The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-05-20
GRANTS TOMB.
The Grand Memorial Dedicated to
His Memory.
Extraordinary Care Was Taken
in the Work Of Construction.

General Horace Porter, VINO was
president of the association for COM
pleting General Grants tomb in River
side Park, Now York, contributes to
the Century magazine an article de-
scribing the character and progress of
the work and the collection of the
fund for its erection. General Porter
says:
The work is now entirely COM
pleted. The lower portion Of the
tomb is q square structure of the
Grecian Doric order, measuring 80
feet on side. The entrance is on the
south side and is protected by por-
tico formed of double lines of columns
and approached by steps 70 feet wide.
The square portion is finished with
cornice and parapet, at a height from
grade of 72 feet, and above this is
circular cupola 20 feet in diameter,
of the Ionic order, which is sur
mounted with pyramidal top termin-
ating at height of $50 feet above
grade, or $50 feet above mean high
water of the Hudson river. The interior
is crucform in plan, 76 feet at the
greatest dimension, the four corners
being piers of masonry connected at
the top by coffered arches, the crowns
of which are so feet from the floor
level. On these arches rests an open
circular gallery of 40 feet inner diam
eter, eliminating in a paneled dome
105 feet above the level of the floor.
The surfaces between the planes of the
faces of the arches and the circular
dome form pondentives, which are
decorated in high relief sculpture, the
work of J. Massey Rhind, and emblem
attic of the birth, military and civic
life and death OF General Grant.
The sarcophagi is in crypt directly
beneath the centre of the dome. The
approach to the crypt is by stairways
which give access to passage encir-
cling the space dedicated to the sar-
, cophagi, which space is surrounded by
square columns supporting paneled
marble ceilings and entablature. A
circular opening in the main floor
gives an uuobstructed view of the
sarcophagi from the floor and from
the gallery.
In the work of construction the
fact was kept steadily in view that
solidity and durability were of para
mount Importance and that they
could not be impaired by an effort
unduly to hasten the work. To get
out the large blocks of stone new beds
had to be opened at great depths in the
quarry, and the dressing, carving
and transporting of the enormous
amount of granite required for the
construction was tedious process.
In the winter but little work could be
done at the quarries, and no setting
of stone was permitted for fear of
damage from freezing weather. When
the heavy piers of masonry in the in
terror were built and large masses OF
concrete used, delay of several
months was insisted upon le'ore con-
tinuing the construction, in order to
allow the work to ''set," and to avoid
any possibility of shrinkage or set
tling thereafter. Occasional delays
occurred from finding specks or flaws
upon the surfaces of some of the large
stones after they had been dressed
down to completion, and as the asso-
citation reserved the right, under the
terms of the contract, to reject such
material, new stones had to be pre-
pared to take the places of those which
exhibited defects.
The time from the laying of the
cornerstone to the completion OF the
tomb has been five years, shorter
period than has been consumed in the
building of any conspicuous memo
rial in history. The Bunker Hill
monument, which cost $3.50, 900. was
not completed until II years after the
cornerstone was laid. In the case of
the Washington monument, which cost
81. M.1S7,710, the time consumed was
81 years.