Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-02-10
A Tomb in Solid Rock.

for ransom, together with the trustra-
ted attempt of ghouls to secure posses
sion Of the body Of the martyr Presl-
dent, Lincoln, the family of George
NJ. Pullman decided to protect his re-
mains, and while the world slept men
were engaged in the work Of encaslng
the mahogany casket holding the re-
mains of the dead millionaire in the
heart of solid rock, banded by bars
of steel, and impregnable to the attack
of vandals with picks or even dyna-
mite itself.
The body of George NJ. Pullman
will lie undisturbed at Chicago as
long as time shall last.
None of the Egyptian monarohs
supposedly resting under the ponder
Gus weight of the pyramids, sleeps
more secure from the encroachment Of
the living world than does the sleep
ing car magnate in his grave at Grace
land.
The contractors having the making
of the grave in charge moved their
furnaces, their cement and asphaltum
into the seclusion of the bushes at
some distance from the Pullman lot,
which oyerlooks the pretty little lake
/ \ great rectangular pit was dug thir-
teen feet long, nine feet wide, and
eight feet deep. \ flooring Of con-
crete was laid strengthened and made
solid by bands Of expanded metal.
The work was done with the utmost
care, and when completed there WAS
a mass Of concrete eighteen inches
thick at the bottom Of the excavation.
The foreman of the work slys that
nothing short Of dynamite could shat
ter the base, and it wonld take many
tons Of the explosive to DO that.
After the services at the grave and
the casket and lis contents, inclosed
in the heavy lead-lined mahogany box,
had been let below the surface, the
workmen descended into the sepul-
cher and moved the lowered burden
until it was equi-distant to fraction
Of an inch from the four sustaining
walls. Then they wrapped the pol
ished mahogany box in tar paper and
laid on, about and under it an inch
coating of asphaltum, which hardened
quickly. This coating will prevent
the ingress of air, and, except in the
case of some extraordinary distm bing
event, will preserve the body and the
inclosing casket for ages to come.
This work Of asphalting the ipclos
ing wood being completed, the labor
of filling in great spaces at the head
and sides with concrete was begun.
The surface Of the concrete floor was
reheated and the fresher substance
was laid on to it. The two masses
coalescing and forming one homogen-
eous bulk. This process incased the
asphalted box in a stone-like mass to
level with its upper lid.
The men worked until the inclosing
walls were half an inch above the as
phaltum coating. Then eight heavy
steel "T' rails were brought and laid
transversely across the top of the box,
their ends resting on the concrete walls
- Il either side and their lower surfaces
clearing the asP5 hfa1.am covering by
Just one-half an inch, the drssssSnce to
which the side walls Of concrete nat,
been built above the .asphaltum.
This space was left to make an allow
ance for possible settling and to pre-
vent the steel bars with the weight of
concrete above them from crushing in
the top Of the enveloping mahogany
case.
As soon as the rails were in place
they were bolted together with two
long iron rods which passed through
an orifce in each rail, and ran paral-
lei to the side of the lid of the coffin.
More tar paper was then called into
use to prevent the flow of the concrete
into the half-inch space between the
rails and the sphaltum, and the work
Of walling it up began again.
| soon the enuS OF the rails were IlLul-
! " imbedded in concrete and the same
material rapidly rose under the quick
work of the men until the steel bars
with their rod connections were hidden
from view, and the remains Of the pal
ace car magnate had interposed be-
tween them and an attack from above
a wall of stone and steel.
1t was not until late at night that
the last of the metal work was COM
pleted. 1t took all day Sunday to
FIJI in the remainder of the concrete,
the work being slow on account of the
interposition of the expanded metal