Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

IN a continuing appropriation. $4,000
year. To this Judge Holman promptly
assented and in this form the bill was
finally passed.
1T is almost needless to say that imme
jiately on IL becoming known that the
general government was appropriating TO
help complete the Monument, private
subscriptions fell Off Notwlthstandine.
a further appeal for funds was made, but
without avail.
ITO me it is particularly interesting
that the President whose signature made
this bill law August >, 1876. was L. S.
Grant. who had copinanded the army
which saved this Union. the Union which
the army commanded by Washington had
created.
THE law provided for the work on
the Monument to be carried on under the
direction of n Joint commission consist
ing of the President of the United States.
the supervising architect OF the Treasury.
the architect OF the Capitol. the chief OF
engineers of the army and the first vice
president of the Washington National
Monument Society. The Monument So
ciety was represented in three Of the
members. the President. the architect OF
the Capitol. who was Edward Clark. and
the first vice president of the society. ".
W. Corcoran.
THE creation of the commission nee
essarily limited the duties OF the
ciety. OF the funds in its possession was
later erected the memorial building on
the Monument grounds for the Office of
the custodian. the deposit OF the society's
archives and for the accommodation OF
the visitors.
I'm January, 1877. W. ". Corcoran and
DR.. John B. Blake. as officers of the So
e,ety, formally decided the thirty acres
back to the government. From that
time on construction was wholly in the
hands of the joint commission. Further
appropriations were obtained from tn.
government as the years progressed. and
with these appropriations the Monument
was carried to completion
"A preliminary examination OF the
Monument by army engineers detailed
for the purpose demonstrated that the
foundations were insufficient to carry the
weight of the proposed structure. Hence.
under the direction of that eminent enei-
neer, Lieut.. Col Thomas Lincoln Casey.
later brigadier general and chief. Corps
OF Engineers. the foundations were en-
tirely rebuilt.
He first had trench dug around all
four sides of the Monument and then.
bringing in miners from Pennsylvania, he
proceeded to drive a tunnel under the
center of one side. This was filed with
concrete. Then a tunnel to connect from
the opposite side was driven. The two
other sides We're treated in the same way
until cross was formed. Then the eXca-
vators entered from the corners. one at q
time. In this way the entire foundation
was underlaid with slab of concrete
thirteen and one-half feet in thickness.
"A few words as to the design of the
Monument. The design approved by the
society in 1886 was Tor circular colon
naded building 80 feet in diameter and
100 feet high, from which would spring
an obelisk shaft 90 feet square at the
base and 100 feet high. making total
height of 600 feet. The building was to
be a national pantheon, containing stat
ues of the fathers Of the revolution
I'm 1913 the society changed this to .
simple J00-foot shaft. leaving in allegiance
the pantheon idea.
ION the resumption of the work under
the Joint commission in 1870 George p.
eminent archeolosist and Egyptologist.
wrote to Senator Edmunds of Vermont
pointing out that he had learned from
his researches that the >true ancient ODE
lisk had certain fixed proportions OF ten
feet Of rise to one foot of base. the top
portion Of the shaft being a pyramid OF
height equal to the base. Thus an obelisk
Of 55 feet base should be $50 feet high.
the uppermost nfty-fve feet being In
pyramid form.
Senator Edmunds transmitted the let
ter to Col Casey and he secured ten
zoo. snai. OF lnarn.e a1a nao III ~ ehe anw
po.sneu " en.s ,s Pr ~ Iv"'' he oe0'
oI tne'h was eSiuen' u a'i'
80
Thus it was that the height of the
Monument vas exed nc ., is The char
go :. roo 80. -. IT., =.
itseit is Soo reet hsn. on Top OF "nich Is
set the pyramidion 50 feet 80 inches In
vertical height The base is 55 feet lIa
inches square and the ton of the shaft
49,, ~ it,, q, "a COO. ~ ,nc,,..
oeio" the pyraiiiioion Is "a ieet o,s incnes
square. At two and one-half times its
height the shaft would come to a point.
..It will be noted that the height is
..,:,.,s.,,. -. 49, r.e,or.,r,, - a., - an.
snsh.is owe, ehe pfopol uo" u zen ~ one
This Is TO allow Tor foreshortening OF the
eye.
high e ass at j; ssss ans $