The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-13
GROUND IS BROKEN
ON MEMORIAL SITE
Formal Beginning of Magnificent
Structure in Memory of
Abraham Lincoln.
LAUDED BY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Only Small Crowd Witnesses
Significant Event in Po-
tomac Park.


| Washington, February 12.-Whlc
! freezing winds swept across tho Po-
tomac from tho Virginia hills. where
stands tho Lee Mansion. at Arlington,
q bare headed Confederate officer to-
day opened tho simple exercises that
marked the breaking of the ground for
| the construction of the marble memori-
nj the nation is about to erect to Abra-
ham Lincoln. This day, the 105th ami
versai,y OF Lincoins birth. was chosen
for tho breaking of the ground for the
100000 structure.
Only q small group gathered 10 wit
| ness the significant event. Joseph G.
= blackburn, former Senator from Ken
! lucky, was the first to sink 4 spade
into the ground, and then. with un-
covered head. he spoke In high praise
Of the memory OF the President, against
whom he fought a half century ago
/ This memorial Will show that Lin
coin is now regarded as the greatest
OF MI Americans" said Senator Black
burn. and that he is so held by the
South, as well as the North. To-day
we let the country know that this great
work has been begun, and will be car
ried on steadily until It's completion"
Seek Turns with Spade.
nj. f. Conner. Toledo, Ohio; Colonel
w w. Harris Lieutenant J. "A. OCon-
ner, U. s. a; II. A. Vail, John Bethune
and Henry Bacon sought turns with
the spade for the honor OF aiding in
starting the building OF the memorial
In the Senate to-day 1T was a South
erner who made tho motion to adjourn
out OF respect to the memory Of Lin
coin. The motion was made with pre-
arrangement by Senator Ovcrman
North Carolina, following the reading
of the former Presidents Gettysburg
address by Senator Bradley, Kentucky
Ii was Senator Kenyon Iowa. who had
suggested the Senate we'll might pause
a moment 10 observe the anniversary.
The House. too. paused in its DELHI
era lions to pay it's respect to the mem
CRY of the Great Emanclpator.
Site I'm Potomac Park.
The site for the memorial is III po-
tomac Park on an axis" planned more
than century ago. ut one end of which
Is the Capitol. the monument OF the
government; and ut the other, more
than II milo to the west. the Washing
ton Monument.
SIN farther to the west will be the
Lincoln Memorial. where it will have
a relation with the Capitol and the
4 Washington Monument that would lie
impossible on any other site. and will
be closely related also with Arlington
! Cemetery, where those who fought for
the Union are buried. 1t is planned to
have. some day, memorial bridge
linking the Lincoln Memorial with
/ Arlington.
The design of the memorial is the
work of Henry Bacon, a New York
architect approved by the Memorial
Commission. His idea was that the
memorial TO Lincoln should he com
posed of four features statue of the
man. Il memorial of his Gettysburg
\ speech Il memorial of his second in
lanullrnl 3GdreaS = hnl ,,f ha
United states which lie preserved. Each
feature Will be related to the others
BY means OF design and position, and
each Will be so arranged that II Will
become an integral part of the whole,
In order TO attain unity and simplicity
I'm the monument Each feature IS
meant TO impress the beholder will,
It's greatest force. and this II is sought
To accomplish by means or isolation.
though nor To the extent OF impalrinc:
the relation of each feature 10 the
others.
statue of Lincoln.
| The most important single object
Will be the statue of Lincoln, the plan
being for a seated figure placed well
I'm the background OF the largest
boon selected. This chamber will he
unoccup!ed by any other object that
might detract from the effectiveness
OF the statue, and the visitor will be
alone with SC.
The smaller halls at each side OF the
central chamber, each will contain a
memorial. one Of Gettysburg address
and the other Of the inaugural address,
in bronze letters on monumental tab
lets. while adjacent low rcliefs will
relate in allegory Lincoln's qualities
az evidenced by those speeches
While these memorials will be seen
from any part OF the hall, they arc
To be partly screened from the central
igth l.s.t. laNy .f rnk ne
| columns.
Surrounding the walls inclosing these
memorials TO the man is, planned n
colonnadc forming symbol Of the
Union, each column representing Il
Statc-thirty- in alone for each
existing at the time OF Lincoln's death
on the walls above the colonnade, sup
ported ut intervals by eagles, wila he
forty eight memorial festoons, one for
each State now existing.
VIII Rest on Terraces.
! BY means OF terraces the ground on
which the memorial will stand will he
raised until the building itself will BIO
forty five feet higher than the present
grade. First, circular terrace 1000
feet in diamester will be raised eleven
its outer edge will be planted four con-
centric rows of trees. leaving in the
centre a plateau 1855 feet in diameter
greater than the length Of the Capitol.
In the centre Of this plateau, surround
ed by wide roadways and walks, will
rise an eminencc supporting a stone
terrace wall fourteen feet high, 256
feet long, and lS6 feet wide. On this
terrace will stand the memorial build :
Ing OF white marble. its lines of pure
Greek beauty reflected in the waters of
the lagoon ut the foot of the broad
steps
The movement for this Lincoln me
mortal was started In 1902 by the late
Senator Cullom, of Illinois. Lincoln s
friend, who died only a few weeks ago,
just too soon to enable him to sec the
fruition OF his purpose. From 1902
until last year the plan was in progress
final action having been taken under
another bill introduced by Senator Gull
lom in 1910. Various suggestions rs to
the form the memorial should take
were submitted and considered, among