The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-27
Fund Made Up of Contributions From the
People and 100000 Subscribed To IT,
Grants Body Laid In the Old Tomb
at Riverside Park===The Steel
Casket and the Old and
New MausOleums.

n was By pcpuls- subscription that
the func ncccssyry Zoe the ersetion III che
tomb of General Grant was raised, and
it Il estimated that $4,000 people CON
tribrted sums, ranging from one cent 20
5000. In all, 1868, 600 was secured. tae
uuexpended balances were kept In trnss
Con,panies and drew three por cent IN
terest, so the sum increased until e now
amounts to about 5000. 000 With tho ex'
ceptiop of about $50. coo the entire fund
was raised in New York city.
Five days after the death OF General
Grnnt on the 2sth OF July 1885, New
York city, having been suggested 10y
General Grant before his death, as the
place Of his burial William *. Grace
then mayor, called a meeting Of citizens
aU the city hall TO take steps toward the
collection of fund for the erection of
national monument On the day follow
,nk the Grant Monument committee WAS
permanently organized with ex-PresiGent
Chester A. Arthur as chairman. The
first appeal to the public was signed 10y
Mr.. Arthur as chairman, and by Viii
liam r. Grace and Hamilton Fish, as
vice chairmcn, and within week sub
scriptions Of money were pouring in so
fast that there was serious boiief that
little difficulty would be found In collect
ing 81, 600, 0O0 In February 1850, then
the Grant Monument Association was or
ranized under an act Of the Legislature.
&ll4, 600 had already been raised
Scarcely week after this date, how
ever, ex.President Arthur was forced TO
resign rs president of the association be.
cause of the illness which shortly aftcr
proved fatal Sidney Dillon was theu
elected president, and was succeeded by
Cornelius Vanderbilt In the early parl o:
1887. In February, 1883, William h
Grace, ex-mayor became president
When subscriptions began to move
slowly many plans were followed out for
tho collection of money. The members
of the Grand Army OF the Republic in this
city worked with untiring energy from
the start and subscription boxes were
placed in all of the post quarters; co.lec-
tors representing various enterprising
periodicals solicited funds in every
quarter, and the newspapers OF tho city
Kept the urgency of raising money quickly
ever before tho people, publishing from
day to day the names of subscribers and
amounts subscribed
With tho year following the creation of
tho Grant Monument Association, promi-
nent architects were requested to submit
designs for monumental tomb, but be-
cause of the general desire to obtain de-
sign which should at once he work of
art. picturesque to the popular eye, and
durable enough to last through the ages,
plans were criticised from every stand
point II was not until September, 1890,
that the plans Of j. II. Duncan of New
York, were accepted by the Association,
aud ON the anniversary of General
Grants birthday in 1891 ground was
broken, with appropriate ceremonies, for
the construction OF tomb To cost be-
tween $500 600 and $500, Oc0.
BY january, 1892. with the work of con-
gtructi0u under way, the funds had Ian
guishcd. Despite all.efforts tho fund had
for several months remained stationary at
elb6,000 From other states, where there
had been strong opposition TO the burial
of General Grant in New York, protests
caIne that the city had not fulfilled its
promises to erect suitable tomb. A
growing sentiment that the remains
should have been deposited I'm the
National cemetery resulted finally in the
introduction of a bill in Congress by
winch theremoval was 10 have teen made
irrIn New York 10 Washington.
Prominent citizens became alive 60 the
situation and an organized movement re-
suited In the election of General .aGrace
Porter, who had been Grants chief CT
stntf, 10 president Of thsl Grams Monu-
meht Association. Frccerirk ID. Tappes,
xtnsident of the Ga..ltin National Bans,
WAS made rreasu.o- Tbs ras in
February, lS82, and 1T the same t!n,e rnc
W. legislature amended tho ;t..gsw of',ho
association So that one aundr"i s:aais
ts11S the place of i.ie former committee of
trlrty-threc. All officers of tie newly or
garizcd Association served without COM
Ieusation, ID. o. Mills provided Offices
FREQ and the expenses of collecting the
fund became nominal, although the work
---lpca lsc OF the immense amount of de-
sa,l and the slnallness of individual dona-
t.rns--wds oncrous.
Jlcy bcgan the memorable campaign of
psxsy days, In which time ~ was proposed
to raiEo the remaining $780, coo. The
rc.nal work began in the early days OF
April, 1882, and In week such had been
Tire effort that tho city fairly rang with
tiIc name and deeds Of the dead general;
school children were writing prize essays,
meetings were being held and announce
n,ents made In churches as well us clubs
snI schools. I'm order that all classes of
people should be interested the association
brought its cause before the two hundred
sraacs and professions represented i'm the,
city, and was successful In inducing
tjfsm TO hold meetings and TO appoint
committees for the receiving Of subscrip-
nps. Two hundred and ten committees,
numbering 2is7 people. were formed sub.
s'ription boxes were placed on elevated
fl.lroad stations, In stores and banks; and
subscription books opened I'm business
Offices. AS result OF this stirring up Of
public feeling, when half the allotted
sixty days had expired, on April "a, the
Gay the corner stone of the monument
was laid. the Grant Monument Associa-
ton announced that SlU2. so. 30 had been
taised during the month. When the cam