Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-12-21
WAXING GRANTS TOMB.
Weather Was Harming the Granite and
It Had to Be Treated to
Protect It.

Fresh evidence that mans own name
IS the most indcstructible monument a
van cor raise is to be found in Gen.
Grants tomb, on Riverside Drive EUilt
Of the stoutest granite at Il cost of nearly
$500, GOO, it has been found advisable
to coat q portion of the solid stone roofs
of the portico and gallery with paraf1fne
wax, as was done with the Obelisk nine
teen years ago IN order to protect the
stone from disintegration and TO stop the
leaks which have developed. The same
persons who coated the Obelisk so etfec-
lively are doing the work. The tomb,
which was the testimonial of the more
than ninety thousand persons who con-
tributed to its construction, will not be
permitted to suffer injury if it is possible
to prevent it. The tomb was dedicated
less than eight years ago, and is one OF
the most costly tombs ever erected.
The possibility of damage resulting
from leaks was discovered by George ID.
Burnside, the custodian Of the mauso-
leum. He noticed that the plaster OF the
ceiling on the north side of the gallery
around the dome was beginning TO flake
OF and that the under side of the porticO
over the entrance was turning white from
the deposit of salts called effiorescence.
These deposits were due 20 the percoia-
ton Of the rain through the thick stone
of the roof. As the moisture came
through it brought with it certain OF the
mineral constituents Of the granite. When
it evaporated from the under part of the
stone it left the mineral on the surface.
1t is said that if this is permitted to
accumulate for long enough time it will
appreciably decrease the strength of the
stone. About 1S0 pounds Of stone faxed
off from the Obelisk in Central park I'M
der the influence of the storms of this
climate before it was protected from the
=
proof coat of paratfine. There appears TO
be no stone into which water will not
work its way. The stones through which
the water percolated in Grants tomb
were over two feet in thickness.
When the work of repairing the tomb
was begun it was found that a consider
able quantity of the cement in the joints
between the stones had disintegrated
also, permitting water to enter between
the stones. In some places it was pos
sible to drive tool three inches into the
joint. Wherever the jointing has shown
disintegfation, it is being done over. Ap-
parentiy, this is not due to any careless
ness in the construction of the tomb.
Gen. Horace Porter. through whose Of
forts, in large measure, the funds for
it's completion were raised, gave great
deal of his time to watching the work.
In the work now Eaing done, the stone
is warmed by means of a fiat stove be-
fore the wax IS applied. This stove is Il
simple affair, being practically nothing
more than a sheet iron box, about two
feet square and SIX inches deep. One
side of the box is wire screen. This re-
tans the charcoal which is burned in
the stove and at the same time permits
the free radiation Of the heat upon the
stone. The stove is suspended against
the stone whose pores are to be filed. 1t
almost touches the stone. and is held
there for two Or three minutes. That is
sufficient time to heat the stone to a
depth of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
Then melted paraffine wax is painted on
the heated surface with brush It
soaks into the stone to the depth to
which the stone has been heated, filling
al the interstices between the crystals
IF the rock. Great care has to be taken
cot to heat the stone unnecessarily, as
3nly small portion Of it can be heated
at one time. Uneven expansion of the
stone might cause it to crack.-New
York Tribune. -