The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-28

they made wild rushes and damaged
considerable property in the neighbor-
hood. Policemen had to be called to
keep the crowd within bounds.
The closing Of the end of the steel
case In the temporary tomb on the
night the coffin was put there August
8. 1885, was an interesting detail. Some
few people then were able to under
stand the care with which the case had
been constructed. Early in the even
ing of that day, Patrick Cregan, who
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-six steel bolts which were to fas-
ten the front steel wall. For two and
a half 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 ap-
pearance and sound of a boiler works.
When the task had been completed,
Cregan said the armor steel case was
not only Theoretically sealed. but was
chisel proof. THAT will last 10000
years" he remarked az the tomb door
was locked.
More than a thousand people had
gathered about the tomb, anxious to
see the work in progress. A Gordon of
police however, kept them back. When
il was all over the people scrambled for
each tiny bit of metal and other ma
teral left by the worknien. One man
got. and treasured. the end of a 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 $50 feet in heisnt. The first 70
| feet of this height is a cube of the
| Grecian Doric order, which measures 90
| feet on all sides.
The entrance. on the southern side is
| enclosed by portico made up of row
| of recessed columns. Above and be-
| hind 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 up
on its face the sculptured figures of
| Peace and War.
Above the parapet there starts alb
ruptly a cupola, 20 feet in diameter
surrounded, as a relief. with Ionic col.
umns.
Around the crown Of the cuDola a
line Of fasces, surmounted with eagles
connects the columned drum with tht
pyramidical top.
The fiawless granite of which the
tomb consists is OF dotted whitish gray
taken from quarry of uniform grain
and is SO light In tone that in the strong
sunlight it is hardly distinguished
from marble.
Passing up the great steps which eX
tend three quarters Of the way across
the front of the structure. one comes
first to the doors of the tomb, filling {
space OF 16 feet Az inches In height anC
feet in width. OF bone dried ash. GOV
cred thickly with a composition of cop
per and tin, these doors weigh three
and one-half tons. In each door ar,
three panels, ornamented with IL
bronze rosettes, the twenty-four on tn
larger central panel being each twic'
the size Of mans fist, and all riveteC
to the doors with heavy bolts.
Beyond the doors, after a clear spac
of 3S feet. is a 25-foot opening directl!
over the crypt beneath. The interior o
the monument is cross SNAPPED and tn
four corner arches are fifty feet aboV
the floor On these arches rests an opel
gallery with an inner diameter of fort
feet, which Is approached by two cir
Cular corner stairwayS, each with 6
! steps. Above the gallery extends tn
panelled dome, 105 feet above the floor
and below through the opening can b
seen the lower floor, and still lower tn
crypt with the sarcoDhagus.
The pendentives formed between tn
circular dome and the arches are dec
grated in high relief sculpture, EN-
blematic Of the military and civic lif
of General Grant.
, The windows are twelve in number
three in each side of the cross-shape
interior.
The crypt is reached by side stain
: ways which lead directly into the pas
sage encircling the space in which rest
the sarcophagus. This passage is shu
T in by square columns which supper
the pannelled marble ceiling.
The saroophagus rests in the centr
of the crypt. one hundred and fort
feet below the dome. OF all the pei
| picking questions which arose in con
I nection with the new tomb the grea;
; est was that of obtaining suitable ma
; terra! for the sarCophagus. The pre-
: per quality WAS found, after lon
, search, in the quarries of Montell
, Wis, a porphyry of fine texture, bri
, liantly reddish in color Cut from III
' solid rock, il is highly polished, reflect
ing the nearby surfaces as it rests
l the crypt. The great block is 10 fei
? 4 inches long, 8 feet inches wide an
\ 4 feet s inches high, and weighs fiN
! tons. In this immense block a spaC
was followed out into which the co
q fined remains Of General Grant wei
\ lowered Then the cap stone was Sc
S and the sarcophagus again became G
I a solid block. 1t is plain, save for II
, simple engraved inscription at the hea
of the capstone, Ulysses S. Grant"
r The pedestal on which the sarcopht
/ gus rests, is a square of ten feet te
,, inches. The lower course Of l foot
n inches is made in sections, above whiC
y is a five inch indented course. Sti
q above this are two heavy blocks
20 marble on which the sarcophagus d
rectly sets. The total height of all
seven and one-half feet.
Some day the body Of Mrs. Grant w
repose beside that of her husband in
duplicate of the sarcoDhagus now
the crypt Of the tomb.
WHERE THE TOMB STANDS.