USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > History of Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument. Scenes and incidents from its inception to its completion.--Description of the memorial structure, and roll of honor > Part 29
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of the same year. A short time later, Bureau Bros. re- ceived $2,000 more on the infantry group, and on May 10, 1890, that firm received an additional $400 on the same contract.
" The first payment for the marble was on June 27, 1890, when the Baynes Tracery and Mosaic Company, of New York, received $1,947.71 on the marble tablets containing the names of the Soldiers. On July 3, of the same year, payment of $766.04 was made on the tablets, and other vouchers on the same pieces were approved in rapid succession for some time, the total cost of the tablets being $11,161.98. Bills for stone, bronze and inarble, and material not contracted for, used in the construction of the Monument, flowed in rapidly from this time. On December 30, 1890, voucher No. 915 was approved, and the aggregate then reached $54,- 610.03.
" The thousand mark was passed in 1891, and voucher No. 1272, for the services of Lewis Morroni, clay mod- eler, $21, was approved on December 29. The total expenditures of the Commission were now $92,762.13. When December 27, 1892, was reached, the final meet- ing of the Commission for that year was held, and voucher No. 1401 was approved. This brought the ex- penses so far incurred up to $136,265.03.
"Payments on the bronzes had been made with fre- quency during the year, and that item of expense was well out of the way. The cost of the various pieces was as follows : Bureau Bros., the Amazonian statue of Lib- erty, the capital of the shaft, and pedestal of the statue, seven bronze busts, four trophy panels for the outside groups, and four bands to surround the shaft and con- tain the names of the principal battles participated in by Cuyahoga County Soldiers, $20,000; infantry group, 'The Color Guard,' $11,000; interior panels, $5,500; the Ames Manufacturing Company, of Chicopee, Mass.,
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the artillery group, $6,000; cavalry group, $6,985; four bronze doors, four grill doors, two eagles, etc., $12,100; American Bronze Company, of Chicago, navy group, 'Mortar Practice,' $4,850.
"Voucher No. 1606 was reached on December 30, 1893, when the aggregate amount paid out reached $238,134.29. The expenditures of the year 1893 were the heaviest in the history of the Monument, $101,- 869.26 being paid out. The total cost of the Monument up to June 4, 1894, was $272,835.78, which was divided as follows : sculptors, $19,390.85; living models, $2,879; plaster modelers, $4,387.79; imaterials and patterns, $4,464.05; building and incidentals, $19,520.62; bronze, $68,872.73 ; marble, $25,525.16; stone, $18,228.17; inis- cellaneous, $7,919.81 ; material for construction, $99,- 969.13; interest, $1,678.47.
"Among the items of the cost of the Monument, the expenses of the litigation with the City and with indi- viduals take a comfortable slice. The sum of $2,500 was required to cover this item alone. There were no Court costs to pay, as the Commission won its case, but there were attorneys to provide for, and some minor bills for printing and clerical work to liquidate. The case of the Monument Commission was placed in the hands of Judge J. M. Jones and Loren Prentiss, Esq. The services of Colonel A. T. Brinsmade were also made use of, but the latter refused to receive any compensa- tion. Mr. Prentiss entered on the case, intending to give his services free, as it was then thought that the litigation would be brief. It was soon seen, however, that the Commission had a long fight ahead, and Mr. Prentiss was properly recompensed for his efforts in behalf of occupying the southeast section of the Public Square as a site for the Monminent. He was paid several fees, ranging from $100 to $250 each, the aggregate being in the neighborhood of $1,000. Judge Jones was paid for
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his services at one time, receiving $1,239, of which $39 was for incidental expenses. Another item in the cost was that of electrical appliances, the heaters, the elec- trolier, and chandeliers, costing $6,000. The granite shaft, which weighs in the neighborhood of 140 tons, and consists of ten immense blocks, cost $4,250, and was furnished by Joseph Carabelli. The platforms and steps cost $15,961.45."
The entire cost of the Memorial and its surroundings, including interest on the anticipated collection of taxes, aggregate in round figures $280,000. Not a dollar of this amount has passed through the hands of the Com- mission, all inoneys being collected by the County Treasurer, and paid out by him on warrants drawn by the County Auditor, when ordered so to do in writing by the Monument Executive Committee and its Secre- tary.
The sum of $270,000 was raised by public taxation ; $7,750 from interest on money in the county treasury pending the erection of the Monument, loaned out to banks by the Commission ; and $2,250 from advertise- ments on the fence surrounding the Memorial during its construction. Total, $280,000.
The erection of the Memorial was handled with con- summinate skill by our careful and reliable contractors, Col. A. McAllister and Mr. Andrew Dall. We are deeply gratified to be able to say that from the begin- ning of the work until its close, they performed their important part so judiciously that not a life or limb was lost; neither was any part of the Memorial broken or injured,-another proof that the Lord looked with favor on our undertaking, in addition to the fact that master builders did highly creditable work. The contractors for bronze, granite, marble, tablets, windows, stone and all other work did their respective parts to the satisfac- tion of the Commission.
XXV.
THE DEDICATORY EXERCISES-THE PRAYERS, SPEECHES,
SONGS AND POEM-THE APPEARANCE OF THE CITY.
T HE Editor of the Plain Dealer was enthusiastic over the dedicatory exercises. Here is what he said :
"The morning of the Fourth was delightful, and all day there was a good breeze from the lake. If the day had been inade to order it could not have been more charming.
"When the bands struck up in the Square at 9 o'clock, thousands of people were present to listen to the music as it filled the air. It was manifest that all Na- ture had conspired with the people to make the day memorable for its beauty and the celebration.
"The school children, in gay attire, with flags in their hands, filled the vast amphitheater, and by their songs and appearance made a charming feature of the day. Mr. Stewart was at his best, and called ont much praise for the part he did in bringing the children out.
"It was a grand sight to behold; the thousands of children embowered with the red, white and blue flags, the old Soldiers standing above thein as sentinels, em- blems of the past, yet living witnesses of the heroic deeds by which the Union was saved; then far out be- yond, the upturned faces of the people, who had gath- ered by thousands to commemorate this mnost glorious day in the history of this country, while they assisted in dedicating the Monument, erected to the memory of their kindred who fought to save the Union.
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"The disposition of the people was as cheerful and lovely as the day, and when Governor Mckinley rose to speak, it was soon inade manifest that the crowd was glad to greet him and hear him. The Governor was at his best, and his speech is full of eloquent passages, patriotismn and sound sense.
" The reading of the Declaration of Independence by Hon. Virgil P. Kline could not have been done better, for he believes every word of that great state paper, and he made it deeply impressive by his excellent voice and liis sincerity.
"The orator of the day, ex-Governor Foraker, never appeared to greater advantage or before a grander audi- ence. His oration was full of brilliant passages that sparkled with keen tact, insight and genius. Read the oration and you will be proud of the speaker and the State which he honors. If he pricks you politically, it will be with a keen blade.
"Grand as were the speeches, they were equaled by the magnificent display of the parade. The citizens of Cleveland had an object lesson in the industrial and commercial exhibits such as should make them proud of their city. Hundreds said, as the great procession passed : 'We did not know Cleveland could make such a display.' It was but the foretaste of the Greater Cleveland.
" All honor to the old Soldiers. Words of ours can never do them justice. We could but thank God and take courage as they marched through the streets in such goodly numbers, setting example to the younger companies who bore themselves so well. We cannot go into particulars, for every military company deserves great credit, as well as the civic societies for giving aid, comfort and success to this grand celebration.
" To the merchants, to the manufacturers, to the old Soldiers and the young Soldiers, to the civic societies,
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to the orators of the day, to the Council, to the Board of Control, to the School Council, to the children, the Mayor and all the people, we extend congratulations for what they did to make the celebration of the Fourth of July, 1894, the grandest success ever witnessed in Cleveland."
The Leader editorially expressed its opinion of the celebration in manner following :
"Cleveland's big Fourth of July celebration was all that it had been expected to be. The weather, the great crowds of sightseers from other places, the happy multitudes in the streets, the music, the eloquent ora- tions, the impressive exercises in connection with the dedication of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, the illumination, the decorations of the city, in fact all the arrangements for the day, and the execution of the plans could hardly have been better.
" The procession was one of the largest and finest in the history of the city, and in the bright sunshine, tem- pered by such a lake breeze as few places can boast, even the grayest of the old veterans swung along with the tread of their warrior days. The floats and deco- rated wagons made an impressive demonstration of the industrial resources of Cleveland, and the whole line mnoved with admirable order and promptness.
" Everybody who contributed to make the Independ- ence Day which marked the dedication of the war Mon- minent of Cuyahoga County a splendid success is to be congratulated. A big task was undertaken in the face of the disadvantages of industrial depression, and it was carried through in a style which will be remembered to the credit of the men who bore the heaviest responsi- bilities, as well as to the honor of the city."
The Leader locally said :
" Cleveland has seen several great days since the Con- necticut surveyor landed at the mouth of the Cuyahoga
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River, and yesterday was one of them. Realization sur- passed anticipation. Fact, for once at least, outstripped fancy. Even Nature seemed to have taken an especial interest in the occasion, for from her large and well selected assortiment of summer days, she could hardly have chosen one more ideally suited to the patriotic pro- gram which had been arranged for it. Nothing was lacking to make the dedication of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and the celebration of Independence Day a great success. Nature not only did all that could be asked of her, but those upon whose executive talent the success of the several features of the day depended also arose to the height of their oppor- tunity.
"Crowds began to gather shortly after the welcoming of the sun with the thunder of artillery, and by 9 o'clock, when the regular program was opened by the concert of the Great Western Band and the yacht race upon the unruffled lake, the Square and the entering streets were thronged with humanity. At 9:30 o'clock, when 3,000 school children took their places in the great amphi- theater, and lifted their trained voices in patriotic song, the scene was inspiring in the highest degree. The wilderiness of decorations as far as the eye could reach, the canopy of fluttering flags, the vast concourse, and the chief figure of the scene, the great Monument with its silent eloquence, all combined to arouse the most ardent emotions. Several songs were sung by the chil- dren, and no feature of the day made a more lasting ini- pression. The introductory address of Governor Will- iam Mckinley, like all the public utterances of that eminent statesman, met every requirement, and both his presence and his words called forth the utmost en- thusiasın. That other brilliant son of Ohio, ex-Gov- ernor Joseph B. Foraker, the orator of the occasion, delivered a masterly effort, pointing out in a most im-
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pressive manner the lesson of patriotism taught by the Monument. The reading of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, without which a Fourth of July celebration would not be complete, was finely done by Virgil P. Kline, Esq., while a meritorious poem was presented by Rev. Levi Gilbert, D. D. During the progress of the dedicatory exercises, as in fact throughout the day, the interior of the Monument was visited by many people.
"In the presence of a multitude such as has rarely as- sembled in the Public Square, with ceremonies most impressive, and amid surroundings of the greatest beauty, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was dedi- cated yesterday morning. The section of the Public Square across Superior Street from the Monument had been chosen as the place for holding the exercises. In it had been built an amphitheater and in this was seated the chorus of 3,000 school children, and half as many special guests, nearly all of them Soldiers and the widows of Soldiers. South of the amphitheater, and facing the Monument, was a finely decorated stand with a red and white canopy. During the exercises this stand was occupied by Governor Mckinley, ex-Governor Foraker, Mayor Blee, Hon. M. A. Hanna, Mr. L. E. Holden, Judge S. O. Griswold, of Windsor, Conn., to whom is ascribed the distinction of having drafted the original law constituting the Soldiers' and Sailors' Mon- ument Commission ; Director W. J. McKinnie ; Adju- tant General Howe, of Kenton; General Ebright, of Akron; Colonel J. C. Bomner, of Toledo; Colonel H. C. Sherrard, of Steubenville ; Colonel S. L. Mooney, of Woodsford; Colonel Horace E. Andrews, all members of Governor Mckinley's staff; Professor Charles F. Olney, Judge E. T. Hamilton, Hon. A. J. Williams, Rev. Dr. D. H. Muller, Mr. A. P. Winslow, Mr. W. J. Akers, Hon. V. A. Taylor, Mr. James McHenry, Mr.
SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT. 483
James Lavan, General J. J. Elwell, General James Bar- nett, Judge J. F. Burkett, of Findlay, and Judge F. J. Dickinan, members of the Supreme Court of the State ; Colonel Emory W. Force, Dr. R. W. Walters, Hon. T. E. Burton, Mr. P. H. Kaiser, Mr. A. C. Hord, Mr. W. M. Day, Treasurer of State W. T. Cope, Secretary of State S. M. Taylor, Hon. O. J. Hodge, Hon. John P. Green, Major W. W. Armstrong, Sergeant James Hayr, Major W. J. Gleason, Captain Levi F. Bauder, Mr. Thomas Reilley, Mr. F. C. Bate, Councilman Walter I. Thompson, School Councilman Martin House, Mr. H. M. Addison, Rev. Dr. Levi Gilbert, Mgr. T. P. Thorpe, Hon. Amos Townsend, General Manning F. Force, of Sandusky, Superintendent of the Soldiers' Home in that city ; Mr. Charles T. Caldwell, of Parkersburg, W. Va .; Mr. Silas Merchant, Colonel C. C. Dewstoe, General M. D. Leggett, Captain J. B. Molyneaux, Captain Edward H. Bohm, Mrs. Levi T. Scofield, Mrs. W. J. Gleason, the Misses Agnes, Katherine, Alma and Florence Gleason, Mrs. Lena Springsteen, Mrs. Lois Knauff, Mrs. John Eisenmann, Mrs. Esther M. Harris and Mrs. Sarah Adams Estabrook Thatcher. The two last named ladies are survivors of the Sanitary Commission, which did such noble work for the Soldiers when the Rebellion was at its height. When in the course of the exercises they were introduced by Governor Mckinley, they were received with the utmost enthusiasm. Mrs. Thatcher is the widow of the late Peter Thatcher, and Mrs. Harris is the widow of Josiah A. Harris. As the occupants of the speakers' stand appeared they were greeted with applause. Mrs. Springsteen and Mrs. Knauff appeared with two big baskets of flowers for the two central figures of the occasion, the Governor and the ex- Governor. The recipients of the floral tributes smiling- ly bowed their acknowledgments, and ex-Governor Foraker said, 'We thank you, ladies.'
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"Stretching away before the company in the stand was one of the largest audiences ever assembled in Cleveland. The crowd extended in an almost unbroken mass across Superior Street and over the strip of park which surrounds the Monument. The Monument ter- race was filled and the crowd extended far into Superior and Ontario Streets. Every window of the big build- ings which surround the Square was filled with specta- tors. The decorations were the most beautiful that have been seen in the Public Square. Lines of small flags extended to the top of the electric light mast in the center of the Square, the buildings were a mass of decorations and bright colors, and Chinese lanterns were strung among the trees.
"In the dedicating services, there were prayers which were impressive, addresses which were inspiring, music which was soul-stirring, and an audience patriotic and enthusiastic to the last degree."
The brilliant reporter of the Plain Dealer furnishes this word-painting gem :
" Surrounded by silvery-haired men who had marched forth as beardless youths a third of a century ago at the Nation's call to arms, in the presence of honored sons who, on the field of battle, in the halls of legislation, and in the executive chair of the State had proved their inanly worth, surrounded by troops of merry children to whom the story of Gettysburg and Vicksburg were the same as Bunker Hill and Valley Forge, lessons of the school room and fireside, with the pomp and pageantry of military display and the evidences of peaceful occu- pations, the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was formally and gloriously dedicated yes- terday.
"The event was a notable one in many respects. Among the grandest memorials which now commemo- rate the deeds of 1861-5 throughout the length and
SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT. 485
breadth of the land, the Cuyahoga Memorial is probably the last great monolith to be lifted in honor of the men who went forth to battle in that great cause.
" That time had made many strides since the events which this great shaft commemorated was plainly evi- denced by the appearance of the men who had taken part in that glorious struggle. The grizzled hairof Private
Joseph Benson Foraker bore little resemblance to the raven locks of the gallant message bearer who rode with Sherman before Atlanta. Governor William Mc- Kinley bore on his strongly developed brow many fur- rows which were not there when he shouldered his 11111s- ket in the ranks of that Ohio regiment of which he soon became the major.
"General Barnett, Chaplain Mitchell, General Elwell and many others of the distinguished men upon the platform on the Square showed only too well what years of service in the field and a generation of active life since had done, while of the gayly epauletted and aiguletted members of the Governor's staff, many were children in their teens when Grant was storming Vicks- burg and Meade and Hancock were driving Lee and Longstreet from Little Round Top and the field of Gettysburg.
" That the lessons of that day were not forgotten, that the flag for which these heroes fought had in- creased in luster even as its stars had multiplied in number, that the hopes and aspirations of the Nation were as dear and sacred now as then, no one who wit- nessed yesterday's ceremonial can doubt. That the Nation that was born 118 years ago and saved from in- ternal disruption a third of a century ago is still the idol of the people's heart and the object of their great- est love was made manifest to all. That alone was worth all the trouble, all the sacrifice that the celebration cost, and was after all the greatest lesson it had to tell.
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HISTORY OF THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY
" Never before did a Fourth of July open with greater promise and never was that promise of meteorological perfection better maintained.
"From an almost cloudless sky, the sun arose over a city decked forth in holiday attire. A cool and refresh- ing breeze swept over it from the lake, setting every piece of bunting in the city in a flutter and stretching every flag into the appearance of a metal emblem stiff against the sky.
"And what myriads of flags there were !
"Never did a city look more joyous. From every business house down town, and in front of almost every private residence throughout the verdure-clad city, there bloomed forth some evidence of loyalty and joy. From the top of the Hickox building, down town streets seemed fluttering ribbons of color leading toward the Square like garlands on a May-pole.
"It was in the Public Square that all interest cen- tered, and here the color scheme reached its climax. Every building was emblazoned with national colors and made resplendent with many colored flags. Over all, like the frame-work of an open canopy, were the gay streamers radiating like spokes of a wheel from the top of the tall light mast in the center.
"By 8 o'clock in the morning the crowds had begun to gather. The Monument itself, with its fringe of variegated plants, never seemed more worthy of admi- ration. From the tall goddess, silhouetted against the sky, to the life-like group about the base, the great shaft attracted the admiration of hundreds of visitors all dur- ing the morning.
"The sun shone forth strong and hot in spite of the morning breeze, and the crowds soon sought shelter under the protection of the trees and awnings, while about the Square a myriad of umbrellas shot up like mushrooms after a summer shower.
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"The great amphitheater alone remained unfilled, and rose in vivid whiteness above the sea of people that swarmed about it.
" The Committee of Arrangements is busy now in re- ceiving such guests as are entitled to seats in the all too contracted stand in front, and the members of Armny and Navy Post, each member carrying the guidon of the regiment to which he belonged, take places on the top of the amphitheater like sentries on a bastion.
"Twenty thousand people now swarm like bees about tlie Square, while the fluttering flags beat tattoos against the staffs around the stand.
"Every building has its quota of people, and men hang about the cornices of the Cuyahoga and Society for Savings like beads on a silken cord. Each window frames a group of people also, and the bright summer costumes of the ladies everywhere impart life and color to the scene.
"Soon Governor Mckinley, escorted by Mayor Blee, appears, followed by the members of his military staff. Adjutant General Howe, with a yellow sash across liis broad chest, leads them, and Colonel Horace A. An- drews makes his appearance with his fellow officers, handsomer than ever in his gold-braided uniformn. He is the youngest member of the staff present, with the exception of Colonel Harry Sherrard, thie Steubenville member.
"Ex-Governor Joseph B. Foraker follows. He lias 110 staff, but lie is speedily recognized by the crowd, and evokes a cheer that neither the little Napoleon nor his imilitary attaches can equal.
" There are members of the Supreme Court, members of the Monument Commission, the Chaplain of the Day, the Monsignor of the Roman Catholic Diocese, the Mayor and other dignitaries crowded together in a lamentably insufficient space, but all objects of interest
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to the sweltering crowds beneath. It is after 9 o'clock when the children begin to arrive and take their places on the raised tiers of seats provided. Prof. N. Coe Stewart is at their head, and they assume their places with a precision that calls forth applause on the part of the old Soldiers present. The leader puts them through a short drill previous to the opening. 'Umbrellas closed,' lie calls from his stand in the foreground, and hundreds of parasols are closed, revealing a picture of beauty worthy of any stage. The boys are arranged in the central division, flanked by the girls like the dark cell- tral part of some great flower.
"It was as though some great floral emblem had been tilted up to the view of the audience. No old-fashioned garden ever showed a greater variety of color than this. And nothing else than a flower garden seemed worthy of comparison with it. Like a flash the dark curtain of umbrellas was swept away, revealing a mass of bright faces in a sea of foaming white gowns with splashes of crimson and scarlet and gold. Never had those jewels of Cleveland, her school children, looked lovelier, and, as under Prof. Stewart's wand they uncovered their heads, there was a fluttering of color like the waving of a forest in the full grandeur of its Antumnal beauty.
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