Evening star., 1938-11-30
Jefferson Memorial
Rites May Include
Talk by Roosevelt
Ground Will Be Broken
About December IS;
Job to Be Pushed

Work. on the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial will begin about Decem-
Der Is with = ground breaking cere-
mony. which probably will be at
tended by President Roosevelt.
Every effort will be made to push
the work as rapidly As possible SO
that the beauty of the Tidal Basin,
on the southwest shore of which the
memorial will stand, may be marred
for the shortest possible time by
an unsightly construction job, 1t
was explained by oncials of the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Com
mission.
A contract for construction of the
foundation of the memorial was
awarded by the commission late yes
terday, following an unannounced
executive session at the commits
sion's headquarters in the House
Once Building, it was announced
last night by Stuart G. Gibboney,
acting chairman Of the commission.
Award Calls for $322, 800.
. The award was made to the Ray
mond Concrete Pile Co. Of New
York in the amount of 1922 900. The
company had bid a lump sum, which
also was the lowest among the five
lump-sum bids submitted, Of 1884,
900. The National Park Service,
Federal construction agency in
charge OF the memorial, recon-
mended to the commission that 1t
take advantage of alternative bids
which reduced the lump-sum figure
by $4,000.
Every effort will be made to speed
the work as much As possible to
reduce inconvenience to users of
Potomac Park to q minimum" Mr..
Gibboney said. He has been acting
chairman Of the commission since
the death of Representative John ].
Boylan Of New York, commission
chairman.
Mr.. Gibboney said that President
Roosevelt has accepted the commits
sion's invitation to speak at ground
breaking ceremonies on the memo
rial site and that the President also
is expected to turn the first spadeful
of earth. The exact date has not
yet been set, but is expected to be
about December Is, it was an
nounced.
Proxies Represent Three.
Members of the commission at
tending yesterdays meeting were
Chairman Gibboney, Senators Nc
Nary of Oregon and Lonergan OF
Connecticut. Representatives How
ard w. Smith of Virginia. commits
sion secretary; Brig. Gen. Jefferson
Randolph Kean, successor to the
late Hollins Randolph; Joseph P.
Tumulty and DR.. Fiske Kimball.
Senator Thomas of Utah, Thomas
Jefferson Coolidge and DR.. George
j. Ryan were represented by prox-
lie. The twelfth member of the COM
mission, Representative Culkin of
New York, 1t was announced, is in
South America.
Gen. Kean is a at-great-
son of Thomas Jefferson. Mr..
Coolidge, former Undersecretary of
the Treasury, also is a direct de-
scendant.
The commission has not decided
upon a design for the central figure
of the memorial. a heroic standing
figure of the third President, nor has
it named a sculptor. Tentative plans
call for a bronze statue, standing,
facing to the north and looking out
across the Tidal Basin toward the
White House. The memorial is to
stand exactly on the southern axis
of the White House.
Some Reroutinx Necessary.
The contract awarded the Ray
mond company calls for final clear
ing of the site, including the removal
of trees which have not been trans
planted by the Office of National
Capital Parks: construction of a
high board fence around the con-
struction area, and temporary re-
routing of public utilities, chief
among them a water main, in the
construction area The foundation
work will include the sinking of con-
crete piles and caissonS to bed rock,
at an average of about 80 feet below
ground level. and the construction
of concrete Gaping" on these lines
as a foundation for the memorial
structure itself.
The commission will award a
separate contract or contracts for
construction of the superstructure of
the memorial. which is to equal ap-
proximately the Lincoln Memorial
in cubic bulk, although it is expected
to appear smaller because of its