The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-15
WORK ON 81: JOHNS THE DIVINE.
Good Progress Made During the Winter IN the
Construction or the Cathedral.

Good ProEress Made During the WInter In the
Construction or the Cathedral.
Work on the Cathedral Of st. John the Divine
has progressed rapidly during the open weather
of this winter. II was in March. 1892, that it
was decided to begin the construction Of the
choir, which. 1t was expected, would be ready
TO be dedicated on st. Johns Day, Dec. 81. 1895.
Various circumstances delayed the work. so
that to-day only a small portion has been done.
but the tower.like piles of masonry have been
growing steadily during the last few months,
and now they begin to give some idea OF the
proportions of the great structure for which
Cathedral Heights has been n lined.
OF tho four corner columns Of the main por-
ton of the building. which are under way, three
have been carried up to a height of about sew
enty feet. Eight abutting.E piers are also in
course of construction, of which three are up
about seventy feet and five about fifty feet. The
corner columns are twenty.one feet three inches
thick at the top and the piers .are about half
that size. The material is a Maine granite,
which is landed from schooners at the foot or
123th street and taken to the Cathedral on
trucks. Here tho stones are handled on a tram.
way that runs down between the columns, and
by six large boom derricks. four Of which stand
on n top Of IT. the oo columns mn si.s. co,,un. h.r. h.on
in order that the cement behind tho finishing
COuIstS VI StOHc may tdht u I'm" huIu. III oio
place a few outer courses wero laid about n
month ago. to give the stones weathering prop
critics a fair test. The stone so tried is II sand.
stone from Wisconsin. which is light drab in
color. and has a hard. pitted surface. II this
stone stands the test 1t Ia now undergoing it
will probably be used for the exterior OF the en-.
tire structure.
The twelve columns are by no means all that
Is under way. Several abutments about tho
main body of the Cathedral have been started,
and all the heavy masonry of the choir proper
is completed to tho level OF the first water table,
a height of twenty feet above. the concrete
foundations. There are in place twenty piers
to support the walls of the choir. They are in
two rows. Two arches connect the first three
piers Of the inner row on each side, and the
other fourteen stand ten feet apart and form a
double half circle. There are two more piers
on each side of the choir connected by an arch.
These, with the first two piers of the outer
row surrounding the choir, will be continued
into two of the four towers which will flank the
central lantern Of the completed cathedral.
The massiveness and strength Of the work
completed impress all visitors. At first sight
the columns seem unnecessarily large, especially
where surmounted. as, they are now, by tho
white derricks. This effect will disappear
when the great arches span the spaces between
the columns and the bihtressed towers reach
their final height.
Twenty-Five or thirty men. under f. P. Rob-
erts, the contractor, are at work every day the
weather permits, and 1T is hoped that the big
arches will be in place in another year.