Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-10-09
TRIBUTE TO wM. MCKINLEY.
Great T,irong Gathered at Canton to
Witness tie Dedication.

Canton, Ohio, September 3O.-The
Mckinley mausoleum, the tribute and
gift Of a nation to the memory of a
martyred President, William McKin-
ley, was dedicated this afternoon in
the presence Of hundreds Of distin-
guished men from all parts of the
United State' in the presence of rep
resentatiYos !; foreign countries and
in the presencelof a crowd of approxi-
mately $4,000, gathered from all
parts of the country.
A feature OF tho dedication was the
presence Of the President of the Uni
ted States, Mr.. Ro" sevelt; Vice Presi-
dent Fairbanks, nembers of the Cab
met and Governors o. several States.
The presiding officer Gt the day was
Governor Harris, who was introduced
by Justice Day. The introduction of
the President of the day was followed
by an invocation by Rev. Frank M.
Bristol, pastor of the Metropolitan
Methodist Episcopal church, of the
City Of Washington. -at
JamesWhitcomb Riley read a poem
composed for the occasion. This was
followed by the address of President
Roosevelt The program was closed
by the singing of America" and BEN
ediction by the Rt. Rev. Ignatius +.
Horstmann, bishop Of Cleveland.
description of Mausoleum.
The mausoleum stands on an emf
nence to which has been given the
name Of Monument Hill. about two
miles due west Of the Mckinley home
in the city of Canton. 1t is not an
ornate affair, but its simplicity is re-
lieved by sufficient artistic embellish-
ment to make 1t an object Of beauty,
as we'll as one Of massive proportions
and breadth of design.
Four States have contributed a
share of the material which has just
been used in the building of the mon
ument The granite used in the ap-
proaches and the mausoleum proper
Is from the quarries of Milford, Mass,
Tennessee has furnished gray marble
for the interior of the tomb, while
the sarcophagi. which now hold the
bronze casket in which lie the bodies
Of dark green granite from Windsor,
Vermont. The base upon which the
sarcophagi rests is black granite from
Berlin, Wisconsin.
From the first step of the ap-
proach to the monument to the actual
top Of the structure Is 1853 feet 6
inches, the mausoleum itself being 98
feet inches high above the summit
of the mound. The top of the dome
has an oculus fifteen feet in diane
ter, through which comes a softened
light, which adds greatly to the beau
ty OF the interior.
The mosoleum Is 78 feet inches
in diameter. In the centre of the
floor beneath tho dome stand the sa1-
cophagi containing, the bodies Of the
President and Mrs. Mckinley, and in
inches on the north side Of the dome
the two daughters, Ida and Mary,
who died in infancy.
Huge Doric columns are placed
around the interior in such manner
as to appear half buried in the sides
Of the building. The floor Is of
mosaic, marble having been brought
from many States for the purpose.
Bronze Figure Of Mckinley.
Half way down from the top of
the 1913 granite steps that lead up to
the main entrance on the south side
of the mausoleum stands an heroic
bronze figure of Presid mt Mckinley,
representing him in the attitude usu-
ally assumed when speaking-his left
hand holding roll OF manuscript,
and the right hand in the trousers
pocket. Behind the figure is a bronze
chair encirciod with a wreath and
draped with the flag Of the United
States. The bronze figure, which Is
nine feet high, stands on a pedestal
eighteen feet from the base to the top
Of the figure.
Twenty-six acres of ground were
purchased by the Monument Associa-
ton, and the utmost care Of the gard
ener has been lavished upon the
grounds. Natural streams flow past
the base Of the mound, and trees and
Hover beds have been arranged with
an eye to the greatest artistic beauty
From the entrance Of the grounds
on the south to the foot of the mound
Is $50 feet, and along this distance q
double driveway, IT'S feet In width,
has been constructed. Between the
two sides Of the driveway Is lagoon,
which is constantly filled with fresh
water. Long rows Of trees flank the
lagoon and the driveways.
The mausoleum and grounds have
been built and arranged at a cost of
100000, and 1T Is the intention Of
the commission to raise an endow-
ment fund Of $150.0O0, which pre-
cludes the charging of fee fer ad-
mission.