Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1895 — LINCOLN MONUMENT UNSAFE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LINCOLN MONUMENT UNSAFE.

Parts of the Structure Thought to Have Been Marble Areßnick. The Lincoln monument at Oak Ridge Cemetery, neai Springfield, which has. for the last tumnty years been admired by thousandsTipon thousands of people from all over the world, will have to be torn down. It is too far gone to be repaired, and, besides, its construction is such that it will not admit of repair. Instead of being a substantial pile of solid granite, as external appearances Would indicate, it W a rickety structure of. brick veneered over with slabs of granite. This is the verdict of State trustees who have charge of the monument. During the last session of the General Assembly the historic pile was turned over to the State, §30,000 wag appropri- ■ T 77.7-.., .W'is.-j:;;, , ~ ~ ,■ ... r. -—: . <

ated for repairs, and a law passed making the Governor, State Treasurer, and State Superintendent of Instruction trustees of the monument to care for it and make the much-needed repairs. When the trustees set about to arrange for the repairs they discovered that the magnificent monument erected to the. memory of “Honest Old Abe” was a sham and a fraud. What appearefi'to.be hug© blocks of granite were nothing but thin slabs laid over brick. “The Lincoln monument is simply a shell,” said Governor Altgeld. “It is a brick monument and has a veneering of granite slabs three inches thick. This veneering is coming loose, just as all veneering will.” “Can it be repaired?” was asked. “It would be impossible to repair that monument and make it permanent.” “The other two trustees and I feel that the great State of Illinois should have a monument to Lincoln that in not a styim, but a soiid structure, and that in order to get this, tills brick and veneered monument should be taken down ami in it© stead buikl a monument of solid granite from bottom to top, so that it will last for all ages and reqitire no attention from anybody. We have almost enough money to do this. However, the trustees do not feel like taking so radical a Stephanies© they should be requested to do so' th©surviving members of President Lincoln’s family.” The Lincoln monument was completed, in October, 1874, and cost $206,500,. which amount was raised»by popular subscription. Freight traffic managers of all but fourof. tlie railroads which had a membershipin the Western trunk line committee met in St. Louis to make An effort to revive and reorganize that committee. Owing to the absence of the four representative© nothing was done. , Now it appears that even the Texas, a second-class battle-ship, cannot be docked at New York without waiting for a big tide. This has caused some speculation among naval officers as to what, would occur if the ship met with an accident at sea and came into port in a sinking condition. Mrs. G. W. Billings, of Ligonier, Ind.,, waa found lying unconscious on the grav©of her mother. She had attempted suicide by placing a cloth saturated with •chloroform over her face and wrapping; a shawl about her head, but will " ' ... -V-

THE LINCOLN MONUMENT.