Evening star., 1945-02-23
Urges
New Stone for
Would Replace
Lower $50 Feet of
Exterior of Shaft


Replacement of the surface mar
BILE blocks of the lower $50 feet of
the Washington Monument Is pro-
posed by the Washington National
Monument Society because of the
deterioration and discoloration" OF
the original stone erected between
1848 and 1854.
The action was taken by the So
ciety at its annual meeting yester-
day at the Metropolitan Club, ac-
cording to William r. Harr, execu-
tive secretary. A committee, consist
ing OF Frederic A. Delano, Maj. Gen.
U. S. Grant, III, chairman of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, and Capt. Chester
Wells, us. A., retired, was appoint
ed to determine the cost and report
to the society.
A previously proposed plan "to
cut back the outer surface about 6.
inches and replace it with a veneer
of new and better marble" at a
cost estimated at $500,000 was set
aside pending the report.
The condition of the lower marble.
it was decided, Should be remedied
as soon as possible after the close
OF the war" Mr.. Harr reported, and
the appropriation therefore should
be secured without delay"
Stone Elected to Office.
Mr.. Delano resigned as first vice
president of the society, because of
his health and the second vice pres
ident, Chief Justice Stone, was
elected to succeed him. Mr.. Delano
will continue, however. as a men,
ber of the society. Chief Justice
D. Lawrence Groner, of the Court
OF Appeals. was promoted to second
vice president, succeeding Justice
Stone. President ex-officio of the
society is President Roosevelt.
Undersecretary of State Joseph c.
Grew was elected a member of the
society to fill the vacancy caused
by the death during the past year
of Mr.. John Stewart Bryan, presi-
dent of William and Mary College,
at Williamsburg, Va.
Since the Monument was dedi-
Gated in 1885, it has had more than
19,750,000 visitors, A. E. Demaray,
associate director of the National
Park Service, reported. He pre-
dicted that the twenty -millionth
visitor will be lifted to the top prob
ably before July T."
During its Goth year, Mr.. Demaray
said, the shaft had $751; 900 visitors,
a gain of approximately II per cent
over the preceding year.
1T is significant to note" he
added. that nearly 100000 of the
past years visitors were men and
women in uniform and nearly 3d.
900 were school children
Exempt From Fee Payment.
Service people and children are
exempt from payment of the To-
cent elevator fee. Mr.. Demaray re-
ported, but the total revenue from
others during the year amounted to
$27, 7,422.10, an increase of more than
5000 over the preceding year. The
sum exceeded the amount appropri-
ated by Congress, and spent for
maintenance and operation of the
monument.
A considerable saving" he said,
resulted from rewriting the lighting
system of the shaft, so that unnec-
essary light on all the landings can
be eliminated.
Wartime restrictions against the
public use of the staircase remained
in effect, but the order prohibiting
the making of photographs from the
top of the monument, Mr.. Demaray
said, was rescinded September IA,
"and the popular pastime of taking
snapshots from the monuments
windows has been resumed"
Victory in Europe may be the sig
nal for the re-opening of the STAIR
case he said.
Theodore w. Noyes, oldest member
OF the society, who was elected to
membership in 1909, was unable to
be present at the 1l2th annual meet
ing yesterday, Secretary Harr ex-
planned. Mr.. Noyes sent in his report
as treasurer of the society together
with a letter expressing regrets and
assuring the group of his continued
interest in the society. Upon the
reading of his communications, the
society by rising vote of all men,
bers present adopted resolution
expressing 'its high regard for him
and it's keen sense of loss at his en-
forced absence"
Mr.. Delano. who resigned as first
vice president, had been elected to
membership in the society at its an
nual meeting in 1924, at which time
George E. Hamilton, who also at
tended the session yesterday, had
become a member