Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The following description of the pre-:
liminary work for the completion OF
Foundation of Monument, in the
the Monument. foundation y fifty
years ago, is printed in The Star OF
March 28, 1879:
1.-THE grounds Immediately about the
Washington Monument that Is to be
show unaccustomed signs Of life and
activity. The work of strengthening
the foundation Is well under way.
Ofices, storehouses, blacksmith's, car
penter's and rigging shops, great piles
of sand and other materials. the noise
Of the engine driving the concrete
mixer, and the busy stir of workmen
about the scene, representing actual
labor on the Monument instead Of talk
about it, give the impression that per-
haps the reproach of the uncompleed
work will be removed after all. The
strengthening of the foundation OF the
present structure Is necessary whetner
the original plan Of the Monument is
carried out or whether Mr.. Story's de-
sign or any other be adopted. Hence
the work now going on aims at and
tends to the completion OF the Monu-
ment.
THE scheme of the new foundation
is that recommended to the Joint COM
mission by Col. Casey Its aim is to
underpin the structure and to distribute
Its weight over a greater area, so that
the pressure will not exceed the re-
sistance of the ground to be pressed
1t becomes necessary to undermine the
Monument and to replace the earth to
considerable extent with masonry
This is a delicate operation and the
manner in which it is performed is In
teresting. Only a thin vertical layer
about four feet in width is tunneled al
a time and every precaution Is taken
to prevent the bringing to bear OF an
unequal strain upon the structure.
THE tunneling of one of these deep
narrow trenches takes about two days
and half Ten hours are then occu-
cement concrete which, when 1t sets
becomes as hard as stone. 1t is placed
in the trench in layers about six inches
deep and pounded into a solid mass
When the trench is nearly filled, an
improvised battering ram is used tc
drive the concrete firmly and snugly
into the ends and tops Of the opening
Finally the cement concrete, reduced
to the consistency of cream, Is intro
duced by pipes running to the end Of
the trench. AS a fall is given this liquid
from the outside by hydraulic pressure
it forces itself into and fills every
crevice of the concrete mass and
hardens into stone with the rest. Eight
of these tunnelings have been made
and filled. Seventy-two will be neces-
sary. When two tunnelings at cor
responding distances from each corner
and one about the center of each space
have been made, the work will go on
more rapidly, as the structure will be
comparatively well supported and it viii
be safe to dig two trenches simultane-
ously.
1.-THE present digging looks like rather
ticklish business. The workmen bur-
row under a mass of stone weighing
nearly $4,000 tons, which has already
shown that it does not stay where II
is put. 1t may be said that it Is ex-
pected that the work Of underpinning
will remedy the slight depression dis
covered to exist In the level OF one
corner of the Monument.
Though every precaution Is taken
to make the work secure and prevent
q topping of the Monument. the means
of discovering such a topping. II one
occurs, are not neglected. Levels are
taken twice day az the TOUR corners
and wire plumb-line falls over $50 feet
from the top to the bottom Of the Mon
ument, the plumb-bob weighing twenty
pounds being suspended in molasses tc
prevent vibrations after the movement
which the bob indicates has ceased. II
the Monument moves in any direction
distance equal to the thickness of a
sheet Of paper it will be readily dis
covered. When all these trenches have
been dug and filled, the base Of the
Monument will be encaSed in a founda.
ton Of stone, resting on incompressiblt
sand, and It's weight will be distributed
over 1876 square feet instead of &, 40(
square feet as at present.
"In excavating under the old founda.
ton the fact is disclosed that the work
upon that foundation is not of the
most substantial character. The mortar
! in the stonework seems to have been de.
fective or did not set owing to tht