Give the man room : $b The story of Gutzon BorglumCasey, Robert J. (Robert Joseph)
General
Give the man room : $b The story of Gutzon Borglum
Casey, Robert J. (Robert Joseph)
Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941
Gutzon declared that Lincoln was a master of this work, understanding
its complicated mathematics, and father had confidence in son. Under him
a staff of three assistants served as a “pointing crew” for the
measurement of all models to be enlarged on the mountain. When not
measuring they acted as aids and guides to the drillers. The
instructions given to Lincoln at one period when the sculptor’s arrival
at Rushmore was delayed indicate the dramatic quality of the work. The
sculptor instructed his son thus:
I want you, in beginning the work and allotting the positions to
the men, to avoid the two finished faces completely. Do not touch
the hairlines around the face of Washington or his chin, or under
his chin. Do not approach the face lines of Jefferson, or to the
side of his face or under his chin.
On Photograph No. 1, I have drawn a circle where you can locate
Payne [a driller] to begin down-drilling under what will be
Washington’s ear and the left-hand lapel of his coat. Put one or
two men on the lapel, which I have marked No. 2. Put two men on
Washington’s shoulders and work carefully from the top, which I
have marked No. 3. That will dispose of five or six men.
I have marked Lincoln’s eye. You can put two men in cages in each
of the eyes. I would use Anderson on the one side and Bianco on the
other, putting Bianco where the feldspar streaks run down, and
Anderson on the outside. I would give Payne, with Bianco, a
position on the nose and have them begin to take off stone by
drilling in squares and breaking it off down to within six or seven
inches of the finished surface. But do not try to cut the eyelid or
eyeball. Make a round mass for each of these. Lincoln’s face in
that way will take up probably six more men.
You can put about three men on the Roosevelt stone, marking
carefully the contour of Lincoln’s face so that none of that is
disturbed, and going back into the hole next to Jefferson’s face as
deep as you can. If you can put any men down on the block that I
have marked No. 8, without any danger of tools and stone falling on
them, all right. I would put about three men down on the big crag.
We still have seventy or eighty feet to take off that. I think this
will keep you busy until I get there.
It did.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
_CONVERSATION_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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