Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-02-20

work due to long suspension OF activities owing
to lack of funds. The whole project of providing
what Is accounted the nations monument to
Washington a ong-drawn-out undertaking
but this seeming hardness OF action has been
atoned for by the beauty of the structure, which
has few rivals In height some of the newer
skyscrapers in New York and which is so jea
ously guarded by proud people that congress
not very long ago felt compelled to refuse
Il the request of the navy department that permits
sion be granted to establish a wireless telegraph
station at the top of the monument, has been
done on the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The project to provide a tribute to George
Washington at the seat of government dates from
the year 1883, when the Continental congress
voted to erect an equestrian statue and, oddly
enough, selected for it's site the very location
that is now occupied by the national monument.
However the project progressed no further and
there was further action until Washington
died at the end of the century, when congress
passed another resolution Tor a nonument-this
bill providing for testimonial in marble
granite beneath which should repose the remains
Of the nations greatest hero. Fere, however. the
widow of General Washington interposed with
her very natural preference that the body should
rest at mount Vernon. and accordingly the whole
IToject again lapsed until 1923 when number
oyspatriotic citizens OF Washington formed an
ganzation known the Washington Monument
association and undertook to revive interest In
ne undertaking
~ me Scneme was TO provide funds by popular
subscription for erecting monument and this
canvass was pursued more or less energeticay
but 1t was not until 1913. when total of $4,000
had been collected, that the officials of the
ganization considered that the funds in hand
justified the commencement of actual work The
cornerstone was laid with due ceremony and the
work went forward for some years but additional
subscriptions did not come in at very lively
rate and finally work had to be suspended for
lack of funds Thus the partially completed
obelisk-a stump of monument it was termed
stood during all the years intervening between
1858 and 1880 until congress finally took up the
matter and appropriated funds to finish the
gigantic shaft
Ing money to carry out the work already started.
The United States army engineers who put
& IL charge when the national legislature took
ASsnd In the matter speedily discovered that the
Z original foundation provided for the monument
Mas hopelessly inadequate considering the height
aad weight of the which it proposed
to place on 1t. Thereupon they set about
rightly ticklish engineering project-nothing
less than the provision or new rather
enlarged foundation for the monument OF
course, the perplexing part of 1t was that the
new foundation had to be slipped under the
great mass of stone as 1t stood for naturally.
there were many objections TO consuming time
and money IN tearing down the monument and
re-erectng 1t.
The engineers dug out at the corners and
sides of the monument much they dared
OF the old foundation. meanwhile supporting the
partially undermined structure by means OF
beams and braces OF Furious kinds All the
stone thus removed w*s replaced with concrete
and the concrete foundation was also extended In
every direction beyond the base lines OF the