The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-01
THE MONUMENT GROUPS
PLANS FOR CHISELING OUT THE
HUGE BLOCKS THIS WINTER.
Mr.. MahOney to Have Charge of the
Rough WOrk-COmpIetiOn
by Next Summer.

Quite a number of people who are on
earth now will live to see the great Indiana
soldiers and sailors monument completed,
though it will require few more appro-
priations from the Legislature to finish the
work. The wisdom of the regents in tear
ing out the "dinkey" little fountains and
putting in the magnificent cascades that
now pour out their thousands of gallons a
minute has been demonstrated. People ap-
preciate the fact that the base of the monu-
ment is now treated in way commensurate
with the grandeur of the shaft.
This will be more apparent when the ar
engagements for lighting are completed. The
four pedestas that are being put in upon
the balustrades of the steps will, in time,
support beautiful candelabra of bronze and
bronze candelabra will replace the gas-pipe
make-shifts that support the lights sur
mounting the drinking fountains. But the
completion of these candelabra will have
to await another appropriation from the
Legislature
The immediate work in hand is the side
groups representing war and peace. The
decision of the regents to have these groups
done in stone involved an engineering work
of no small magnitude. Had this determi-
nation been reached in the first place by
have been a comparatively easy matter to
have hoisted the heavy stone for these
groups into place with the same scaffolding
and travelling crane that lifted skyward the
enormous blocks of which the shaft is built,
but to set it in place now without injuring
the monument or it's ornamentation requires
some very careful and delicate work. The
derrick poised at the northeast corner of the
pedestal is the largest post derrick in the
country. For two weeks it has been steadily
piling UP the enormous blocks of rough
stone from which the war group on the east
side will be carved. AS the blocks are
placed in position they are fitted together
with the finest nicely and so cemented that
they form practically solid block. The
hosting for the war group will be COM
pleted this week, and the derrick will be
moved to the northwest corner The sod
OF the northwest segment of the base will
be boarded over, and the work of hosting
the stone for the peace group will begin
at once.N
terial is completed the sides of the menu
ment will be housed in with wood and glass
and the work of carving will begin. Ar
rangementS for light and heat will be made,
so that the stone cutters can do their work
without hardship. The contract for carving
the groups is held by Bruno Schmitz, the
designer of the monument, and Statesman
John A. Mahoney will be his assistant.
Opinions differ as to whether Mahoney is
a master in the politics and craftsmanship
line, but when it comes to the art of sculp-
ture, it is admitted that he cuts whole
lot of stone, and does it well.
Mr.. SchmitZ furnishes q set of working
drawing from which the stone cutters in
charge Of Mr.. MahOney will do their work
of fashioning the groups in the rough. Then
q set of more skillful carvers will take up
the work and bring it down to the figures,
leaving the faces to be done by Mr. Ma
honey and Mr. Schmitz, who will come from
Berlin to put on the finishing touches. The
work of carving will proceed all winter, and
II is the understanding that the groups will
be completed next June or July.
1t is the hope of the regents to get from
the next Legislature money enough to
erect the candelabra and to place three
simple groups of statuary upon each of the
cascades, one at the top and one at each
side where the level of the rim of the basin
breaks.