The times., 1899-07-31
new YORK'S DEWEY Arch
More Than Twenty Sculptors Do
nate Their Services.

l Embfem
Design to BE Most Elabora;e-Al-
IegoricnI Figures of Heroic Pro-
portions VIII illustrate victory.
| New York, July 30-In the triumphal
arch and colonnade which is to be erected
at Madison Square for the Dewey celebra-
ton, New York is to have a work which,
in the opinion of the National Sculpture
Society, will surpass anything that has be-
fore been realized for such a purpose in
sculpture decoration. The scheme was care
| fully worked out and was submitted to the
plan and scope committee of the celebra-
tion, at that committees request, by
committee of the National Sculpture So
ciety, composed of John Q. A. Ward,
Chairman; Karl Ritter, and f. Wellington
Ruckstuhl, all three sculptors; Charles X.
Lamb, architect, and John De Witt Warner.
Before finally undertaking TO carry it out
| the societys committee called an emergen-
( cy meeting of the sculptors of the society
on Wednesday evening, and every one
present volunteered to give his time ana
labor to the requisite extent in the accom-
plishment of the plan. That meeting was
/
| found that to construct the work would re-
quire between twenty and thirty sculptors
during great part of the time between
now and October. Twenty sculptors We're
present, and the others who are members OF
| the society were represented, and all pledg-
| ed themselves without limit. This means
that the celebration is to have, gratis, pro-
fessional services of the sculptors to the
value, If charge were TO be made for them,
+. of nearly 100000. The sculptors give not
only their time and services, but much of
| the material of their part of the work,
| which is TO be of staff" The total cost
of the structure to the celebration commit
| tee is to be not above $4,000. figure In
| dicating not a twentieth part of what the
arch with its colonnade will represent. The
plan has been adopted by the celebration
| committee.
The arch, which is to be on the general
lines of the Arch of Titus, but having in
| effect four piers instead of two, the long
! piers being pierced through the sides. as
in the case of the Arc de Triomphe, will
be built in Fifth Avenue on the axis of
Twenty-fourth Street. The lines of
columns forming the approach from either.
direction will be placed at the Fifth Ave-
nue. curbs down as far as Twenty--hird
Street and up to Twenty-fifth Street The
| whole structure will be visible not only
! from up and down the avenue and the side
! streets, but from Broadway al 1.-The way
| from Union Square to Thirty-third Street.
| At one end of the colonnade subsidiary
| sculptural groups representing the Army
and Navy are to be placed, and at the other
! end similar groups representative Of the
East and West Indies. These emphasizing
the colonnade, will only enhance the effect
| of the arch itself, at which the main
| sculptural adornment will be focused or
concentrated. The enrichment of the arch
is to symbolic Americas power as a mari
time nation and New York's Importance as
| the countrys commercial centre.
The four piers, which will be formed by
the piercing Of the great piers, are to form
a series of allegorical subjects: Patriot
| ism, which Will be figured as the call to
arms; War, which will represent the fight
| The Return, picturing the homecoming of
! the victors, and Peace, where the volun-
teer soldiers will be shown taking up
again their civil occupations. Above these
groups, on either side, the finals of the
columns are to portray eight of the famous
naval heroes OF the country, whose names
were selected by Secretary Long at the
| Sculpture Society committees request:
John Paul Jones, for the war OF the Reyo-
| luton; Decatur, Hull Perry, and Mac
Donough, of the war of 1872, and Farra-
gut, Porter, and Gushing, Of the Civil War.
! These statues, standing high in the air,
/
| from ten to twelve feet in height.
| The spandrels over the main entrances
of the arch are to be embellished with rep
| resentations Of the Atlantic and Pacific
| oceans on one side, showing the spread of
| the country, and on the other of the North
and East rivers, typifying New York's
| commanding position. The keystone of the
arch will be surmounted on either side by
I a great eagle, above whose wings will ap-
pear the motto or greeting of the city to
the welcome hero. Over the apex OF the
arch quadriga of sea horses will draw a
ship, at its PROV Victory with wings up
raised.
The minor openings of the arch at the
east and west sides are to be fanked with
| lions recumbent, symbols of strength, AMI
of courage in repose. Above these open
| ings it is intended to work out in alto-re-
lief representations of the ideas of PRO
lection of Our Country" and the Advance
ment Of Civilization
These IDEAS" the Sculpture Society's
\ committee say in their report, speaking
collectively of the ideas which the arch
and its embellishments will figure, per
NIT of successful personifcation, artisti-
cally, and in their combination endeavor to
symbolic both the power and naval vic
| tories of the country and New York's po-
| sition as the greatest commercial city of
the United States.''
The committees plan contemplates the
| illumination of the whole at night. by gas
flambeaux at the tops of the tall columns
of the colonnade, smaller flambeaux at the
| corners of the cornice of the arch AMI
electric lights SO disposed about the arch
| itself as to emphasize the architectural
lines and adequately display the sculptural
| enrichment.
Besides this work of triumph the plan in
| eludes the erection of a rostrum abutting
| upon the colonnade on its easterly side IN
the square between Twenty third and
Twenty-fourth Streets, where Admiral
| Dewey, President Mckinley, Governor
Roosevelt, and the mayor of the city, with
such others as may properly be there. MAY
review the parade For the officials II Is
proposed to have on the rostrum sedilla.
in connection with which the coats of arms
| of the nation, State, and city shall accupy
| their appropriate places over the seats OF
the representative officials. Also, in con-
nectlon with the rostrum. il is planned 20
place sculptural composition representing
the greater city, with its five boroughs,
symbolical figure for each borough AS a
i-back ground to the sedilla the scheme con-
templates the carrying up of large gonfa-
lons, whose colors and mobility shall afford
a glorious contrast to the sculpturesque ef-
feet of the triumphal arch itself
The Sculpture Society committee in its
report to the plan and scope committee.
says: Suggestions have been made that
the design now adopted should be such as
could fittingly be made permanent adorn-
ment for the city. We, however have felt
that We had no right to go beyond what
we were asked to do-to recommend The
best possible plan for the present occasion,
and this We have done. We are glad to
| nnte however should this mr. any c;,,iI,x