Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-12
Ground is Broken at the
Capital on Anniversary
of Emancipation.
is TO COST $2,OOO,O 900
Late Shelby CuIIom, Friend of
Martyred President, Orig
inator of Movement.

Washington, D. c., Feb. 12-Ground
was broken today, the anniversary OF
the birth of Abraham Lincoln, for the
Lincoln memorial, a s2.00O,000 struc-
ture, the purpose of whose designers
is that it shall stand through time as
an example of the best in architecture
and sculpture that this age could pro-
duce
There was no formal ceremony con-
nected with the beginning of the work
for the reason that there was not suf-
ficient time between the completion of
the details of signing the contracts and
the birthday anniversary of the marty
red president to arrange a program of
sufficient excellence to mark the open
ing of a work of such magnitude and
sentimental Importance. So it was de-
cided to let the ceremonies go over
until the laying of the corner stone.
Former President Taft, chairman of
the Lincoln Memorial commission, did
not come to the. city to see the work
start.
The site for the memorial is in Po-
tomac park on an 'axis," planned more
than a century ago, at one end OF
which is the capitol, the monument of
the government; and at the other,
more than a mile to the west, the
Washington monument.
Linking Bridge Later.
Still farther to the west will be the
Lincoln memorial. where 1t will have
a relation with the capitol and the
wasnfneI56 monument that would be
impossible on any other site. and will
be closely related also with Arlington
where those who fought for
the union are buried. 1t is planned to
have, some day, a memorial bridge
linking the Lincoln memorial with Ar
lington.
The design of the memorial is the
work of Henry Bacon, New York
architect, approved by the memorial
His idea was that the
to Lincoln should be COM
posed of four features-a statute of the
man, a memorial of his Gettysburgh
speech, a memorial of his second in
augural address, and a symbol of the
United States which he preserved.
Each feature will be related to the
others by means of design and posi-
lion and each will be so arranged that
4 will become an integral part of the
whole in order to attain unity and
simplicity in the monument. Each
feature is meant to impress the be-
holder with its greatest force and this
/ is sought to accomplish by means
II isolation, though not to the extent
f,-sn he Of oh ~
Ire to the others.
The most important single object
will be the statute of Lincoln, the plan |
being for a seated figure placed we'll I
n the back ground of the largest
chamber. The sculptor has not yet /
,een selected. This chamber will be 1
by any other object that .
night detract from the effectiveness /.
II the statue and the visitor will be .
lone with IL
Symbol of the Union.
The smaller halls at each side of I
he central chamber each will contain
memorial. one of the Gettysburgh
.ddress and the other of the inaugural |
.ddress. in bronze letters on monu-
mental tablets, while adjacent low
elief will relate in allegory Lincoln's
ualities as evidenced by those
peeches.
While these memorials will be seen
rom any part of the hall they are to
e partly screened from the central
hamber by means of a row of Ionic
olumns.
Surrounding the falls inclosing these
to the man, is planned a
forming a symbol of the
nion, each column representing a
tate-36 in alone for each existing
{ the time of Lincoln's death. On
ne walls above the colonnade support
d at intervals by eagles will be 4S
festoons, one for each state
ow existing.
BY means of terraces the ground on
hich the memorial will stand will be
iised until the building itself will be
feet higher than the present grade. {.
irst a circular terrace 1000 feet in
lameter will be raised IL feet above
Ie present grade and on its outer edge
i'll be planted four concentric rows
trees leaving in the center a pla- |
au 755 feet in diameter-greater than I
he length of the capitol. In the CEN
n Of this plateau surrounded by wide
,adway and walks will rise an emf I
snce supporting a stone terrace wall I
feet high, 256 feet long. and 1S6 !
ct wide. On this terrace will stand {
e memorial building of white mar !
e. its lines OF pure Greek beauty re- l