Verhovayak Lapja, 1954 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1954 / Verhovay Journal
COLUMBUS, OHIO SENDING 15 TEAMS TO TOURNAMENT J.eb,l'.üa-Z_17^-a-______________________Verhovay Journal PAGE 5 Many Verhovay Members to See the Statue of Liberty for First Time Memorial Day Week End The Statue of Liberty is probably the most significant symbolic structure in the United States. It was proposed by Edouard Laboulaye, historian and commentator, to a group of Frenchmen shortly after the end of the War between the States, to commemorate the alliance of France and the United States in the War for American Independence. After delays, the Franco-American Union was formed in 1875 for this purpose, with Laboulaye as president. months after the arrival of the statue inr America, sufficient funds were collected. In 1883, work on the construction of the pedestal at old Fort Wood on Bedloe’s Island, was commenced under the direction of General Charles P. Stone, engineer in chief. It was built of concrete with a granite facing. Four huge steel girders were built into its walls, with similar girders placed a few feet from the top of the pedestal, which connect with the first set by iron tie rods and continue on up into the framework of the statue itself. It was only thus that the 152-foot figure placed on a pedestal almost 150 feet in height could withstand the high winds of the bay. Edouard Laboulaye did not live to see the work finished and his place as president of the Franco- American Union' was taken up by Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal. Bartholdi was among those present to see President Grover Cleveland dedicate the statue on October 28, 1886. Lighting this gigantic structure to best advantage was a perplexing problem. The system of electric lights has been replaced several times by more modern equipment. Today, the statue is floodlighted at night by ninety-six 1,000 watt incandescent lamps and the torch is lighted by ten 1,000 watt incandescent lamps, in addition to a number of, mercury-vapor lamps. This lighting^ system is equivalent to 2,500 times the effect of full moonlight. The statue was first placed under the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Board. In 1901, Control was transferred to the War Department, which continued to maintain a small army post, Fort Wood, on one end of the island. On October 15, 1924, the Statue of Liberty was declared a national monument by Presidential proclamation. The Army abandoned Continued on page 7. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a young Alsatian sculptor, was commissioned to design the monument. As Bartholdi entered New York Harbor to plan his work, he conceived the idea of a colossal stathe standing at the very gateway to the New World and representing the one thing man finds most precious... Liberty. He saw Liberty in the form of a woman breaking the bonds of tyranny and extending the light of freedom to the world. A broken shackle lies at her feet and she steps forward, clasping in her left hand the Declaration of Independence and in her right a burning torch with which to enlighten the world. The statue was to be erected by the joint efforts of the two peoples; the French to give the statue proper, and the Americans the pedestal. The response of the French people was instantaneous, and a campaign to raise the necessary funds was launched with public entertainments. The cost, approximately $250,000 however, was far greater than anticipated, and is was not until June 1880 that the required amount was subscribed. The entire amount was contributed by popular subscription and governmental assistance was not required. The mechanics of enlarging Bartholdi’s 9-foot “working model“ to its present height of 152 feet tested the sculptor’s ingenuity. The plaster model was first reproduced four times its original size. Then, by section, the 36 foot model was enlarged to its existing scale. Copper sheets 3/32 of an inch in thickness (about that of a silver dollar) were pressed into wood patterns and hammered into shape by hand. The framework of the statue, designed by the French engineer, Gustave Eiffel, consists of four huge steel supports which bear the weight of the entire structure. The construction is remarkable when one considers that the width of the face is 10 feet and that of the eyes 2 feet, 6 inches; and that the arm carrying the torch is 42 feet long and 12 feet in diameter at the point of greatest thickness. An American committee was organized to raise $125,000 for the construction of the pedestal. The original estimate, however, proved only about half the required amount to complete the pedestal and work was stopped in the fall of 1884 with only 15 feet of the structure completed, pending subscription of an additional $100,000. On March 16, 1885, the New York World took up the crusade. In daily editorials, Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the World, urged benefit performances, sporting events, and entertainments for the pedestal campaign fund. This drive was so successful that by August 11, 1885, less than 5 months after the campaign started, and 2 This figure of “Liberty Enlightening the World” is perhaps the best known piece of sculpture in America and commands the Upper Bay from the east end of Bedloe’s Island. The figure 151 feet tall, is atop a pedestal 142 feet. Boat trips leave the Battery regularly for visits to the Statue. Verhovay members attending National Verhovay Fellowship Days in New York City, May 29-30, 1954, will be sure to include this famous sight in their itinerary. STATUE OF LIBERTY
