The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-29

their offerings Of flowers upon it and
retired. Mrs. Grant, the generals
widow, was not present. Some of her
friends urged her to be there, but she
said that she felt that she had babe the
general goodbye" at the funeral services
at Mt. McGregor, and she preferred to
have that as the remembrance of their
last parting.
To low strains of music the casket was
borne into the tomb and placed in the
steel casing. The door of vault was
locked and the key handed to Gen. Han
cock, who passed it to Mayor Grace. In
turn, the mayor gave the key to Presi-
dent Crimmins of the park commission.
That night men who had fought in the
blue and men who had marched in the
gray met as comrades to talk over the
time, when they had faced each other on
the field of battle. AS the sentries paced
in front of the unpretentious tomb, ev-
cry one knew that the time so ardently
hoped for by Gen. Grant had come in
spirit as well as in name. The immense
crowds dispersed to their homes and the
city resumed its normal aspect
The Old Tomb.
The old tomb of Gen. Grant-a squatty
little brick-built affair which was intend
ed as temporary resting-place for the
body and held it for almost twelve years
stands as Il woeful contrast to the new
tomb in which the remains are to rest
for all time.
The two-the old tomb and the new
stand close together, almost side by side.
The one impresses the most careless OBJ
server with the idea of temporal power,
wealth and grandeur; the other, the old
tomb, in its simplicity is an emblem of
sorrow which seemed to center the nat
ural sadness that hovers about the men,
DRY of hero, and to concentrate those
memories to one little poetic spot:
With the old tomb, the thousands who
stood before the grated door each year
thought only of the dead man of war;
with the new tomb that feeling must in
part give way befores the magnificence
of the artistic structure which has been
reared to preserve the memory.
On a little knoll, which was always
the first spot in the vicinity to tell of the
approach of spring and the last to take
on the garb of winter, the temporary
tomb stands. The first touch of work
done upon it was on Tuesday, July %,
1885, five days after the death of Gen.
Grant During those few days the con-
sent of the Grant family had been obtain
Riverside park site decided upon. The
pf Tho, norI denarfment had in the mean
fine been nranorad and dov and night
tba work Vent on closely watched Inv
President Crimmins of the park board
and his colleagues, Commissioners Bor-
den and Beekman. AS many men as
could possibly work together were set
nv doy There is n granite base with
vans three Ieet thick Oh piack snu reu
or IGN ~ ns hlTo a stono Thon ~,.a nitn Iev.
o. ,Up " and barre, roof Very s;mnje
vat suhsto nt;oI nc has beer shown in
fbo nasS;no veors
~ pI :, .oo,,
n iehsln the s,Lue'9 f+ e s,. ;,,nhos
III nelgnt tWen,y-0ne TT .s g H. a aoo,
opens toWaru tne Iuuson ri.el' i ine n t,',a
OF the ionp Is soms,ns n tb a, ,m1h omJ
ieet Delow lne sufaac t VI f sme A th d anu
Is rea aS ny s,Jne ILL., n"p 20 thn ioofSn and
ror the proper piacihS VI .ne Doanh , aHu
lts steer Casing prick pets M Ser,. 1 ouI'
up from .he noor 10 aDode s ,5s aSo sbertln
s tne .olio md E, Is Aua n and ths
aL,er mo1n o hor;nG I,on Set mn tba uers
steei thsans lawn; j.; oed;,,sss fnr tho nla ~
sveryeh its ma We, ~ i, ~ nn +ha fnIIown q
ihg oi the eoinn Ill ~ on '"e io''o" 'Ae
ua ri,iuo,uh +ho oro+od door ,no,,rnars and
ci lnoLaI info tho 1Inpy interior.
siSm' Zee iooh of staoI With he ONE liDht
saw 'n t tr n1 ,bnro vas the inarr;ntion
poih. .t a. ii oe s;,rar. at Grant D;ad
III III, ie' 90 100, St s''i' ~
NY 20, th noo "id tomb having served its
r now we ro,, 0'r rests in the shadow of the
p un,;to won, mont unpuarded and m
s sru,'e i'''"''
'"ns'
The Steel CasIset-
Drr;no tho e,even wears and eight
r,nnthS 7bot tho bodv of Cen Grant was
u; ;,,o tha tamnororv tomh If was enclosed
-; ~ thnoo nna;ns There was one of con
, 40 IND and c oo ono Of no,;shed cedar and
pna 81" Of stool The two first are now
Sme IN tbo sorconbagus which is in
o orusu of +hn now tpmb The steel ,cosket
hnT in ~ heen removod IFS Mace has
ha a ms - Ion Inv f;vo TONS If solid granite
Tho frst coftin Is alright and is CON
s;dorod ;ndestrnctibie' If is six feet
ionr aud tbo outer case of cedor is COW
n GaS " With bioct cloth The metailic in
tar;or vs." ;S conner b;chlv nolisbed. and is
ono'n;ob+b of an inch thieS, The
fromaS and nortaIs are of solid silver:
tba ton is omen the fulI length and COW
ered w With n heavy French nlate beyeled
eieS Over this glass the lid fits TO
m S tho conner coffin comn,ete and on
tha lid is n gold Mate. fixed with gold
screws which beors the inseriutiOn.
.sJr 6 Cront D;od INV 90 1SS5 TTbe