A manual on the origin and development of Washington

by H. Paul Caemmerer

By January, 1853, the Monument was 126 feet high, and in about six years from the date of the laying of the corner stone it had reached the height of 152 feet. During this period the society continued most actively at work in the raising of funds to carry the Monument forward. In 1854, however, an act occurred at the Monument which created much indignation and public discussion through the country. A block of marble, which had originally stood in the Temple of Concord at Rome, and which had been sent by the Pope to be set in the wall of the Monument, was stolen, and no trace of it was ever found. At the time contributions of stones from societies, municipalities, and the several States were being encouraged, so the Pope’s stone was not an unusual gift. The disappearance of the stone angered and estranged a large body of citizens and discouraged the collection of public contributions, so that all construction work ceased. By 1854, $230,000 had been spent on the structure, and funds for it were now exhausted. In 1859 Congress passed an act incorporating the Washington National Monument Society for the purpose of completing the Monument. In 1869 Senator Nye introduced a bill to insure completion of the Monument, and several like bills were introduced during the next few years. On February 22, 1873, a committee of the House of Representatives recommended an appropriation of $200,000. It was estimated that $700,000 would be required to finish the shaft, constructing also a suitable base, and that the work would be completed by July 4, 1876, the one hundredth anniversary of American independence. This gave the needed impetus to the completion of the project.

Vigorous campaigns for funds were conducted in the States, and campaign meetings were held in several large cities. In June, 1876, the society published a further appeal, signed by its officers. President Grant was ex officio president of the society at the time. On August 2, 1876, Senator John Sherman offered a concurrent resolution in the Senate that the Monument to commemorate the achievements of George Washington in behalf of the Republic be completed during the centennial year. A bill appropriating $200,000 for the project was approved by the President that day. At the same time a special board of officers was detailed from the Corps of Engineers to investigate and report on the sufficiency of the foundations.

UNCOMPLETED WASHINGTON MONUMENT AS IT APPEARED FROM 1852 TO 1878

The board appointed in 1876 reported that the foundations were not sufficient, and the first work undertaken by the Government consisted in underpinning the structure. This was accomplished under the direction of Lieut. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, afterwards Chief of Engineers, United States Army, who was the engineer in charge of construction of the State, War, and Navy Building at the time, and later of the Congressional Library Building. Colonel Casey was assisted by Capt. George W. Davis, United States Infantry, later major general, who was afterwards relieved by Bernard R. Green, C. E. The work of excavating beneath the Monument was commenced January 28, 1879, and the new foundation was finished May 29, 1880. Colonel Casey stated in his report:

The project or design of the work is an obelisk 550 feet in height, faced with white marble and backed with dressed granite rock. Of this structure 156 feet is already finished.

The base of the Monument is 55 feet square, the top will be 34 feet 6 inches square, and it will be crowned with a pyramidion, or roof, 50 feet in height.

The proportions of the parts of this obelisk are in exact accordance with the classic proportions of parts of this style of architecture, as determined after careful research by Hon. George P. Marsh, American minister at Rome.

The shaft as proportioned, both in dimensions and weight, will be entirely stable as against winds that could exert a pressure of 100 pounds or more per square foot upon any face of the structure.

The project includes the preparation of the foundation so as to enable it to carry this structure. This preparation or strengthening consists in making the existing foundation wider and deeper, in order to distribute the weight over a greater area, and in bringing upon each square foot of the earth pressed no greater weight than it is known to be able to sustain.