The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27
ALL WORKING FOR DEWEY.
RAPID PROGRESS BEfNG MADE ON
THE MADISON SQUARE ARCH.


Penorts from the various committees who
arc At work planning how to make the recep-
t,on OF Admiral Dewey . memorable event
w.rs receiyed In number yesterday at the
ONCE Of tho Plan and Scope Committee at the
ri,v Hall The progress reported was In every
case Encouraging.
+ Wellington Ruckstuhl. the Secretary OF
tho Dewey Committee Of the National Sculp-
,ure Society, announced yesterday that the
worh on the arch and colonnade to be placed at
Madison SQUARE was going on rapidly. He
also said that he expected tho arch to be COM
Melted fully q week before the arrival OF the
Admiral The workmen inside the big nine
foot fence in Madison Square have already be-
gun TO make the foundation for the arch. and
in few days the structure will rise above the
f.nce The arch proper will be seventy -fve feet
b,sb. and It will be surmounted by work OF
the sculptors that will bring the total height
W to ninety feat.
Inside one OF the big rooms in the basement
Of the Madison Square Garden fifteen mon are
working every day under the direction OF Carl
Deil on the heroic figures which will adorn
the arch. In making the figures the workmen
NE following the same method used Mt the
Worlds Fair at Chicago. where number OF
statues and figures were constructed OF plaster
staff Each workman has at his side the
small model which was carved by one OF the
artists, Then wooden franc Is built UP as
sort OF skeleton for the heroic statue. Around
this frame is nailed quantity Of wire netting.
to which the staff. or plaster and excelsior
mixture. clings. The mixture soon hardens.
and whom II is applied by one Of
the skful workmen tho huge frames
soon begin to look like statues OF
marble. Each is about ten feet high.
Several OF the large statues which are TO be
plaoed at the top OF the arch are almost COM
pleted. Tha workmen are nearly ready to put
the finishing touches on the statues OF Commo-
dore Decatur. from the design executed by
George T. Brewster. Commodore Perry. from
that OF J. s. Hartley. Commodore Porter. from
that OF John ]. Boyle. and Lieut.. Cushing.
from II, II. Lukeman's design. The workmen
have begun on the statues OF John Paul Jones.
by f. c. Potter. and Admiral Farragut by W.
O. Partridge. The designs for the statue OF
Commodore Hull. the work OF H. X, Bush
Brown. and that OF Commodore McDonough.
by Thomas Shields Clarke. have not been COM
pleted, but work on them will be hurried.
On the south side OF the arch the spandrels
will be decorated with a design representing
the North and East Rivers. and intended to be
symbolic OF the commanding position OF New
York In commerce. This is to be the work OF
Isidore Konti. On tho other side the spandrel
decorations will represent the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. The eight medallions on the
inside spandrels will bear the likenesses OF the
naval heroes. John Barry. Esek Hopkins Pre-
Bile, Bninbridge. Lawrence. Worden. Foote and
Dahlgren. Caspar Buberl. the sculptor. finished
the design for the Dahlgren medallion Just
before he died few days ago. Among the
other pieces OF work which will be finished
soon BY the modellers is J. .. A. Wards
~ oh Ia 30 he
In this group. Victory is drawn in boat by six
sea-horses. The Call to Arms" by Philip
Martiny The Combat" by Karl Bitter: THE
Triumphant Return."by Charles H. Niehaus.
and the group Peace" by Daniel G. French.
will form a series symbolical OF the spirit OF the
nation.
The models for tho groups which are to DO
placed in the colonnade are nearly ready for
the workmen. At the southern end OF the col
ennade, opposite Twenty third street. will be
two groups. The Army" by F. ". Ruckstuhl.
and The Navy" by George Z. Bissell. At the
northern end the two groups will be The East
indies" by Charles A. Lopez. and THE West
Indies" by Isdore Konti. William Copper has
designed a bas-relief for the east side OF the
arch 1t Is called Tho Protection OF Our
Country" On the west side will be the bas-
relief. Progress OF Civilization" by Johannes
Gellert. The models for these designs are fin
ished and the work OF enlargement has begun.
Tho work In every department will be
rushed from this time on" Mr. Ruckstuhl said
at the Garden yesterday We have fifteen
men at work here now. Next week we
shall increase the force to sixty. and the week
after that we shall have eighty men with us.
The arch is already in the process Of actual
construction. and in aweek 1t will be so far
advanced toward completion that We can put
some OF the groups in position. The architec-
tural ornaments for tho arch and the colon
made will be made by Klee Brothers, who are
working on them day and night.
Somebody has suggested that the arch re-
main in its position. or rather that q perma-
neat arch OF the same design be erected. We
are OF course perfectly willing to have that
done II the people IRE satisfied that the arch Is
worthy OF that honor. There won't be
moment OF rest for any body here until we have
put the arch and the statues up just as We
want them.'
That the city will take an active part in witt
Messing the naval parade. is practically assur-
cd. man who owned two big excursion
steamboats, called at the City Hall Yesterday
and told Secretary Warren W. Foster that
nearly every available steamboat Of any size
whatever had already been chartered by or
CARNATIONS or parties OF some sort or another
WHO Wahtcu 10 see tno parade from btart 10
finish
The demand Is growing every minute" the
man said. and prices have gone way up. l
have been offered more than double the usual
amount asked for my boats"
Gen. Howard Carroll. who wrote to Secretary
Long. asking II the Navy Department would
allow the old fr!gate Constitution to be brought
here from her berth ut Boston to be used as a
staksboat in the parade received n letter from
the Secretary yesterday Secretary Long made
no definite promise to the committee which
Gen, Carroll represents. but he said the matter
would be looked into thoroughly. The Secre-
tary thought. however, that 1t might not be
advisable to have tho old friGate take tho
chances OF the journey. as the nation valued
her too highly as a relic to risk Der Of her
sacred hull
1t was the impression Of several members OF
the committee that President Mckinley would
accept the invitation extended to him to attend
tho reception to the Admiral The President
made no definite promise to the committee.
which met him at Long Branch, but the mem
bers OF the committee said that they would be
rather surprised II the invitation was not
accepted.
Two letters sent by Admiral Dewey from
Leghorn and addressed to Gen. Butterneld, the
Chairman OF the Reception Com mittee were