The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-15
WORK ON FOUNTAIN
SOON TO Be GIN

Washington, July l4.-Actlve opera
tions soon will begin for the erection
of the Columbus memorial in the plaza
in front of the Union Station, with Il
View to having it ready for dedica ton
next summer. Congress approp lated
100000 for this memorial to the great
discoverer and intrusted the work to
a commission consisting of the chair
man of the Senate and House Com
mittees on the Library, the Secretary
of State, the Secretary of War and the
supreme knight of the order of knights
of Columbus. That commission select
ed the Union Station plaza as the site
sign submitted by architects of the
Union Station. and members of the ma
.tional commission of fine arts.
All the preliminaries having been
completed. arrangements are now be-
Ing made for the actual construction
of the memorial Bids have been in
vited for the work and contracts will
be made within the next few weeks.
Colonel Spencer Cosby, in charge of
public buildings and grounds, is the
executive officer or the Columbus COM
mission. and Will superintend the erec-
ton of the memorial
Hnrmonizcs With station.
The memorial consists of a semi
circular fountain. designed to har-
monize in its architectural and artistic
treatment with the station and its en-
vironment 1t will stand on the axis
of Delaware Avenue, Immediately in
front of the main entrance to the sta
ton.
The fountain will have n width OF
sixty-f four feet and an extreme depth
of about siXty-two feet stone coll
umn or shaft about forty feet in
height surmounted by a globe OF the
world. Is the principal feature OF the
rear OF the fountain Il forms the
background of n statue of Columbus,
who is represented as standing on the
prov OF a caravel, similar in general
design to the picturesque craft on
which the great discovercr made his
first voyage to the new world. This
statue, as we'll as all the other sculp-
tural features of the fountain, is the
work of dorado Taft, of Ohio. The
figure OF Columbus is severely plain.
1t shows him wrapped in a long cloak
OF classic design, with arms folded in
an attitude of meditation. Just below
him is the figurehead of the ancient
ship. a female fgure with outslretched
wings, IMPLYING Prophecy, or the
Spirit of Discovery"
Symbolicnl Figures.
On either side of the column are
symbolical figures representing the
sculptor's ideas of the new and the
old worlds. The New World" is rep
resented by the figure of an American
Indian. reaching over his shoulder for
an arrow from his CULVER. The "Old
World is represented by the figure
of patriarchal Caucasian of student
like mien. holding a crumpled map in
his hand. The rear of the central
shaft carries medallion representing
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Two
lions occupy the ends of the balustrade.
running from the centre to the sides
of the fountain
The globe at the apex of the column
is intended to suggest the influence of
Columbus on the growth of popular
knowledge CT the shape OF the e.,,:h.
All the figures will be OF heroic size
and will bn made of stone undoubted-
ly marble in the case of the statue of
Columbus
The order of the knights of Column
ous VII! take leading part in the
ceremonies attending the dedication of
this memorial Councils of that order
from all parts Of the United States