Evening star., 1918-07-28
The Center of the District

monument to be thirteen feet one inch and five.
eighths Of an inch lower than said foubdation
at the top Of said third course or step.
It is related in the chief engineers
report that the Jefferson pier, which
was used as the benchmark of the
Monument, was also used for moor
ing post on the old canal, to which
barges bringing building material to
the Washington Monument were
fastened. It was also used for the
purpose of mooring canal barges long
been discontinued. and 1t came to be
broken and worn away. Then it's
Significance had been forgotten. In
1872, when the present roadway from
the PRESIDENTS Park" or White Lot.
was built south by the west side of
of the work collected all the stones
on the ground for the new roadbed.
and observing a part of the old pier.
below the ground. but. of course. in
Its original position. and not know
ing anything about its Significance.
cept about twenty inches of its foun-
dation. and used on the new road.
The excayated earth from the founda-
tion Of the Babcock lake. which all
old Washingtonians remember. north
of the Washington Monument, was
Jefferson pier. which stood originally.
In the face Of the bank of Goose
creek: or Tiber creek
During the progress of the case, 'the
United States versus NJ. F. Morris ct
al" it was discovered that the Jefferson
pier had been used as a bench-mark
from which old surveys were made
Of the lands on that part of the Poto-
mac river front. and the United
States attorney made requisition to
the Attorney General to have the JEFF
ferson pier rediseovered Col. O. II.
Ernst. at that time officer in charge
of public buildings and grounds. re-.
quested John Stewart. civil engineer
and craftsman in the office of public
buildings and grounds, to find the
site of the pier. He made his report
on January $3.50. He also report
ed that wooden box six feet square
at the bottom, tapering to four feet
square at the top, and five feet long,
was centered over the remains of the
old foundation of the pier and filled
with well prepared concrete" A
granite block 3x3x2x2 feet was set
That is the marker which is there to-
day.
Soon after the approval Of the act of
Congress of August ?, 1876, ma king
an appropriation for the completion
OF the Washinton Monument. Lieut..
Dan c. kingman. Corps Of Engineers.
U. s. A. was ordered to examine and
report on the stability of the old and
lons-unfinished part of the shaft.
There being then no Jefferson pier.
he found the obelisk No. ?, which
was It's feet south of it, and which
had been set up by the original sur
veyors because they could not see
the Capitol from the intersection of
the true lines. This had stood un-
harmed during all the years Lieut..
kingman had Architect Mills data
and assumed. quite naturally. that
this was the stone which. he had used
as the benehmark for the Monument.
The results were somewha: star
Ting and led to rumors that the old
part of the Monument was falling
down. Lieut. kinGman reported that
The structure had settled $50 inches
since 1S4S, with dip that would co..
respond TO an inclination of 0.36
inches toward the north and also ans
inclination toward the west" He
said. The De8chnlark was found and
the line rerun. and that the benchm2rk
does not appear to have been moiested
Or disturbed
Some months afterwafd The engi-
necfs began to think that it was the
benchmark and not the Monument
that was out of place. and the next re-
pert OF Lieut.. kinSnan contained
this: Il find by instrupentai measure
ment that me stone used as bench
mark last winter in ascertaining the
amount Of settlement of the Wash
ington Monument is situated upon a
north and south line through the cen
ter Of the Presidents house. but not
upon the exact east and west line
through the Capitol. it being about
lis feet south of their intersection.
At the intersection of these two lines
1 caused an excavation to be made
and at a depth of about six feet we
a nf SfnnR'
That mass Of stone is what the road
builders of 1872 had left of the foun-
dation Of the forgotten Jefferson pier.