Evening star., 1953-10-07
Monument Began Receiving
Tourists 65 Years Ago Friday

IlOI GIlC4A 1dIlOSCdpC. I1C Will
notice that Hains Point is an
island, and he may muse on the
problem of new bridges across
the Potomac as he observes the
jams at the approaches.
And he will also think that,
if every Congressman got to this
viewpoint, there would be an end
to the greatest eyesore of the
Capital. What the temporary
buildings of two world wars have
done to the parks is distressing
sight from the Monument.
This year those who pay 10
cents to be lifted to the Monu-
ment's windows will number
more than l million for the first
time. Last year 1,793,048 per-
sons climbed the stairs of the
Lincoln Memorial to look at the
Daniel Chester French statue of
the Great Emancipator.
It will take the memorial a
long time to catch up in total
number of visitors. Earlier this
year the 9th million visitor was
counted at the monument.
Until recently, the Washing
ton Monument was in danger of
alteration because it was con-
sidered incomplete. It's archi-
tect, George Mills, had planned
a colonnade about the base, with
an heroic statue of Washington
and six horses. The money to-
carry this out was never avail
able.
Mills planned a square top to
his column, but undoubtedly the
reconstruction of the Egyptian
oblisk known as "Cleopatra's
Needle" in London and it's replica
in Central Park, New York, had
a happy influence in changing
the design.
Sunken Gardens Out.
Frederick Law Olmsted, jr.,
a landscape architect like his
father who designed Central
Park and the grounds of the
Capitol, recommended a Sunken
garden around the Monument in
the Mcmillan plan of 1901. This
was debated as late as World War
II and turned down. The mound
at the base of the structure seems
destined to remain.
The Monument was started by
the Washington National Mon
ument Society, at first volun-
tary Embarrassing organization
and later incorporated by Con-
gress, which guards the memo
rial to this day as an advisory
body. John Marshall was the
first president. He was sue
ceeded by James Madison. Gen
erals Winfield Scott, Grant, Sher-
man and Marshall and Admiral
Dewey have been among the
members through the years.
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, III. as
a member of the society. has
been a guardian of the Monu-
ment against any change that
would rob it of its successful
simplicity. On Washington's
birthday of this year. the society
had it's 120th annual meeting.
The work, started in the
1840s, came to an end in 1854,
when the Know NothingS stole
the Pope's stone. one of a num-
ber of stones contributed by
heads of European governments.
For more than two decades, the
uncompleted shaft. $50 feet
high. was an eyeSore. Work was
not resumed until the late 70S.
About 1880, a piece of marble
large enough to kill a man fell
from the first part of the con-
Struction. The Government
allotted 100000 in work relief
funds to an engineering study
of the structure. 1t was found
to be in much better shape than
was feared. Injection of liquid
mortar into the rubble between
the interior and exterior walls
of the old structure and point
ing of the outside surface with
a more elastic mortar gave the
shaft clean bill of health "for
the next 200 years"
The society has approved a
suggestion of resurfacing with
out change of the design of the
exterior walls with granite. a
more durable stone than Mary
land marble.