Happy belated Columbus Day!

D.C. has its own Christopher Columbus memorial prominently positioned in front of Union Station.  Here’s a fascinating set of images from the Washington Times on April 29, 1912 – as workers move a veiled statue of Columbus into place.

Text from the article:

Throngs of people at all hours of the day, and up until 12 o’clock at night, find a peculiar fascination in watching the stonecutters and sculptors at work on the big Columbus memorial on the Union Station plaza.

And it is not often either that people get to see as fine work as is being done by the large force of men.  In fact, some of the work is so delicate the slightest slip of a chisel would ruin a piece of marble, and possibly delay the unveiling of the monument.  The cutters are experts, real artists, and to lovers of such art their work is fully appreciated.

And idea of the delicate work being done by the stonecutters may be obtained by looking at the huge ball representing the world.  In every respect it comes up to geographical requirements as to shape.

At the present time there are about forty cutters and sculptors at work on the memorial.  They are working night and day in order to have everything in readiness for the unveiling on June 8.

Workers completed the memorial on time. Here’s the cover of a special newspaper edition printed for the unveiling on June 8, 1912: