The Coolidge examiner., 1933-10-27
Statue of ia cksOr,
bu Clark Mills

and ought not to be there" the slavery question
being then at its most crucial stage. AS finally
approved by Davis, the model of the statue bore
a coronal of nine stars. The statue originally
had represented Armed Liberty. but after the
minor changes 1t was decided to call it the
statue of Freedom.
On April J. 1851 Crawford wrote to Davis
asking permission to have the statue cast In
bronze under his personal supervision at the
Royal Ravaran foundry in Munich, then the
most famous foundry In the world. But Crawford
was destined never to see his work completed
for he died five months later In London, on Sep
tember IL 1857.
The prize for the model had been set at $1,000
and after Crawfords death his wife undertook
to complete his contracts. On April 10, 1883 the
plaster model OF the statue of Freedom was
loaded on the bark Emily at Leghorn, Italy, and
started it's voyage to the United States. Three
days from port the vessel sprung a leak.
At Bermuda the vessel was condemned and
the precious statuary for the United States Capt
tol was stored on the island for several months.
The sections of the model were shipped to Amer
lea plecemeal on various boats, and the last Of
the statuary finally arrived in Washington about
year after it had started across the stormy
Atlantic from Italy.
Almost six years now elapsed since the COM
mission for the statue had been given, four
years had passed since the design had been
executed, and many more years were fated TO
pass before the figure finally cast into
bronze and placed into position. BY this time
the rumbllngs o. the approaching Civil war were
growing louder and work the Capitol was
suspended.
Upon the delivery of the different sections of
the plaster model of the statue In Washington,
yba l-ad "a nj
assembled them so skillfully that no crevlces
were perceptible at the joints. the bolts all
firmly rveted inside and their location deftly
concealed by the plaster covering. Then the mod
ell was put on a wooden pedestal and set up for
exhibition purposes In the old chamber Of the
house of representatives, the present Statuary
hall.
After remaining there for two years. the model
was removed to the Crypt, the room under the
rotunda of the Capitol which originally de
signed for the tomb OF George Washington. Many
years later the mode. was moved to the Smith
sonian institution ard there 1t may be seen
today.
In 1860 the plans Cor casting the statue In
bronze got under way. And 1t was at this point
that Clark Mills came into the picture. he
owned a foundry on the Bladensburg road three
miles from Washington and he was given the
contract for casting the statue. But now another
obstacle arose. The Italian workman who had
assembled the sections of the model di-
rected to take 1t apart for the mOlds. This be
fatty refused to do unless he received large
bonus and a longtime contract Of employment
stating that he alone knew the key of its con
struction and to attempt to separate the sec
tions without this knowledge would mean the
destruction of the model
The situation seemed desperate But Mills re-
IaI that ho cd fyhl into NM lof
to slave named Philip Reed, who had long been
employed about the foundry an expert and
was extremely skillful workman. Reed made
a critical examination Of the figure and at length
announced that he could solve the mystery and
dismember the plaster model without damaging
it. He first inserted a pulley into an iron eye
affixed to the head Of the model, then gently
strained the rope until joint after joint became
visible The inside bolts were then discovered
scraped of plaster and carefully removed.
The model was again reduced to sections and
sent to the Mills foundry for casting. Soon after
the casting began the Civil war opened and all
such work ordered suspended. But. deaf to
the thunder of the guns of war, Mills persisted
in his work until he had produced a perfect
bronze cast of the statue. This was some time
in 1861 or 1862. The statue was taken to the
southeast corner Of the Capitol grounds, where
it remained for many months
Precisely at II o'clock noon on December Q
1863 the colossal figure was hoisted by the steam
apparatus that had been employed in the con.
struction of the dome and in 20 minutes it had
reached it's lofty pedestal in safety AS soon as
it was properly adjusted the American flag was
unfurled over it's head.
The statue is the most striking symbol in the
whole country of the principle upon which this
nation was founded 1t is also an enduring memo
rial to two sculptors whose names are all but
forgotten but should be remembered by their
fellow -Americans-Cl Mills and Thomas
Crawford.
"a by Western Newspaper UnioA1