Evening star., 1922-05-21

struction of the National Cathedral,
Mount ST. Alban, authorized late in
March by the cathedral chapter. has
begun and within the past few
weeks has gotten well ,,nder way.
This fact will be a qualification to the
thousands of contributors to the ca
thedral fund throughout the entire
country. Moreover. the marked en-
largement to be made thereby in the
visible portion of the magnlhcent
fabric or cathedral structure prop
er, is calculated to prove a spur to
efforts to put the great work through
in the shortest possible time. To use
an old fashioned phrase, the chapter
will have something to show for ats
money" some thing far more imposing
and much more indicative of the
grandeur and size of the finished
whole than is the single portion now
completed. the pentagonal apse, OF
sanctuary.
This third step comprises, first. the
laying of the foundations for the en-
tire edifice. clear through to the wesN
ern end. This. of course. is z tremen-
dous job and of vast Importance. but
it is not a spectacular one. What VIII
be the spectacular part is the com
pletion of the choir from the apse
the crossing of the nave and double
tranSepts. The walls will be raised
to the height of the clerestory. rms
means practically everything but the
roof. until that can be placed tenn
porary roofing will be installed. This
section of the building Will be. rough
ly. nearly a third of the entire length
of the great fabric, which is to be 900
feet.
Work Approaches.
simultaneously with this work is
being undertaken some of the labor
of grading and roadmaking planned
in order that there may be the most
impressive approach possible from
the south and east All these de-
tails have been most carefully pro-
vided for by Frederick Law Olmstead,
the landscape architect. A new dou-
Bile road leading into the. grounds
from Massachusetts avenue is in
process of construction. some of the
material used being earth from the
extensive foundation excavations.
Two retaining walls also are being
placed. which. by means of an acute
angle. will set apart the bishops
garden, lying to the east of the
bishops house. The whole program
will occupy about eighteen months.
Already the big hole being dug by
three powerful steam shovels has
assumed cruciform shape. Altogether
10000 cubic yards of earth will be
removed The total length of the
excavation is 1913 feet, while the
width at the transepts is 216 feet.
The average depth will be sixteen
feet: that for the central tower will
be thirty-five and for the twin west
ern towers twenty-five feet. spe-
cially deep pit of proper shape has
been dug for the installation of the
huge concrete mixer, which has
capacity of a cubic yard. or about
three times as great as the average
mixer.
Many noble oak trees have had to
be removed in order to begin the
present work. These. sawn into
thick boards on the spot. will go
to a wood dcarving Establishment to
be made into the ornate oak stalls
4 for the finished edifice. while the
stumps. to be pulled later will be
utilized for the carving of figures
of saints, angels, etc.
Unusual Timber Value.
Both the quality and the quantity
25 900 feet-of this splendid timber
would delight a lumbermans heart.
Not only will its use within the
walls of the fabric have a marked
sentimental value, but in actual cold
dollars and cents it Will represent
saving of some $4,000. In going
through some of the great straight
grained logs the saws struck leaden
bullets which those who are up on
such matters declare are of pre-
revolutionary make. Whether fired
by early settlers at Indians. or by
hunters. white or red. at large game,
these long-imprisoned bullets give
stirring reminder of the vast changes
which two centuries have witnessed
on that hill.
The cathedral as a whole, when
all the work shall have been finish
ed, will represent one of the largest
pieces of construction ever under
taken in the National Capital, rank
ing with the Capitol building, the
Union station and Lincoln Memorial.
AS the whole work is tremendous, so
is each division thereof. and the i'm
plements. the material and the scale
of activities give impressive evidence
thereof For instance, the other
morning riggers and steel workers
were erecting, just adjacent to the
temporary walling of the apse,
steel derrick with a ninety-foot beam.
A fifty-foot beam is considered large
one.
There will be no steel in the cathe-
dral. The durability of steel con-
struction has been tested only for a
few decades, whereas stone is
known quantity since ancient days, and
is. therefore. to be entirely used in
structure which is being built for
the centuries to come. AS far as ma
terial and construction methods are
concerned, barring the aid of donkey
engines, concrete mixers and other
mechanical accessories which the
medieval builders did not have, the
Washington edifice is being built just
as were those of Rheims and Amiens
and the famous English minister's.
Importance of stone
The quality of the stone used.
therefore. is of the very greatest i'm
portance. Indiana limestone. quarried
largely near Bedford, Ind, was decided
on as the best all-around building
medium. 1t has been tested out in
buildings now for siXty-five years
and the results generally are most
favorable. 1t is not quite as hard
as marble. and consequently works
better. The claim has been made
for it that. like the famous stone
comes harder after exposure to the
weather. WhetheT. this be true re-
mains to be seen; certainly it deterio-
rates to a negligible degree and
comes from the quarries in beautiful
f1awless blocks.
The stone originally planned was a
red sandstone. After careful con-
did not harmoniZe with the bright
climate of Washington. 1t was too
warm" although in other climes and
amid other surroundings it gives
most pleasing effect. The soft light
gray of the limestone. as evidenced
by the apse already built, is scarcely
to be improved upon. Just the three
bays of the choir te be erected will
necessitate $4,000 cubic feet of this
stone. The stone is cut in the mill
in Indiana; only the trimming is done
here.
Mobilization of forces something
like that of an army is necessary for