Evening star., 1938-10-09
FOUNDERS SHAFT 50 YEARS OLD
Nations Most Famous Memorial Met Many Obstacles Years
1t Was Being Prepared for Public Use-Nilons of Guests
of City in Stream of Admirers Monument.

I TITLE or nothing was done until
1859, when Congress passed an act
incorporating the Washington Nation
al Monument Society for the purpose
Of completing the memorial, and an
officer was detailed by the Secretary
Of War to superintend construction.
But then the War Between the
States broke out and work on the
Monument again ceased. The question
Of completing the project came up
several times during the early 70s, and
in 1876 President Grant approved an
act which provided that the Federal
Government should take over and
complete erection of the Monument.
Following technical surveys by Army
engineers, work finally was resumed on
the shaft in August. $780, The cap
stone was set on December 6, 1884,
and marked completion of the work.
The Monument was dedicated Febru-
ary 81, 1885, but it was not until
October 9, 1880 years ago today
that the great memorial was opened
to the public, nearly 100 years after
the first steps were taken thus to
honor George Washington. The total
cost of construction was $1,300,000.
In view of the Monuments great
size and prominence, certain construc-
ton details are of considerable inter-
est. 1t is SIS feet 51s inches in
height. The capstone is crowned by q
small bright pyramid of pure alumni
mum, 6/l0 inches at its base, 1910
inches high, weighing more than 100
ounces This was the largest piece of
aluminium cast up to that time. The
faces of the point are inscribed with
the dates and names of individuals
connected with the erection of the
Monument. The capetone was re-en-
graved in 19345 when $4,000 worth
of repair and cleaning work was done
on the memorial. The depth of the
foundation of the Monument Is more
than 36 feet.
1t was in 1880 that Congress author
lied series of experiments to develop
satisfactory system of lighting the
exterior to eliminate danger to air.
planes passing in the vicinity. The
present lighting system was installed
q year later, and In order to get a
pleasing effect, makes use Of the glare
from beams that do not focus directly
on the surface of the Monument Also,
in order to avoid an illusion of round
ness, the east and west faces are
illuminated slightly more than the
north and south faces.
BY night the Monument is a vision
of unforgettable loveliness and grace.
At EVERY stage of our national
history the Washington Monument
has been a center of wide interest.
The names of great men cluster about
it; names of men such as Marshall.
Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Lincoln.
Grant, Clay. Webster and many, many
more. And all through the years since
October 8, 1888, the Monument has
been the outstanding point Of tourist
interest in Washington. Few visitors
to the National Capital consider their
stay complete without pilgrimage to
the Monument.
The scene which greets the eye from
the observation windows Is one OF
surprising beauty. The Capital, with
its cleaning white Federal buildings.
green parks, and attractive residence
areas, stretches out in the foreground.
while in the distance rise the wooded
hills of Maryland and Virginia. Be-
low, the figure of the shaft itself is
mirrored on the shimmering surface Of
the Lincoln Memorial Rejecting Pool.
From the top of the Monument
erected in his memory one looks out
across the Capital which bears his
name and gazes downstream in the
direction of Mount Vernon, where
George Washington lived and died and
now rests.
And one has the comforting feeling
that in q world Of change and Of
strange credos the simple, powerful
unity of George Washington's life and
work will continue to be an inspiration
and a guide to the Nation he created.