The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-12-15
HEARD AND SEEN
By EARL foDWIN.

SSe Times. for On July 4. Isel.
the largest American nag ever
injured was aoated from The
top Of the Monument By Capt
A c. wIDDICoMBE. q. 8. A.
native Of washington. Ths
money to make the RAG vas con-
tributsd By citizens OF Washing
ton, and the star was Furnished
By Baltimore.
The cornerstone was laid July
{, 1888. Daniel Webster was In
vited to deliver the Grafton. bot
declined, and Robert c. VIM
throp, then Speaker Of the HOUSE
Of Representative, was selected
Having built the obelisk to .
height Of 152 feet IN 1855 and b.
ing out Of funds the National
Washington Monument Society
appealed to Congress for aid, but
no action was taken. and the
work on the shaft In 1855 tam
porariIy ceased
On Saturday morning August
z, 1880, the cornerstone Of the
new course, measuring six feet
long By two feet wide and deeA
was laid at exactly one minute
to IL o'clock, Colonel CASEY n
charge Of work. The capstona.
surmounted by an aluminium
point. was set Saturday, Febru-
airy n, 1885.
Cost Of monument. S1,1S7, 71A-
81; weight s1,129 tons; height
SIS feet 81 inches.
The strengthening Of the foun-
dations Il regarded a. one Of tho
greatest feats Of engineering.
Also HARRY BROWN dropped n
with the remark that the bump n
front OF COMMISSIONER GARDI-,
NER'S house Is not only there SIM
but has sprouted, and that several
satellites are to be seen grouped
around the original. or mother
bump.
I'm q little behind tines. q
course, but will not some one tell ne
the idea in piling all those rubbsf
tires at the north side Of General
Thomas statue. at Thomas Circle?
And I note some humorist has
gone to the trouble Of placing tire
all the way up on the statue, right
In front Of the horses hind legL
wonder II equestrian statues -
the heroes OF this war viii show ne
solder riding in . side cart
Last summer c. C. FOSTER. NJ
superintendent Of the reformatOry, e
occoquan told me he had . bis
watermelon growing there for ne;
and I've been wondering II u VS.
still growing because Il never
reached me. Yesterday, seeing Inn
uu the street here ! began 10 up
braid him something nerce for four
Gushing On the watermelon Deomtsa
whereupon he turned to manWhom
he introduced AZ GEORGE SMITH
and proved. with the aid Of -
sforeeaid Mr.. Smith, that hs had
wrapped up three melons IN . nswS-
paper and had kept then On II
back porch for three weeks Cor enps
days-I forget), and that lad ~
come for them
WOaIdn't anyo1s bob nEcs AUSsaa0
from OceoqsGa. 70 WGsAtagtos -
tArse tOatsTSssIoas Eru0peS - .
as1espGpsrf"
Anyhow, now It's near hog killing
time, Mr.. Foster says he win ma6
good. If I go down there nf
week, I'll let You know whether -
not he really has q reformatOry.
War put up the price of gas and
now the gas company claims AGs
the end Of the war takes away u.s.
900 a year from them, money OBJ
tanned in war times by The sale a
toluol. This latter sounds like the
name of a chewing gum, but IN
reality it is something that explodes
All the time the gas company was
this extra pocket money you
were wrestling with fireproof gas
Speaking Of the Washington RAD
way and Electric did you note that
GENERAL GEORGE II. HARRIES
was among those present when the
first American generals entered
Berlin. Wonder If he eontemplatss
g Paris-Berlin electric Mss
Congress raises fuse about Over
time nay for work on the Plaza
buildings, but doesn't fret a bit
about the printers at the G. P. o,
who work overtime at = REDUCED
rate of pay.
Music!
RUSS BEAN: THAT short half
and-half editorial OF yours had moro