,transcriber's ,note3 ,italic text is enclosed in underscores4 ,additional notes will be found near the end of this ebook4 ,,of ,,yankee ,,granite ,an ,account of the ,building of ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,by ,e4 ,h4 ,,cameron ,illustration ,with a ,foreword by ,john ,silsbee ,lawrence ,,boston ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association #aiec ,copyrighted #aieb by the ,alumni ,association of the ,massachusetts ,institute of ,technology and reprinted #aiec by their permission4 ,,foreword ,had the ,british bullet that went through the hat of ,major ,samuel ,lawrence of ,groton near ,bunker ,hill on #ag ,june #agge been aimed a bit lower1 some thousand descendants of ,major ,lawrence would not have been born and ,i should not now have his dispatch wallet1 nor his letter explaining the battle and mentioning ,general ,dearborn1 my first wife's ancestor4 ,the ,bunker ,hill ,monument might not have been built2 the ,massachusetts ,hospital ,life ,insurance ,company might not have been developed2 various charitable institutions might not have had adequate financial support and the dams at ,waltham1 ,lowell and ,lawrence might not have been constructed to provide the power to operate textile mills4 ,john ,brown might not have been sent by the ,emigrant ,aid ,society of ,boston to ,kansas1 where he called his camp ,lawrence1 now one of the flourishing cities of ,kansas4 ,had ,major ,lawrence been killed we should not have had a ,lawrence as ,mayor of ,lowell1 or as ,ambassador to the ,court of ,st4 ,james4 ,two ,bishops of the ,episcopal ,church1 a ,president of ,harvard ,college1 the present ,senator ,saltonstall1 and many young men and women now actively interested in the problems of our nation might never have been born and ,i should not have qualified for membership in the ,society of the ,cincinnati4 ,from reflecting upon the bullet that came so close to disposing of ,major ,samuel ,lawrence at ,bunker ,hill ,i was led to the history of the monument commemorating the battle1 in the building of which his son--and my great-grandfather--,amos ,lawrence took a leading part4 ,much has been written about ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 but the splendid article by ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,cameron in ,the ,technology ,review for ,may #aieb and ,june #aieb summarized its history so well that ,i was anxious to have it available in more permanent form4 ,mr4 ,cameron and the editors of ,the ,technology ,review very kindly gave permission for this reprint1 and ,mr4 ,walter ,muir ,whitehill1 ,director and ,librarian of the ,boston ,athenum1 has seen the pamphlet through the press4 ,mr4 ,whitehill has also selected the illustrations1 and has included in them a hitherto unpublished drawing1 owned by the ,boston ,athenum1 of ,bunker ,hill ,monument under construction in #ahcg4 ,this was obviously the source for the somewhat inaccurate wood engraving published in ,the ,american ,magazine of ,useful and ,entertaining ,knowledge1 ,,iii 7#ahci71 #djd and subsequently reproduced in later accounts of the monument4 ,the illustrations include portraits of the two largest individual contributors to the building of the monument--,amos ,lawrence and ,judah ,touro1 the ,jewish merchant of ,newport1 ,rhode ,island4 ,i am grateful to the ,massachusetts ,hospital ,life ,insurance ,company and the ,redwood ,library and ,athenum of ,newport for furnishing photographs of these portraits and permitting their reproduction1 and to ,mr4 ,t4 ,temple ,pond1 ,president of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association1 for allowing this reprint to be published by the ,association4 ,,john ,s4 ,,lawrence ,,of ,,yankee ,,granite ,,prologue ,on ,saturday1 #ag ,june #agge1 on a fortified hilltop farm near ,bunker's ,hill1 ,charlestown1 ,mass41 a volunteer force of ,american citizens faced the professional soldiery of the world's strongest nation4 ,when their scant supply of ammunition gave out1 the survivors retired in good order1 to learn later that #adj of their neighbors and other companions had been killed in the fight4 ,their battle is therefore registered as an ,american defeat4 ,it proved to be a striking victory1 however1 for historians agree that the ,battle of ,bunker ,hill set the pace that led to ultimate victory in the ,american ,war of ,independence4 ,this little force of farmers1 mechanics1 tradesmen1 and professional men had demonstrated how ,americans should fight1 when their independence is threatened4 ,on the field where the battle was fought1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument has now stood for over a century1 the rugged lines of its granite masonry symbolizing the enduring strength of the stern spirit of ,american independence that it commemorates4 ,about #dj years after the ,battle of ,bunker ,hill1 all ,new ,england was deeply stirred by a pamphlet published by ,major ,general ,henry ,dearborn who had taken part in the engagement4 ,the pamphlet accused ,general ,israel ,putnam1 one of the most revered of the ,revolutionary heroes1 of incapacity and cowardice in the battle4 ,thereupon1 the ,battle of ,bunker ,hill was fought over and over again1 at the wharves1 sail lofts and ropewalks of ,boston1 and in all places where men gathered to work and to talk about the events of the day4 ,crowded nine inside and five on top of the jolting four-in-hand stagecoaches from ,boston1 friends and foes of the popular ,revolutionary hero would wrangle over his conduct at the battle4 ,it would be a long argument1 at five miles per hour1 with little room for gestures4 ,with tankards in hand1 by the warm fireplace in the low-ceilinged tavern of the village where the coach would stop for the night1 the passengers could express their convictions more forcefully1 and the ,battle of ,bunker ,hill would become a very live topic indeed4 ,the furor over the ,putnam-,dearborn controversy became secondary1 however1 as the bald fact was realized that1 aside from a small wooden column1 no memorial existed on the site of one of the most famous military engagements of ,american history4 ,in the good ,yankee fashion a group of prominent citizens conferred over their ,madeira wine and coffee on ways to correct this humiliating situation1 and in the year #ahbc1 these men formed the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association1 to solicit private contributions sufficient to build a monument on ,breed's ,hill1 where the battle had been fought1 in the town of ,charlestown1 now a part of the city of ,boston1 ,mass4#a #a ,from the start1 the site of the battle seems to have been called ,bunker ,hill1 although it was actually fought on ,breed's ,hill4 ,the probable reason for this inaccuracy is that ,bunker's ,hill was then #aaj feet high1 and the adjacent #fb-;foot-high ,breed's ,hill was considered only a spur of the higher summit4 ,certainly1 a contemporary ,british military map is entitled1 8,a ,plan of the ,action at ,bunker's ,hill40 ,unlike the ,washington ,monument1 which had to be completed by government funds1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument was financed practically wholly by private means4 ,our independent ancestors did not count much on government aid in the building of a memorial to relatives or neighbors who had died in the battle2 such monuments were personal matters4 ,of the total collected amount of about #acd1jjj1 only #g1jjj--;a grant from the ,commonwealth of ,massachusetts--came from other than private contributions4 7,the amount raised to build the monument is roughly equivalent to #a1jjj1jjj in modern money47 ,aside from two donations of #aj1jjj each1 the individual gifts ranged from a few at #a1jjj to many at #j4be each4 ,naturally1 such a scheme of financing took a long time1 and #ah years elapsed before the monument was dedicated4 ,at a critical period1 the ,massachusetts ,charitable ,mechanics ,association1 started by ,paul ,revere and others1 years earlier1 joined with the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association to raise funds and help direct operations4 ,at a still more critical period1 the women of ,new ,england held a fair which brought in over #cj1jjj1 and the completion of the monument was assured4 ,surely1 the record of no other national memorial provides such a true cross section of ,american democracy as exhibited in the roster of the rich1 those of moderate means1 and the poor but independent citizens whose contributions made possible construction of the monument4 ,the magnitude of ,american structures of the year #ahbe1 when the cornerstone of the monument was laid1 was largely limited by the physical strength of those who had to build them--men1 horses1 and oxen4 ,to raise the huge stones of the monument to such dizzy heights was a tremendous undertaking with the crude construction methods of the day4 ,the builders of the monument had much to inspire them to devise better methods1 however1 in the examples of other enterprises in this virile period of ,american development4 ,steam navigation had already made notable progress in ,america1 and while the lower courses of the monument were being laid1 the first steam locomotives began to appear on the young ,american railroads4 ,canals1 waterpower developments1 and many new industries were being started in the young democracy4 ,a great contribution of the builders of the monument to the record of achievements of this period was their demand for granite in huge quantities to build it4 ,this demand inspired the construction of the ,granite ,railway at ,quincy1 ,mass4--,america's first railroad4 ,the story of the promotion1 design1 and construction of the monument is therefore doubly intriguing4 ,it gives a vivid picture of the status of construction methods of the period1 when ,america stood on the threshold of the age of machinery4 ,it also reveals the spirit of audacious determination of our construction forebears as they developed their unprecedented processes from which our present marvelously efficient methods of construction have sprung4 ,the spirit of the builders of the monument is worthy of that of the heroes of the battle1 which their masterpiece has now commemorated for over a century4 ,the ,obelisk ,few modern architects1 engineers1 or contractors are privileged to work in such distinguished company as did architect ,solomon ,willard1 engineers ,loammi ,baldwin and ,gridley ,bryant1 and contractor ,james ,sullivan ,savage1 who designed and built the obelisk which is called the ,bunker ,hill ,monument4 ,they were associated with ,daniel ,webster and young ,edward ,everett1 both of whom later became ,secretary of ,state2 with ,thomas ,handasyd ,perkins 7still revered in ,boston as the man who endowed the ,perkins ,institution for the ,blind71 merchant prince of ,boston1 with the famous artists1 ,washington ,allston and ,gilbert ,stuart2 and their monument followed the classic lines of the model submitted by ,horatio ,greenough1 a ,harvard student1 who later became a noted ,american sculptor4 ,to the amazingly talented architects and engineers of ,egypt1 #ej centuries ago1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument would have been a simple structure to design and construct4 ,to these ancient builders1 it would have appeared to be merely a somewhat stubby shaft1 devoid of the beautiful1 deeply carved hieroglyphic record which ornamented their own obelisks from base to pyramidion 7apex71 and it would be a simple thing to erect4 ,in fact1 some would say that the monument is really not an obelisk1 for it is built of many stones of a few tons weight each1 whereas a single stone composed a typical ,egyptian obelisk4 ,such stones sometimes weighed as much as #ejj tons4 ,they were transported hundreds of miles and by some now unknown method were erected to the vertical position by manual labor4 ,like the ,egyptians1 the modern engineer would also call the monument easy to design and build4 ,today's light1 thin-walled chimneys of comparable height1 pose much harder problems of stability against wind1 and their designers feel fortunate when a chimney can rest on as firm a foundation as the glacial drumlin soil of ,breed's ,hill4 ,why1 then1 was the erection of the monument considered such an unusual feat at the time8 ,the answer is obvious3 the monument was built in the days of hand labor supplemented by animal power1 and hand labor to the independent ,boston mechanic of over a century ago did not mean hundreds of slaves tugging in unison to the drumbeat of an ,egyptian timer1 while an overseer cracked his whip4 ,and the builders had determined to construct their monument of one of the hardest of building stones--,new ,england granite--in the use of which there was then little precedent4 ,when the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association offered a prize of #ajj for the best design of a monument1 many plans1 mostly of columns1 were submitted4 ,the ,board of ,artists of the ,association 7,daniel ,webster1 ,gilbert ,stuart1 ,washington ,allston1 ,loammi ,baldwin1 and ,george ,ticknor71 who had to pass upon the submitted designs1 favored the ,greenough model based on an ,egyptian obelisk of ancient ,thebes4 ,although the directors had strongly favored a column1 they yielded to the judgment of the ,board of ,artists and adopted the obelisk design instead4 ,upon the adoption of the successful design1 a committee1 of which ,loammi ,baldwin was chairman1 was appointed to 8report a design of an obelisk40 ,baldwin was a ,harvard graduate1 who had studied abroad under the patronage of ,count ,rumford4#b ,he had become one of ,america's most prominent engineers4 ,baldwin was responsible for the construction of the dry docks at the ,charlestown and ,norfolk ,navy ,yards2 planned a canal tunnel 7later built as a railroad tunnel7 through the ,hoosac ,mountain2 and was active in surveys for an adequate water supply for ,boston1 in the day when ,boston people got their water from wells4 ,baldwin and his associates on the committee first went to the ,boston and ,roxbury ,milldam 7now ,beacon ,street71 from which the monument would be prominently visible across the ,charles ,river4 ,miniature models of different dimensions were mounted on the ,milldam fence and were viewed from a definite distance to the rear4 ,in this highly practical manner1 the size of the most striking monument on distant ,bunker ,hill was determined4 #b ,the famous scientist1 ,benjamin ,thompson1 of ,woburn1 ,mass41 who later became an ,english citizen1 and who established the fact that heat is a form of motion4 ,the ,baldwin ,report on the design of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 described as neatly handwritten1 was one of the valuable documents in the literature of early ,american engineering history4 ,it ranks with the 8,private ,canal ,journal0 of ,de,witt ,clinton1#c who promoted the ,erie ,canal2 the report on ,american railroad standards of #ajj years ago by ,captain 7later ,general7 ,george ,b4 ,mc,clellan of ,civil ,war fame2 ,roebling's report on the proposed ,brooklyn ,bridge2 and similar historical documents that describe the methods from which the present processes of promotion and construction have sprung4 #c ,william ,w4 ,campbell1 ,life and ,writings of ,de,witt ,clinton 7,new ,york3 ,baker and ,scribner1 #ahdi74 ,as shown in the table of dimensions which follows1 the monument1 almost exactly1 is built to the dimensions of the ,baldwin ,report1#d which was influenced by the ,greenough model4 ,height1 above ground #bbj ft4 ,sides of monument1 at ground level #cj ft4 ,sides of monument1 at base of apex #ae ft4 ,height of apex #ab ft4 ,minimum wall thickness1 at base #f ft4 ,diameter of circular interior1 at base #ah ft4 ,height of masonry elements3 #gh main courses1 each with height of #b ft41 #h in4 #e courses in apex1 each with height of #a ft41 #h in4 ,height of capstone #c ft41 #f in4 #d ,measurements given above have been taken from3 ,baldwin ,report 7#ahbe7--,loammi ,baldwin2 ,plans and ,sections of the ,obelisk on ,bunker's ,hill 7#ahdc7--,solomon ,willard2 ,history of the ,battle of ,bunker's 7,breed's7 ,hill 7#ahge7--;,george ,e4 ,ellis4 ,data from old records do not always check modern measurements4 ,for example1 a modern reference gives the height of the monument as #bba feet4 ,illustration3 ,bunker ,hill ,monument under construction in #ahcg ,reproduced from a hitherto unpublished drawing in the ,boston ,athenum ,illustration3 ,bunker ,hill ,monument as proposed ,reproduced from an #ahcd certificate of membership of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association in the ,boston ,athenum ,illustration3 ,section of ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,reproduced from ,solomon ,willard1 ,plans and ,sections of the ,obelisk on ,bunker's ,hill 7,boston1 #ahdc71 ,plate ,v ,as described in the ,baldwin ,report1 the circular winding staircase is composed of granite steps1 starting with a width of about four feet and narrowing as the ascent is made4 ,baldwin called for 8places of repose0 7landings7 at intervals4 ,modern architects call the part around which a circular staircase winds1 the 8newel40 ,baldwin's newel is a hallow wall1 #aj feet in diameter at the base1 about two feet thick4 ,thus1 the monument was designed by an engineer1 not an architect4 ,baldwin violated a common rule for the proportions of ancient ,egyptian obelisks1 that the pyramidion should be as high as the base is wide1 which is one reason why the ,washington ,monument is so beautiful4 ,one regrets that architect ,willard1 who picked up where ,baldwin left off1 did not see fit to modify the ,baldwin lines4 ,there seems never to have been any question as to the monument's material3 granite1 the native ,new ,england stone4 ,although we admire the ,bunker ,hill ,monument for its somber strength1 it cannot be called a structure of beauty1 as is the lighter-tinted and finer-textured marble ,washington ,monument1 with its sharper apex4 ,we can also speculate on why ,baldwin made the monument wholly of granite4 ,at today's prices1 the circular inner surface of the shaft and the circular chimney1 or newel1 around which the stone staircase winds1 would be of tremendous cost4 ,the dressing of the stone for a square inner area would be much cheaper4 ,before criticizing ,baldwin on his ponderous stair design1 which could be replaced by a light1 modern fire escape1 we should look at the status of the tiny ,american iron industry of his day4 ,the ironmasters were recovering from the decline of activity in the ,war of #ahab1 during which they had lost their ,british market4 ,baldwin would know that certain early railroad promoters estimated that granite tracks mounted with iron plates would be less expensive than the ,english-rolled rails1 which the ,americans could not produce4 ,with masons in ,massachusetts receiving about #j4ah an hour1 granite was considered cheaper than iron4 ,baldwin therefore designed his stairway of granite1 with a massive granite chimney 8newel0 to support the inner ends of the treads4 ,long before the monument was completed1 however1 a square staircase of either cast iron or wrought iron could have been produced1 economically1 by ,american ironmasters4 ,it was then too late to make the change1 however4 ,at about the time of the completion of the monument the first mechanical elevator was exhibited1 but there was no room for an elevator at ,bunker ,hill--the newel was in the way4 ,to climb a few score steps would be an easy task to our sturdy forebears1 and to say that one has 8climbed the ,bunker ,hill ,monument0 is a boast that hundreds of thousands of tourists to ,boston have been proud to make for over #ajj years4 ,baldwin may have been right again1 as he usually was4 ,baldwin specified that the monument should be square with the compass1 a common ,egyptian practice4 ,as built1 however1 it is oriented to fit the redoubt 7southeast corner7 of the battle fortification4 ,structurally1 ,baldwin designed a sound foundation1 #ab feet deep1 built of six courses of stone with no small rubble that might deteriorate through the years4 ,he specified that the starting level of the base of the monument should be established at the best elevation to avoid an uneconomical distribution of the excavated earth2 today we would say that he balanced cut and fill4 ,the modern building contractor finds the estimate that went with the report both practical and quaint4 ,he will find that the digging of the pit for the foundation of the monument was figured in 8squares10 at #b4jj each2 and since a square meant eight cubic yards1 hand excavation was therefore priced at #j4be per cubic yard4 ,this price must have included the expense of shoring2 also the pumping that such a deep pit would require4 ,baldwin proposed to dig a deep well on the site 7today called a test pit71 which would not only indicate the adequacy of the soil1 but would also furnish water for construction purposes4 ,much water would be needed to mix the lime and sand mortar for the monument as well as for the ,roman cement1 for which the estimated #ajj casks were figured at #g4jj each4#e #e 8,the use of natural cement was introduced by ,mr4 ,parker1 who first discovered the properties of the cement-stone in the ,isle of ,sheppy1 and took out a patent for the sale of it in #agif1 under the name of #8,roman ,cement4'0--,edward ,dobson1 ,rudiments of the ,art of ,building 7,london3 ,john ,weale1 #ahed74 ,masonry was then estimated in 8perches10 and by a little arithmetic1 the modern contractor will learn that a perch was then equal to #be cubic feet1 or nearly a cubic yard4 ,the #ghd perches of masonry for the foundation were priced at #aj per perch1 including 8stones1 hammering1 mortar1 laying1 etc40 ,the report of ,baldwin contains no computations on the structural stability of the monument4 ,if the modern structural designer wishes to investigate how near the safe limit the monument has been tested by ,boston's occasional hurricane winds1 he has available the major dimensions given in the ,baldwin ,report1 and the drawings of ,willard's classic ,plans and ,sections of the ,obelisk from which to make this simple computation4 ,such computation shows that the monument is so heavy that a hurricane wind has an almost imperceptible effect on its stability4 ,when it is subjected to a #ajj-mile-per-hour wind1 the resultant force is displaced only a fraction of a foot from the center of the #ej-;foot-wide foundation4 ,the maximum load on the soil is about five tons per square foot--a safe bearing load on 8the bed of clay and gravel which composes the soil of the ,hill0 as described in an old account4 ,the same account speaks of 8great pains having been used in loosening the earth1 and in puddling and ramming the stones40 ,surely1 our construction ancestors would not have purposely disturbed the underlying soil1 in an attempt to improve upon the natural bearing strength of one of the firmest of foundations3 glacial hardpan4 ,like any good builder1 they were undoubtedly merely puddling with water the earth backfill around the completed foundation4 ,baldwin knew that granite would not deteriorate when exposed to the alternately hot and cold temperatures of ,boston4 ,half a century later1 the engineers who transported an ,egyptian obelisk 7one of the ,cleopatra's ,needles7 to ,central ,park1 ,new ,york1 learned that the lovely textured syenitic granite of the ,nile ,valley was markedly inferior to ,new ,england granite in weather resistance1 although it had kept its surface intact for centuries in the mild climate of ,egypt4 ,to protect ,cleopatra's ,needle in ,new ,york1 a paraffin coating was found necessary4 ,baldwin soon resigned from the building committee1 partly because of the press of other work1 but largely in protest against a clause which made its members1 all of whom freely donated their services1 financially responsible for the estimate4 ,promptly after accepting his resignation1 the directors revised this clause4 ,in reviewing the quaint old methods1 the question arises3 ,would modern estimates be more accurate if the consulting architects and engineers had to pay for overruns8 ,transient ,cornerstone ,on #ag ,june #ahbe1 the cornerstone of the monument was laid with impressive ceremonies4 ,as the colorful procession marched up ,bunker ,hill to the stirring rendition of 8,yankee ,doodle0 by the drummer of ,colonel ,william ,prescott's regiment1 who1 #ej years before1 had been in the battle1 the rear of the procession was just starting from distant ,boston ,common4 ,the little ,boston of over a century ago was crowded with visitors who had come from places as remote as ,south ,carolina by stagecoach1 sailing vessel1 or on foot1 to hear the great speech of ,daniel ,webster1 ,president of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association1 and ,america's first orator of the day4 ,years earlier1 ,chaplain ,joseph ,thaxter had paid the last offices to dying soldiers in the battle2 now1 he invoked ,god's blessing on the young ,american republic1 as #dj veterans of the battle sat in a place of honor4 ,the most important visitor1 of course1 was ,general ,lafayette1 who1 as a good ,mason1 spread the mortar on the stone when it was laid by ,most ,worshipful ,grand ,master of the ,grand ,lodge of ,massachusetts1 ,john ,abbot4 ,as the battle's only monument up to this date had been erected by the ,masons1 it was considered appropriate that the permanent monument should have its cornerstone laid with the ,masonic ceremony4 ,a little later1 this procedure was sharply criticized during the ,antimasonic period1 which occurred before the monument was finished4#f #f ,joseph ,warren1 the outstanding hero of the battle1 was ,grand ,master of ,freemasons for ,north ,america4 ,many of the spectators knew that the cornerstone records would later have to be moved1 for the plans of the monument were hardly started4 ,now1 the box with its old newspapers1 ,continental currency1 and other data is within a stone at the monument's northeast corner1 and the original cornerstone stands in the center of the foundation4 ,with his usual generosity1 ,daniel ,webster presented the copyright of his famous speech to the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association4 ,the copyright was sold for #fjj1 which was the second largest single contribution up to that date4 ,the ,leading ,character ,solomon ,willard1 architect and superintendent of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 developed the methods for the quarrying1 dressing1 transporting1 and erecting the huge stones of the monument that started granite on its way to becoming a principal material for massive structures in ,america for half a century1 until reinforced concrete took over4 7,today1 granite is used extensively as a protective facing for concrete1 for highway curbing1 and for memorials47 ,it is impressive to note the universal respect for the integrity and ability of this early ,american architect which all the records of the monument stress4 ,in the drama of the building of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 he played the leading part1 and his character resembled the sturdy structure which he designed in detail and erected4 ,during his #ah years of service in the construction of his masterpiece1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 he would accept no recompense except for his expenses1 deeming it his duty to work without pay on such a patriotic venture4 ,he was also a substantial contributor to the building fund4 ,a self-educated man1 who had learned architecture with sufficient thoroughness to become a teacher in the subject1 he had also become proficient in the various sciences4 ,starting as a carpenter1 ,willard had proved both his craftsmanship and artistry by becoming an adept carver of ships' figureheads and models1 including a model of the ,capitol at ,washington4 ,at the time the monument was begun1 ,willard was one of the leading architects of ,boston4 ,typical of an architect's versatility1 he had played an important part in the change from the heating of buildings by wood-burning fireplaces and ,franklin stoves1 to hot-air furnaces1 using either wood or coal4 ,as an expert in furnace heat1 he was called in for advice in the design of the heating system of ,america's most important building1 when the ,president demanded that the national ,capitol should have adequate heat4 ,appointed in ,october1 #ahbe1 to the combined position of architect and superintendent1 ,willard spent the following winter on the plans1 models1 and computations required to develop the construction details1 from the over-all dimensions of the ,baldwin ,report4 ,during these preliminary steps1 ,willard experimented with a promising machine for dressing the stones4 ,the selection of the ,bunker ,hill ,quarry in ,quincy1 ,mass41 was made after ,willard had made a careful search for suitable stone1 in which he was said to have walked #cjj miles4 ,the right to quarry1 at ,quincy1 sufficient granite for the monument was purchased for #cbe4 ,part of the amount to be provided by the ,commonwealth of ,massachusetts was to have been supplied by the cost of the dressing of the stone 7then called 8hammering07 by the convicts of nearby ,charlestown ,state ,prison4 ,the convicts1 however1 were obviously not sufficiently independent to work on this shrine of independence1 so this procedure was not adopted4 ,up-,to-,date ,quarry 7,circa #ahbe-ahdc7 ,from various old ,american and ,english records of masonry construction1 it is possible to construct an account of how the stones for the ,bunker ,hill ,monument must have been quarried and dressed4 ,the old names are used for the tools and methods1 and the modern mason will find many of these old descriptions quite familiar4 ,the hornblende granite of the ,quincy region was 7and is7 of very uniform texture and varies only in color1 from gray to dark gray4 ,in ,quincy1 ,willard would find that both 8sheet0 and 8boulder0 quarry formations occurred3 the joints in the ledge of the sheet areas making the granite appear as if stratified1 and hence more easily removed2 but the huge1 rounded boulders in the other areas1 measuring up to #dj feet across1 had no joints4 ,rows of holes were drilled by hand 7at least #be years would elapse before practical power-rock drills became available7 and large blocks loosened from the ledge or boulder1 probably by wedges1 possibly by light blasts of gunpowder4 ,at this stage the quarried block was called 8quarry-pitched40 ,stone of the smaller size for the monument was split from these blocks along lines of holes in which wedges were driven4 ,these were probably of the plug-and-feather type1 in which an iron wedge with an acute angle is fitted between two semicircular iron feathers1 which taper in the opposite direction to that of the wedge1 and thus fit the hole drilled in the stone1 nicely4 ,granite has no cleavage planes1 like slate2 but a routine of smart taps on the plugs1 back and forth along the line1 soon splits the stone along a fairly smooth face4 ,two lewises 7an ancient device71 attached at about the quarter points of the top of the stone1 were used to lift it4 ,three members make the lewis3 a flat center bar with an eye at the top1 the center bar being flanked by two wedge-shaped side pieces which are thicker at the bottom of the hole1 and these also have eyes at the top4 ,the wedges are inserted first1 then the center bar slipped between2 thereafter any lifting pull on the three bars is bound to expand the lewis to fill the hole and lift the stone1 for the hole is drilled wider at the bottom than at the top4 ,with ,solomon ,willard's well-rendered isometric drawing of each stone for a guide1 the stonecutter dressed it1 first selecting the best face for the 8bed0 7bottom7 and hammered it to a plane surface1 determined by shallow channels 7chisel drafts7 cut diagonally across the stone4 ,from this surface1 the stonecutter laid out the other faces1 including the 8build0 7top71 by his good mason's square or template4 ,the texture of the visible face was 8tooled10 that is1 the marks of the chisel remained visible4 ,quincy granite is a quality product1 taking a high polish1 but the builders of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument desired no polish on their monument4 ,today1 the surface of the monument shows faint1 well-weathered lines1 like those produced by the modern bushhammer1 which has a head made of several thin steel plates bolted together1 each sharpened to a cutting edge4 ,in ,england during the period1 flat iron bars with rough edges were in use to saw softer stone than granite1 and at ,quincy1 ,willard experimented with dressing machines4 ,the conclusion may be drawn1 however1 that the stones which we now see on the monument were undoubtedly shaped to their present dimensions by hand4 ,today1 #aaj years after its capstone was put in place1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument stands as an impressive testimonial to the conservative judgment of its designer1 ,loammi ,baldwin1 and the painstaking fidelity of the man who supervised its construction1 ,solomon ,willard4 ,an engineer familiar with its maintenance states that there is no evidence of settlement1 and that a check by surveyor's transit revealed no signs of misalignment4 ,its joints occasionally need pointing1 the last pointing being performed about #bj years ago4 ,various iron or steel members of the observation chamber have had to be replaced4 ,its lightning rod has been in place for many years1 but there is no readily available record to check whether the monument has ever been struck by lightning4 ,with their empirical methods of design and their crude1 mostly hand-operated1 construction apparatus1 our forebears built a sturdy structure1 which1 barring an earthquake1 should last for centuries4 ,the ,granite ,railway ,on #g ,october #ahbf1 the first railroad in ,america started operation4 ,this was the horse-operated ,granite ,railway1 built to transport the stones for the ,bunker ,hill ,monument from the quarry in ,quincy down to the ,neponset ,river1 a distance of nearly three miles4 ,the track and cars of the railroad had been designed and built by a young engineer of #bh1 ,gridley ,bryant1 whose ,granite ,railway project started him on a long career of achievement in the invention of equipment that played a major part in the rapid and successful development of the ,american railroad system4 ,ample precedent for the ,granite ,railway existed in ,england1 where1 since the reign of ,charles ,,ii1 wooden tracks1 sometimes armored with iron plates1 had been used as runways for coal cars from the pits to the nearest waterway4 ,within five years of the start of the ,granite ,railway1 similar systems are recorded in the states of ,pennsylvania1 ,south ,carolina1 ,new ,york1 and ,maryland4 ,at first1 the motive power for these lines was supplied by gravity1 stationary engines1 or horses1 but soon tiny steam locomotives were tried4 ,thus1 in the year #ahbi1 ,peter ,cooper built the famous ,tom ,thumb1 a successful locomotive which used rifle barrels for flues4 ,in the same year the ,stourbridge ,lion1 8the first locomotive that ever turned a driving wheel on a railroad on the ,western ,continent10#g was brought by sailing vessel from ,england and started operation in ,pennsylvania4 ,the ,american steam railroad system was thus well under way by the time the lower courses of the monument were being raised4 #g ,annual ,report of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 #ahhi4 ,bryant later described his railroad as having stone sleepers laid across the track1 #h feet apart4 ,upon these1 were placed wooden rails1 #f inches thick and #ab inches high 7replaced by stone within a few years74 ,spiked on top of these were iron plates1 #c inches wide by inch thick4 ,however1 at road crossings1 stone rails were used1 with #d-;inch by -inch iron plates bolted on top4 ,this 8permanent0 construction was also used on the double-track1 inclined plane at the quarry4 7,well-preserved vestiges of this 8permanent0 construction are visible today at the rise to the ,bunker ,hill ,quarry47 ,here1 an endless chain allowed the loaded1 descending cars to pull up the empty ascending ones4 ,the standard gauge of ,american railroads is now #d feet1 #h inches1 measured between railheads1 a standard adopted after many years of confusion before the present gauge dimension was adopted4 ,although ,bryant described his track gauge as #e feet1 this dimension was measured between the 8bearing points0 of the wheels on the tracks4 ,if the bearing points are assumed to be the center of the treads of the wheels1 his gauge is found to match closely the present standard gauge4 ,this track gauge agrees with that adopted by the famous ,english railroad engineer1 ,george ,stephenson1 at about the same time1 after he had measured scores of carts used by his farmer neighbors4 ,possibly1 both ,stephenson and ,bryant knew that their selected gauge had a very early beginning2 for some historians suggest that the ,english carts were originally made to fit the ruts cut in the roads of ,britain by the ,roman chariots1 many centuries earlier1 during the ,roman occupation of ,britain4 ,on the day when the railroad started operation1 #af tons of granite from the ,bunker ,hill ,quarry1 and loaded on three 8wagons10 were easily pulled by one horse1 once started4 ,bryant's first car had flanged wheels1 #f feet in diameter1 from the axles of which a platform was hung to carry the granite4 ,this platform was lowered to receive the load and then raised by an ingenious gearing device4 ,naturally1 ,bryant based the design of his early railroad cars upon the construction of the horse-drawn wagons of his day4 ,like the wagons1 his cars had to be flexible if they were to keep on the track when passing over the two curves of the otherwise straight ,granite ,railway4 ,in his description of another of his cars appear the road wagon terms--bolsters1 truck1 and center kingpin1 to allow a swiveling motion4 ,rigidly bolted to cross timbers beneath the truck were two iron axletrees1 on which revolved cast-iron wheels4 7,some time would elapse in railroad progress before the wheels would be fixed to1 and revolve with1 the axles in journals47 ,in early ,american railroad development ,bryant is credited with the invention of the eight-wheel car1 the turntable1 switch1 turnout1 and many other improvements4 ,in #ahcb1 he had invented and used in the building of the ,united ,states ,bank at ,boston1 his portable derrick1 8used in every city and village in the country wherever there was a stone building to erect40 ,others profited from ,bryant's amazing ingenuity4 ,although the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states decided in his favor in his most important invention1 the eight-wheeled car1 he did not collect1 and he died poor4#h #h ,for more data on the ,granite ,railway and ,gridley ,bryant1 see3 ,charles ,b4 ,stuart1 ,civil and ,military ,engineers of ,america 7,new ,york3 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,company1 ,inc41 #ahga72 and ,the ,first ,railroad in ,america 7,boston3 ,privately printed for ,granite ,railway ,company1 #aibf74 ,in the fine saga of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 the ,granite ,railway plays a prominent part4 ,the demand of the monument for granite definitely inspired ,bryant to conceive the idea of ,america's first railroad1 and to design pioneer equipment that contributed hugely to the subsequent progress of ,america's great railroad system4 ,the accurate account of the building of the monument1 however1 has to record the fact that the railroad was not so great a benefit as anticipated4 ,in the short distance of #ab miles there was too much loading and unloading4 ,willard freely expressed his annoyance at these hindrances4 ,that he took action is indicated in the following quotation from an apparently authentic source3 8,the stone used for the foundation and for the first forty feet of the structure 7the monument7 was transported from the quarry on a railroad to the wharf in ,quincy 7actually located in ,milton7 where it was put into flat-bottomed boats1 towed by steam-power to the wharf in ,charlestown1 and then raised to the ,hill by teams moving upon an inclined plane4 ,the repeated transfer of the stones1 necessary in this mode of conveyance1 being attended with delay1 liability to accident1 and a defacing of the blocks1 was abandoned after the fortieth foot was laid1 and the materials were transported by teams directly from the quarry to the hill40#i ,this account fails to tell how the teams got up and down the steep hill at the quarry3 the #hd-;foot rise at an angle of #ae degrees4 ,clever ,bryant must have used his endless chain to drag the empty teams up1 and to brake the loaded ones down4 #i ,george ,e4 ,ellis1 ,history of the ,battle of ,bunker's 7,breed's7 ,hill 7,boston3 ,lockwood1 ,brooks and ,company1 #ahge74 ,illustration3 ,,hoc ,,nomen est in ternum1 et hoc memoriale in generationem et generationem4 ,r4 ,,ruzicka #aiae ,bunker ,hill ,monument in #aiae ,reproduced from a wood engraving by ,rudolph ,ruzicka in the ,boston ,athenum ,illustration3 ,judah ,touro ,reproduced from a portrait in the ,redwood ,library1 ,newport1 ,r4 ,i4 ,illustration3 ,amos ,lawrence ,reproduced from a portrait by ,chester ,harding owned by the ,massachusetts ,hospital ,life ,insurance ,company ,illustration3 ,foundation of ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,reproduced from ,willard1 ,plans and ,sections1 ,plate ,,ii ,illustration3 ,construction of ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,reproduced from ,willard1 ,plans and ,sections1 ,plate ,,iv ,illustration3 ,construction of ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,reproduced from ,willard1 ,plans and ,sections1 ,plate ,x ,illustration3 ,bunker ,hill ,monument in #ahcj ,reproduced from ,c4 ,h4 ,snow1 ,a ,geography of ,boston 7,boston1 #ahcj7 ,beacon for ,mariners ,in the noisy grogshops on the streets leading to the ,boston waterfront1 in the sail lofts on what is now ,commercial ,street1 and at the tall desks of the counting rooms of ,state ,street1 those who got their living from the sea eagerly discussed the progress of the monument in ,charlestown4 ,it was to be their beacon1 and when the many frigates1 packets1 sloops1 and schooners had safely passed the danger spots of the lower harbor1 the monument would welcome them to the busy inner port of ,boston1 then much livelier than it is today4 ,but progress proved to be slow4 ,naturally the stones broken from the ,quincy ledges and boulders were not always of the dimensions planned by ,willard for the lower courses2 many were of sizes needed for the upper courses4 ,economical ,willard dressed the stones as they came out2 setting aside those which could not be erected for some time2 and the piles of such stones grew larger at ,quincy and on the ground about the monument1 while the monument itself rose at a snail's pace4 ,a more spectacular progress was needed for a project that was started on a shoestring1 and depended on more and still more public contributions4 ,the building fund dwindled to such a low sum that in ,february1 #ahbi1 work had to be suspended for lack of funds to pay the wages of quarrymen1 stonecutters1 derrickmen1 blacksmiths1 and teamsters1 and the cost of the good hay for the hard-working horses and oxen of the project4 ,but #ad courses had been laid--to a height of #cg feet1 #d inches4 ,the sailors were disappointed1 and a poetess said3 ,but where's the pile they said would rise1 ,throwing its shadows o'er the wave1-- ,lifting its forehead to the skies-- ,a ,beacon far o'er land and sea1 ,signal and ,seal of ,liberty4 ,a lottery to secure more building funds was next proposed4 ,it was not unusual to allow lotteries in this period--churches1 turnpikes1 bridges1 and even ,harvard ,college--had received such grants4 ,public sentiment in ,massachusetts1 however1 was beginning to consider lotteries a vicious practice and the director of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association voted against one4 ,at this time1 ,amos ,lawrence was a member of the building committee--a wealthy philanthropist of ,boston1 whose religion seemed to be fixed on two ideals1 one of which was his charities4 ,unlike that of a few good ministers of the time1 who had preached against giving funds for the monument because they felt their various charities should come first1 ,lawrence deemed the completion of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument of first importance4 ,this project became his other obsession4 ,he enlisted the aid of the ,massachusetts ,charitable ,mechanics ,association in the campaign for funds4 ,started in #agie by ,paul ,revere1 and others1 to promote a better understanding between master mechanics and their apprentices1 this society had become influential2 its membership embraced mechanics1 manufacturers1 and such honorary members as ,ex-,president ,adams1 ,daniel ,webster1 and ,edward ,everett4 ,amos ,lawrence had picked upon a well-managed organization for assistance2 its executives were shrewd financiers and they knew how to get things done4 ,the president of the ,massachusetts ,charitable ,mechanics ,association became in perpetuity the first vice-president of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association 7today he is still so listed74 ,thereafter1 the ,mechanics ,association took an active part in the promotion and construction of the monument4 ,it made a careful estimate of the cost to complete the monument and1 much to ,solomon ,willard's disgust1 raised his allowance for contingencies4 ,both associations decided to be satisfied when the monument had reached the height of #aei feet1 #f inches--about two-thirds of the height previously determined upon4 ,work was resumed on #ag ,june #ahcd1 and continued until funds again gave out1 when the monument was #cb courses high1 #he feet2 now imposing enough for quite the good mariners of busy ,boston harbor to take notice of4 ,it was the year #ahce1 and the country was headed for a severe financial depression--a bad sign for those who sought contributions for any but the most practical of objectives4 ,in this emergency1 the women of ,new ,england again became active in the raising of funds4 ,in the summer of #ahdj1 a common greeting of the women of ,massachusetts was3 8,what are you doing for the ,fair80 ,those who knit stockings1 crocheted in worsted of various colors1 who were skilled in embroidered work1 or who were merely good at plain sewing strove industriously to get ready for the ,fair that was to earn money for the ,bunker ,hill ,monument4 ,ten years earlier1 the women of ,new ,england had made a noble effort to secure funds for the monument1 but as the contributions from females and children had been limited to a maximum of #a4jj each1 the total was small4 ,now1 although the maximum sum ever raised at a ,boston fair was #c1jjj1 they felt that a sizable sum could be realized in a fair in ,quincy ,hall1 near ,faneuil ,hall4 ,despite the criticism that 8women were stepping out of their sphere10 ,sarah ,j4 ,hale1 the leading spirit in this remarkable effort1 persisted4#aj ,quincy ,hall was #chb feet long by #dg feet wide1 and it was crowded with the #dc tables of things to sell1 when the seven-day fair started in ,september1 #ahdj4 ,a ,whig ,convention1 in this year of a presidential election1 undoubtedly helped to increase the attendance at this very successful fair4 ,the price of admission on the first day was double that of the remaining days1 which was #j4be4 #aj ,she was editor of ,godey's ,lady's ,book for #cj years1 and is credited with promoting the establishment of the last ,thursday in ,november as ,thanksgiving ,day4 ,the success of the ,quincy ,fair was phenomenal4 ,the net sum of #cj1jce4ec was realized and turned over to the directors of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association toward the completion of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument4 ,this amount was nearly one quarter its total cost4 ,the ,yankee ladies did not know that two contributions of #aj1jjj each1 with several smaller donations1 were available by now4 ,the gift of #aj1jjj by ,judah ,touro was peculiarly heartening1 as an example of the expression of the gratitude of the son of an immigrant to the country of his adoption4 ,the father of ,touro had been rabbi of a synagogue in ,holland4 ,the younger ,touro was born in ,newport1 ,r4 ,i41 in #aggf2 he had sailed to ,new ,orleans with an assortment of ,new ,england commodities and had made money in their sale4 ,a soldier in the ,battle of ,new ,orleans1 in the ,war of #ahab1 he had been given up for dead in the battle4 ,he had become a millionaire and1 learning of the proposed gift of #aj1jjj by ,amos ,lawrence1 toward the completion of the monument1 ,touro had matched it4 ,thus1 in the year #ahdj1 the success of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument was assured4 ,it could now be built to the full height planned by ,baldwin and ,willard--about #bbj feet4 ,the ,riggers ,contractor ,james ,sullivan ,savage would have no trouble finding good men for the ticklish job of raising and setting the heavy stones of the higher courses of the monument2 able sailors1 who would take a shore job for a change4 ,maritime ,boston was full of these good riggers1 who were used to dizzy heights1 and to whom the half hitches1 square knots1 guys1 slings1 and tag lines would be easy4 ,up to this time the monument had been built by day labor1 not by contract4 ,now1 ,savage had taken a contract to finish the monument for #dc1hjj1 from the elevation of #he feet to the top4 ,he was well trained in masonry1 for he had worked on the job since the start under ,willard1 whose rigid ideas would not let him take a contract himself for profit on such a patriotic project1 but who agreed to superintend the work of ,savage to the finish4 ,savage had the traits of a good contractor--energy1 resourcefulness1 honesty--and the sense that knew how each detail must be executed toward the end of producing a job to be proud of4 ,savage replaced the one-horse capstan of the hoist by a six-horsepower steam engine1 an innovation that speeded up progress4 ,the steam engine as a prime mover in land and water transportation had become well established1 and its use to drive textile machinery had proved successful4 ,steam power in the construction industry1 however1 was a novelty4 ,shouts and wigwag signals from the setting gang at the top to the engineer on the ground were replaced by a bell-wire signaling system4 ,this must have been a pull bell1 for many years would pass before electric bells came into common use4#aa #aa ,joseph ,henry had developed the electromagnet at about the time of the laying of the lower courses of the monument1 and1 a few months after its dedication1 ,morse would operate the first telegraph line between ,washington and ,baltimore1 but the transmission of electric currents by insulated wires even for a few score feet was still too new to receive serious attention on a construction job4 ,as its lighter stones would be easier to handle1 the granite inner cone 7newel7 around which the stairs wind was erected a few courses ahead of the walls of the monument4 ,it thus served as a support for the derrick which raised the heavier wall stones4 ,through apertures in the hollow walls of the newel1 a heavy beam 7wood87 was passed1 upon which the derrick was set4 ,it is interesting to compare our modern hoisting derrick with the apparatus used to raise the stones for the monument4 ,the derrick of today consists of a guyed1 vertical mast1 an adjustable boom hinged to the base of the mast1 with boom falls1 and hoist falls1 each with their cables and pulleys1 or blocks4 ,at the base of the mast1 a bull ring serves to turn the mast by power4 ,the whole combination is called the derrick4 ,when we get accustomed to the old ,english or ,american custom of calling the mast the post or derrick1 and the boom either the gaff or derrick1 a little study enables us to comprehend how the monument was built4 ,the lower courses were raised by the 8,holmes ,hoisting ,apparatus10 designed by a practical seaman of ,boston4 ,this device could command a circle #ajj feet in diameter4 ,except that it had no bull ring to turn the mast1 it appears much like the derrick of today4 ,with steam power available for the upper courses1 ,savage seems to have modified the boom of ,holmes to serve as a nearly horizontal 8lever10 on which a 8wheel carriage0 drew the stone inward1 to its desired position for placement4 ,in other words1 apparently1 the boom became today's monorail4 ,a somewhat obscure1 ,english description of the means used to hoist masonry #ajj years ago1 tells of two devices4 ,one was a 8movable derrick crane10 with a vertical post1 supported by two timber backstays1 and a movable hinged 8jib or derrick10 which could be today's boom4 ,this assembly1 of course1 corresponded to today's stiff-leg derrick1 in which the back guys are replaced by timber members4 ,the other ,english device for raising stones was practically exactly like today's traveling crane1 and that was the name it went by in ,england1 #ajj years ago4 ,our construction forebears of over a century ago had to use ropes and chains for all purposes2 there were no wire ropes4 ,about the time ,savage set his first stone1 ,john ,a4 ,roebling was making the first ,american wire rope cable1 in a largely outdoor plant located on a level meadow on his farm in ,saxonburg1 ,pa4 ,wire rope had real advantages in construction work1 because of its superior strength and its much less stretch under load4 ,a crude sketch1 dated #ahcg1 shows that the derrick for the monument was guyed by chains1 which attached to the top of the mast and passed over timber brackets at the staging level1 and thence vertically down to weights at the ground4 ,in his long length1 the stretching and shrinking of a rope under rain1 load1 and temperature changes would be difficult to control4 ,every four courses of the wall stones 7about #aa feet7 the derrick was raised1 perhaps by unshipping the boom and using it as a lesser mast to raise the mast proper4 ,square timber sticks were then beginning to be used for staging1 instead of the round trunks of small trees and saplings previously used4 ,a sketch of the monument shows a squared timber stage for pointing the joints4 ,such a stage could be much more easily erected1 and was more reliable than the round sticks1 tied at the joints by cords4 ,on paper1 ,willard had performed the painstaking task of dimensioning every stone1 each with its top 7the build7 a little narrower than its bottom 7the bed71 so that the true taper of the obelisk would be maintained4 ,to set the stone to line was the chore of the erecting force4 ,on the top of the stone already in place lime mortar was spread1 enriched with hydraulic cement1 and with a sprinkling of iron filings4 7,a popular1 modern1 commercial waterproofing compound utilizes the fact that1 upon oxidizing1 iron particles mixed with the cement mortar expand1 thus reducing the voids and producing a denser mass when the mortar sets47 ,temporary wooden wedges would be placed at the corners of the stone already in place1 to support the heavy new stone until the mortar had hardened4 ,when the ponderous stone had been speedily raised from the ground to a level a few inches above the mortar1 the engine would be stopped2 the derrick adjusted to right or left1 and in or out1 until the stone was very closely in line4 ,next1 riggers would push on the bridle chain which attached to the two lewises in the stone's top surface1 guiding it to its true position in its gentle descent as the engine lowered it the few inches needed to bed it4 ,a tiny fraction of an inch 8out-of-line0 would be serious1 for such errors if repeated1 or if not compensating1 would visibly throw the monument out of line4 ,on a light stage high above the ground1 bracing themselves against gusts of wind1 the riggers would be intent on the necessity for such accuracy1 but not forgetting their own safety1 for no careless workman could work for ,savage4 ,they would remember that1 while laying the last stone of the #abth course1 at the southwest corner1 one man had been pushed off 7the only death on the project74 ,profitable ,project ,happily1 the good riggers raised their monument1 course by course1 to the top4 ,they were under a boss who knew his trade1 and he was making money--the sign of content on any construction project4 7,savage made some more money after the monument was finished1 when he retained the steam engine that had been used for hoisting stone1 for the purpose of raising a passenger car to the top4 ,for the car ride he collected #j4bj1 as against the #j4abe for visitors who climbed the stairs47 ,the practical riggers would not be disturbed at the proposal1 advanced when the monument neared its top1 that the apex be modified to form a platform to accommodate visitors4 ,aesthetic ,bostonians were much disturbed at this proposal4 ,happily1 the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association voted down this architectural atrocity4 ,high ,capstone ,on ,saturday1 #bc ,july #ahdb1 several hundred of our early rising ,bostonian ancestors rose earlier than usual to arrive at the monument at #f3jj ,a4,m4 ,on the ground at the base1 they studied the capstone2 a small stone pyramid1 three feet1 six inches high1 stoutly lashed to the derrick hook1 and with an ,american flag at the top4 ,standing on the capstone1 firmly grasping the hoisting rope1 ,colonel ,charles ,r4 ,carnes waited for the signal to hoist4 ,when the clock struck six1 a signal gun was fired1 and the capstone1 bearing the good colonel1 started up4 ,in #af minutes it had reached the top2 at #f3cj ,a4,m4 it had been bedded1 and a national salute announced to all ,boston that the ,bunker ,hill ,monument was completed4 ,by railroad1 great multitudes came to ,boston for the dedication of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 nearly a year later1 on #ag ,june #ahdc4 ,unlike the time of #ah years earlier1 when the cornerstone had been laid1 stagecoaches were not the main conveyance for visitors to ,boston4 ,indeed they were decidedly on the way out1 and would soon be but symbols of an era of traveling discomfort1 as the railroad completely took over4 ,president ,tyler and his cabinet attended2 ,daniel ,webster matched with sonorous eloquence his famous speech at the laying of the cornerstone1 and there were still #ac very aged surviving veterans of the battle able to attend4 ,foucault's ,experiment ,seven years later 7#ahej71 two ,harvard professors checked with elaborate apparatus1 paid for by members of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association and the ,massachusetts ,charitable ,association1 the famous experiment of ,foucault which used a long pendulum to prove the daily rotation of the earth4 ,suspended in the newel by an annealed wire1 #baj feet long1 the oscillations of a pointer1 attached to a #ca-pound ,british cannon ball relic of the battle1 were observed2 and its plane of swing was seen to revolve during the day from right to left of the observer4 ,a sudden shower on a previously bright day complicated the experiment1 until ,professor ,eben ,n4 ,horsford discovered the reason4 ,cooled by the rain the monument's exposed face contracted2 its apex moved correspondingly and carried the point of suspension of the pendulum with it4 ,as observed years later on the ,washington ,monument1 ,horsford deduced that the side of an obelisk1 exposed to the hot sun1 expanded1 and that its apex followed the sun in the sun's travel from east to west4 ,such motion is tiny1 and the ingenuity of the apparatus to observe it was notable4 ,the path of the orbit of the bob1 registering both the earth's rotation and the effect of varying heat on the monument's sides1 was described as an irregular ellipse with major axis of one-half an inch4 ,today ,two hundred thousand persons visit ,bunker ,hill every year4 ,of these visitors #bj1jjj pay their #j4aj1 and presumably climb the #bid granite steps to the top4#ab ,very few ,bostonians are among these visitors4#ac ,they are of various types3 honeymooners and casual tourists1 whose list of the sights to be seen in historic ,boston includes the monument1 and historically minded youngsters1 one of whom was recently caught in a heated argument with his father as to where the order was to 8wait 'til you can see the whites of their eyes40 ,surely1 the stout young man who recently lugged #be pounds to the top--his young daughter--was not typical4 #ab ,estimate of custodian from a review of his register1 #aiea4 #ac 8,those pangs of conscience he feels every ,june #ag are as close as the average ,bostonian ever comes to climbing ,bunker ,hill ,monument40--,boston ,globe1 #ah ,june #aiea4 ,the evidence that the monument is probably the most popular of the historic shrines of old ,boston would be as pleasing to the charter members of the ,bunker ,hill ,monument ,association as to the present members of this venerable society1 which lists among present and past members1 #cj generals1 #ab admirals1 #ab ,presidents of the ,united ,states1 a score of ,massachusetts governors1 #bj mayors of ,boston1 and #f presidents of ,harvard ,university4 ,it is a healthful society to belong to1 the #aidi ,proceedings say1 in the mention of #df half-century members of whom #af were then living4 ,many years ago1 the ,association voted to hold patriotic exercises every year at the monument1 and this resolution has been faithfully fulfilled4 ,the annual ceremonies today are very different from those of the earlier years2 they have followed the varying pattern in which ,american citizens have celebrated their national anniversaries during the more than a century since the monument was dedicated in #ahdc4 ,they were solemn occasions during the earlier years4 ,in what better spot could the ,yankees of the trying days of the ,civil ,war compare their convictions with those who fought for similar principles than at the monument1 as they listened to the stirring eloquence of their ,war ,governor1 ,john ,a4 ,andrew4 ,in later years the holiday spirit took over1 with a fireman's muster to please the older folk1 while the youngsters of ,greater ,boston made ,bunker ,hill ,day on #ag ,june a parallel in firecracker noise and casualties to fingers and eyesight1 to the ,fourth of ,july1 of which it was a preview4 ,today1 ,bunker ,hill ,day is a huge neighborhood festival1 with block parties and a skillfully routed parade which seems to pass every house on the hill4 ,they who enjoy things most are the children of working people1 not of the wealthy families that once lived in the sightly dwellings of ,bunker ,hill4 ,each boy or girl can give a visitor the story of the battle in detail1 and recite the precise dimensions of the monument4 7,they collect from tourists for this information1 for it is one way by which ,charlestown youngsters get their spending money47 ,these children would rarely answer to the old names3 ,prescott1 ,warren1 ,putnam1 or similar ,yankee names4 ,they are mostly of second or third generation ,european families3 proud ,americans1 fortunate to live near the site of one of ,america's most famous historical shrines4 ,their festival is a heartening occasion to witness1 for it is ,american democracy at its best4 ,through it all the monument rises above its unadorned settings2 except that the crown of the hill has been removed1 it could still be the ,new ,england hilltop farm on which the battle was fought4 ,the obelisk rises in the simplicity of its straight lines and clean angles1 with no curves1 and with the somber gray of its harsh-textured masonry unrelieved by any greenery of foundation shrubbery4 ,the rugged monument is symbolic of the stern spirit of those who fought in the battle1 and of the determination of those who solved the problem of building this massive memorial to them1 in the pioneer days of ,american architecture and engineering4 ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation1 hyphenation1 and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book2 otherwise they were not changed4 ,simple typographical errors were corrected2 unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious1 and otherwise left unbalanced4 ,illustrations in this e,book have been positioned between paragraphs and outside quotations4