Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-28
HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT.

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 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT.
 It was by popular subscription that the fund necessary for the erection of thy tomb of Gen. Grant was raised, and it [ estimated that 90000 people contributed sums ranging from one cent to $5,000. In all $559,000 was secured. The uneXperld- ed balances were kept in trust companies and drew per cent. interest, so the sum increased until 1t now amounts to about $600,0O0. With the exception of about $50,000 the entire fund was raised in New York city.
 Five days after the death of Gen. Grant on the 2Sth of July, 1885, New York city having been suggested by Gen. Grant before his death as the place for his burial, William R. Grace, then mayor, called a meeting of citizens at the city hall to take steps towards the collection of a fund for the erection of national monument. On the day following the Grant monument committee was perma- nently organized with ex-President Ches- ter A. Arthur as chairman. The first appeal to the public was signed by MT. Arthur as chairman, and by William R. Grace and Hamilton Fish, as vice-chair- men, and within week subscriptions of money were pouring in so fast that there was serious belief that little difficulty would be found in collecting 900. In February, 1886, then the Grant Monument association was organized under an act of the legislature, $114,0O0 had already been raised.
 Scarcely a week after this date, how ever, ex-President Arthur was forced to resign as president of the association be- cause of the illness which shortly after proved fatal. Sidney Dillon was then elected president, and was succeeded by Cornelius Vanderbilt in the early part of 1887. In February, 1886, William R. Grace, ex-mayor, became president.
 When subscriptions began to move slowly many plans were followed out for the collection of money. The members of the Grand Army of the Republic in this city worked with untlring energy from the start and subscription boxes were placed in all of the postquarters; collectors representing various enterpris- ing periodicals solicited funds in every quarter, and the newspapers of the city kept the urgency of raising money quick ly ever before the people, publishing from day to. day the names of subscribers and amounts subscribed.
 With the year following the creation of the Grant Monument association, prominent architects were requested to submit designs for a monumental tomb, but because of the general desire to ob- tain a design which should at once be work of art, picturesque to the popular eye, and durable enough to last Trough the ages, great caution was taken, and ideas and plans were criticised from every standpoint. It was nct until Sep tember, 1890, that the plans of J. H. Duncan, of New York, were accepted by the association and. on the anniversary of General Grants birthday in 1891 ground was broken with approprla te ceremonies, for the construction of a tomb to cost between $5O0,000 and $6o0,- 900.
 By January, 1892, with the work of construction under way, the fund had languished. Despite all efforts the fund had for several months remained sta- tionary at $155,000. From other states, where there had been strong opposition to the burial of General Grant in New York, protests came that the city had not fulfilled its promise to erect a suita- ble tomb. A growing sentiment that the remains should have been deposited in the National cemetery resulted finally in the introduction of bill in congress by which the removal was to have baen made from New York to Washington.
 Prominent citizens became alive to the situation, and an organized movement resulted in the election of General Horace Porter, who had been Grants chief-of- staff, as president of the Grant Monu- ment association Frederick D. Happen, president of the Gallatin National bank, was made treasurer. This was in Febru- ary, 1892 and at the same time the legis- lature amended the charter of the asso- cfation so that one hundred citizens took the place of the former committee of thirty-three. All officers of the newly organized associa ton served without compensation, D. O. Mills provided of- fees free and the expenses of collecting the fund became nominal, although the work, because of the immense amount of detail and the smallness of individual donations. was onerous.
 They began the memorable campaign of sixty days, in which time it was pro- posed to raise the remaining $350 0OO The actual work began in the early days of April, 1892, and in a week such had been the effort that the city fairly rang with the name and deeds of the dead general; school children were writing prize es- says, meetings were being held and an- nouncements made in churches as we'll as clubs and schools. In order that all classes of people should be interested, the association brought its cause before the 200 trades and professions represent ed in the city, and was successful in in- ducing them to hold meetings and to ap- point committees for the receiving of sub- scriptions Two hundred and ten com- mittees, numbering 24S7 people, were formed subscription boxes were placed on elevated railroad stations, in stores and banks; and subscription books op- ened in business offices. As a result of this stirring up of public feeling, when half the allotted sixty days had expired on April 27, the day the corner stone of the monument was laid, the Grant Mon- ument association announced that $202 S90.50 had been raised during the month. When the campaign closed on May 30, 1892, the amount had reached the neces- sary $350000. Before that year was out $404000 had been subscribed, which added to the earlier subscriptions of S155 900 made a total of $559,O0O The balances left in the trust companies have brought the fund up to $600,000
 INTERMENT IN OLD TOMB, AUG. 8,
 1885.
 Sixteen days after the death, the body of Gen. Grant was laid, on Aug. s, 1885, in the temporary vault in Riverside Park. The event was a solemn and imposing ceremony. From all points people fiocked into the city by tens of thousands. At least half million spectators gathered in the streets to watch the long process sion escoring the body to the tomb. The republic had never seen so .gerat a fu- neral cortege as that which assembled to do honor to the remains oe the dead com mander and president.
 From peaceful Mt. McGrescr the body had been taken to Albany, where it had lain in state at the capitol for a day and