Evening star., 1918-07-28

Does the Washington Monu-
ment stand in the center Of the
District Of Columbian" Some
times the question is: Does the Cap
itol stand in the center Of the Dis
trict?' Now and then the question Is
put In this form: Was the Monu-
ment set up in the center Of the orig
inaI ten-miIe square: that is, did 1t
mark the center of the District before
that part south and west Of the Po-
tomac was retroceded to virginia."
Neither the Monument nor the Cap
ftol stand in the center Of the District.
nor did either Of them mark the CEN
ter before the retrocession to Virginia
of that part Of the original ten-mile
square which Virginia ceded as the
site for the permanent seat Of gov
ernment of the United States.
However. the center point of the
original District is close to the Mon
ument Three hundred and fifteen
feet west and seventy five feet north
of the middle of the Monument is
stone which marks the middle Of the
District as it was first surveyed. The
passes within about twenty-five feet
Of that stone and 1t is visible from
the driveway. Because OF the way
the turf has been built up around the
stone only this part Of the inscription
is visible: Position of the Jefferson
pier. erected December IL. 1904. re-
covered and re-erected December 2.
1889" The Invisible part of the in
scription tells that this was the po-
sition Of the meridian post erected
September 20. 1893" If a line be
drawn from the south corner stone
of the original District at Jones Point.
below Alexandria, to the north corner
stone one mile west of Silver Spring.
Montgomery county. Md. and another
line be drawn from the east stone OF
the District near Chesapeake juno
ton to the west stone near Falls
Church, Fairfax county, Va, those
lines would intersect at that stone
near the Monument.
Il r
The location of this stone ;as lost
for many years and a stone set up
considerably to the south of it by the
early surveyors was mistaken for it.
When. in 1876, it was determined to
resume work on the Washington
Monument. which had long been sus-
servations on the condition of the
Monument. using the wrong stone as
his bench mark, believing it was the
original bench mark of the Monument,
He found by those observations that
the Monument had moved. 1t had set
tied apprecfably and was considerably
out of plumb. Suspecting finally that
something was wrong with his bench
mark instead of the Monument. he re-
ran the north and south and east and
west lines of the District. and at their
intersection dug down about six feet
and found the foundation of the pier
that had been built in 1904, where the
meridian post had been set up in 1888
Then, the place of the center stone
til in the famous Potomac fats case
1t was found that some of the early
surveyor: had used that stone, and at
the direction of the Attorney General
1t was relocated again, and Il en- per-
manently marked as 1t is now
The chief of engineers of the United
States Army, in his annual report in
1888. had this to, say about the center
stone:
The original bench mark used for the
washington monument was the surface of the
capstone Of the Jefferson pier No. l. built on
the FIRST meridian line of the United states.
sstabiishr4 In l7ss and Fss Established in 1904,
the north and south basement doors of the
executive mansion and the center of 16th
street extended due south. and on a due west
line from the center Of the Capitol.
The surface of the ground being upfayor-
able. the Capitol not being visible at the point
OF intersection, an obelisk. No. 3 was planted
on the meridian line due west from The south
end Of the Capitol. where the building was dis
pnctly seen, and from thence measured north
ward to the meridian line half the length Of
the old Capitol CTS feet S1z inchesl, to the
point Of Intersection of the meridian line from
the center Of the Capitol.
The above point Of the meridian yin. v.s
6xed in 17e3 by two wooden posts driven into
the ground and permanently fixed In 1904 by
building q stone pier in place of No. l. The
pier was Sx5x6 feet and covered by sand
stone cap; There is a receipted account for
the materials and the building Of this pier on
hfe in this Office for the amount of S1fI. PIX.
dated December I. 1904, and signed by Joisr,
Lenthau who was at that time an assistant
un1ef Archltect Latrobe at the Capitol.
old fnha bttants Of the city about twenty year.
ago to the effect that President and Mra
Jenerson were present when the foundat tion Of
the pier was being laid; that Mrs. jefferson
tion and that the pier everafter wa. known n
The Jefferson pier"
That pier was standing In 1S4s and
must have then been in excellent
condition, for Robert Mills, as the
architect Of the Washington Monu-
ment on November Z, 1S4s, made
these references to 1t:
In order to establish q permanent bench
mark, denoting the relative difference Of level
between Il and certain point on the founda-
tions OF the Monument, with a view to future
oDera tiOua 70 sdefermfne prSner ffrnes