The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-22
STATUE GOING TO RUIN
BartholdTs Goddess Of Liberty Bad
Iy in Need of Repair.
Arm Holding the Torch Already
Twenty Degrees Out of Plumb.
Rust Thick on the Plates ana
StafrNuys in u Dangerous Condi
tion-No Money for the work

NEW YORK, Get. 22-Rartholeis Statue
OF Liberty is in a deplorable condition
and an expenditure of from $4,000 to
s100 coo will be required to put it IN proper
repair. If these repairs are not made soon
a much larger sum will be needed to keep
it from falling into utter ruin
Decay. rust, filth. vandalism. and lack
of attention are everywhere visible to the
casual observer on Bedloe's Island, and
the only excuse for this deploFsble con-
dition Of affairs is that there is no money
for the use of the committee to whom is
intrusted the proper care OF the gltt OF
the French Republic.
II is fourteen years since the pedestal
was declared to be finished and the God
dess was placed in position. But today the
right arm Of the Goddess holding the torch
supposed to enlighten the world Is fuiiy
twenty degrees out of plumb, SO tRat VS.
itors are cautioned against climbing TO us
dizzy height; the iron work inside the
qfatue and PEDESTAL is heavily coated with
rust. showing q lack Of paint; and the
work of vandals is everywhere visible.
simply because the solitary Waterman
cannot be at every point at the same time.
The openings on the various landings IN
the pedestal. where it was originally IN
tended there should be windows, are board
ed up but the boards are rottIng away ana
are gradually being pulled off The heavy
reconstructed wooden doors leading from
the meat surrounding the base are rotten,
large chunks of wood. with the studs nav
| ing fallen away, while the heavy hinges
! have long since refused to buage Oh ac-
count Of the rust, and the doors remain
open.
! The interior of the ssuPerstructure OF the
| pedestal, supposed to have been hniShed
| with granite walls, is still filed with the
| rough board scaffoIdinss and partitions,
shutting out the visitors from the suDtef-
| ranean passages. These boards and tim
| bers are black and rotten fren age, while
! from the spaces so boarded UP nofsome
| smells emanate and find their way W
i through the weIi-Iike court TO the very TOP
of the statue, mingfng with the smoke
| from a dozen antiquated kerosene lanterns
| that are hung at different points along the
winding stairways, the only light breaking
| the dense darkness. Electric wires are
suspended from the head of the statue tc
! the ground, but the committee cannot af-
| ford electric lights.
From the moment the visitor to the isl
! and leaves the steamboat (Which is sched-
! uled to run at certain hours, but plies tc
| and fro whenever the steam boat people see
| fit to make trip, he is met with con-
! tinuoGs chain of eyesores, Instructions
| pitfalls and dangers that are standing
! disgrace to the committee having charge
| of what should be the city's greatest at
| traction.
The walks at every turn are nothing but
| a lot of ruts, holes, and dust heaps. But
| the most hideous structure Imaginable
| greets the visitor after he has passed
| through the stone portal at the base an6
essayeo to climb up into the pedesta
proper.
One section of the double star enclos