Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22

paraphernala which had once been the prop
erty of the Revolutionary hero and distin-
guished Mason, Gen. Joseph Warren, also was
in evidence.
7 A. COPYRIGHT, in recording his personal
recollection of the laying of the Washing
ton Monument corner stone, tells us:
"A rather unexpected feature was added to
the ceremonies-a bag of sand from the tomb
OF KoSciusko, which was deposited with the
corner stone. This relic was presented by
Francis Leiber, by whose son it had been
brought to this country for the purpose
'The weather was intensely warm. While on
the ground President Taylor partook freely of
ice water, and on his return to the White
House he said he felt very hungry, and ate
heartily of cherries, which he washed down
with copious draughts of iced milk and water.
At dinner he applied himself again to the
cherries, against which DR.. WitherSpoon re-
monstrated. In the course of an hour he was
seized with cramps, which resulted in violent
cholera morbus. The disease took the form of
typhoid. Then the greatest anxiety, in wash-
ington and throughout the country was ex-
pressed concerning him, and hourly kilograms
were sent hence as to his condition. They an
nounced, first, that he was seriously Ill; next,
that he was in a dying condition, and that,
therefore, he was beyond the power of human
SKILL and, finally, that he died on the 9th OF
July. His death was calm and peaceful. Vice
Mayor of Washington, the marshal of the Dis
trict of Columbia, the attending physicians and
his family surrounded his bed. His last words
were, have endeavored to do my duty"
The Monument continued to progress until
1854 when $3.50 900 had been expended and a
height OF ITO feet had been attained Prom
then on little was added to its height; indeed
four years later only two more courses of stone
each Of two feet, had been laid, and from this
time on substantially nothing was done, and the
Monument remained for many years in the un-
finished state, recalled, no doubt, by many an
old resident.
ITO Congress it seemed apparent that the
Monument could be completed only with
Government assistance and So in 1876 an ap-
preparation of 100000 was made to continue
the work, and annual additions were made
until the structure was completed on December
b, 1884, the Monument being dedicated on Feb
ruary 81, 1885.
Following the appropriation of 1876 there was
much discussion as to whether or not the de-
sign Tor the Monument should be changed and
several distinguished architects were invited to
submit modified or new designs. but none was
accepted and the work was continued along
the lines as originally submitted by Mills.
The dedicating of the Monument was equally
as notable if not even more So than was the
laying of the corner stone The Masons per-
formed their part of the program at the shaft
including an address by the grand master
Myron M. Parker. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey.
the noted Army engineer who completed the
Monument, also delivered an address and the
Grafton prepared by Mr. Winthrop was read by
John D. Long of Massachusetts, because of the
illness of the distinguished former Speaker of
the House.
In Col Casey's remarks he alluded to the
work he had performed, and said, in part
1.-TWO years had now elapsed since the crea-
ton of the JOINT commission. They at once
nf
sistant, and directed the chief to prepare a
project for strengthening the existing founda-
ton, so that the obeliSk could be carried to the
desired helght. The weakness of the old
foundation lay in the fact that it was too shall
low and covered an area of ground insufficient
to sustain the pressure of the completed work
The strengthening consisted in the enlarge
ment OF the foundation by spreading it over a
greater area and sinking it greater depth into
the earth. The work of eXcavatng beneath the
Monument was commenced January 49, 1879,
ana the new foundation was finished May 49,
1880. 1t was impossible to properly enlarge the
foundation with the funds granted in the Joint
resolution of June IA. 1878. A careful estimate
OF the cost, which accompanied the original
project, amounted to about 500, 00O and ac-
cordingly by the joint resolution of June 81.
1879, further sum of $64, 900 was granted to
complete the foundation. This proved to be
more than sufficient, as the foundation cost but
$94 474
AS completed the new foundation covers two
and half times as much area and extends
1872 feet deeper that the old one. Indeed the
bottom OF the new work is only two feet above
the leVel OF high tides in the Potomac while
the water which permeates the earth of the
Monument lot stands six inches above this
bottom. The foundation now rests upon a bed
OF line sand some two feet in thickness and this
SAND stratum rests upon bed of powders and
gravel Behring'S have been made in this gravel
deposit for depth Of over 18 feet without pass
ing through it, and uniform is the character