing of the fifty y-six
steel bolts which We're to fasten the front
steel wall. For two and hair hours
the men worked by the light of candles
A portable furnace roared and the clash
of hammers on metal gave the little tomb
every appearance and sound OF Doiler
works. When the task had been com
pleted, Cregan said the armor steel case
was not only hermetically sealed, but WAS
chisel proof "That will last 10 600 years,
he remarked, as the tomb door was locked
More than thousand people had
gathered about the tomb anxious TO see
the work in progress. Gordon of police,
however, kept them back. When II was
over the people scrambled for each tiny
bit of metal and other material left by
workmen. One man got and treasured
the end of candle that workman had
held in his hand.
The New Tomb.
One hundred feet above mean high
water of the Hudson River, the Grant
Monument stands, a solid pile of white
granite 80 feet In height. The first az
feet of this height Is a cube of the Grecian
Doric order which measures 30 feet on all
sides.
The entrance, on the southern side, is
enclosed by n portico made up OF row
of recessed columns Above and behind
the portico rises an almost blank wall,
which will one day be relieved by the
four equestrian statues shown usually In
plans of the monument, and finishes In a
parapet which shows upon Its lace the
sculpturcd figures of Peace and War
Above the parapet. there starts abruptly
q cupola, 20 feet in diameter, surrounded,
| as relief, with Ionic columns.
Around the crown of the cupola line
| of fnsces. surmounted with eagles con-
| meets the columned drum with the pyra-
midical top.
The flawless granite of which the tomb
consists is of dotted whitish gray taken
| from a quarry of uniform grain, and Is
| SO light in tone that in the strong sun
| light it is hardly distinguishable from
marble
Passing up the great steps, which extend
| three quarters of the way across the front
of the structure one comes first to the
doors of the tomb, filling. space 10 feet
AZ inches in height and feet in width.
| OF bone dried ash, covered thickly with u
| composition of copper and tin, these doors
weigh three and one-half tons. In each
| door are three panels, ornamented with
l4S bronze rosettes, the twenty-four on
| the larger central panel being each
\ twice the size of mans fist, and all
riveted TO the doors with heavy bolts.
Beyond the doors. after a clear space of
3s feet, is u 25-foot opening directly over
| the crypt beneath. The interior of the
| monument Is cross-shapcd and the four
| corner arches are fifty feet above the
floor On these arches rests an open gal
| lery with an inner diameter of forty feet,
| which is approached by two circular cor
| ner stairways, each with 80 steps. Above
| the gallery extends the pareled dome,
| IL feet above the floor. and below through
| the opening can be seen the lower floor,
| and still lower the crypt with the sarcoph-
| agus.
| circular dome and the arches are decorated
! in high relief sculpture, emblematic of
| the military and civic life of General
| Grant.
Tbe windows are twelve in number,
| three in each side of the GROSS shaped in
| terror.
| The crypt is reached by side stairways
| which lead directly into the passage en-
! circing the space in which rests the snr-
| cophagus. This passage Is shut In by
| square columns which support the pan
| ellcd marble ceiling.
The sarcophagus rests in tho center OF
| the crypt ono hundred and forty feet
below the dome. OF all the perplexing
\ questions which arose in connection with
the new tomb the greatest was that OF
obtaining suitable material for the sar
cophagus. The proper quality was found,
| after long search, i'm the quarrios of Mon
| tello, Wisconsin, a porphyry OF line text
/ urc, brilliantly reddish in color Cut from
| the solid rock, it Is highly polished. re-
| fecting the nearby surfaces as 10 rests in
the crypt The great block is 10 feet
| inches long. 3 feet inches wide and
feet inches high, and weighs five tons.
| In this immense block space was hol'
| lowed out into which the coffipcd re-
| mains Of General Grant were lowercd.
| Then tho cap stone was set and the
sarcophagus again became as n solid
| biock II Is plain, savo for the simple en-
! gravcd inscription at the head OF the cap
| stone. Ulysses = Grant y
The pedestal on which tho sarcophagus
rests, Is n square Of ten feet ten inches.
| The lower course Of foot > inches Is
made i'm sections above which Is five
| inch ndentcd course. still above this
| are two heavy blocks Of marble on which
| the sarcophagus directly sets The
total height Of all is seven and one half
| feet.