OCR Text |
Show NEW YORK GODDESS IS HAPPY Wardrobe of Miss Liberty Costs the Government $20,0000, but It Was Worth It. The happiest "woman" In all New tork today is standing out in the mid-i! mid-i! of the river, with one arm raised iver her millions of fretful sisters to show that a goddess still can be a goddess even if she does have to wear made over clothes winter and summer, sum-mer, the New York Herald remarks. Miss Liberty has just had $20,000 spent on her wardrobe, and although it was only a patching up of the clothes which Mr. Bartholdi gave to her when he left her here In 1886 she 1b contended. con-tended. For Ave years bhe has been complaining, com-plaining, groaning occasionally and leeling creepy in her joints after the stiff winds had driven the rain through little weak spots in her copper cop-per clothing. Her clothes wero sadly in need of repair, but Uncle Sam did uot give heed to the needs of his daughter, until one day her arm began to weaken and It was found that she could no longer hold up twelve persons per-sons in her right hand. Then the lad-ler lad-ler up the inside of her forty-live foot irm was closed to the public because :he brawny arm wobbled, and It was leemed best not to tax U too much. Small holes appeared here and there in the copper sheath skirt and some of the braces on the steel frame work came loose. Uncle Sam found that he must send for the dressmaker. The copper envelope which forms the goddess' gown was repaired piece by piece, all the steel work was painted, all the missing rivets were replaced, all places where the copper cop-per was so badly damaged by corrosion corro-sion that the light could be seen shining shin-ing through the shell were patched properly with soft copper. Great care was taken that none of the small holes Intended to drain the pockets formed by the drapery were closed by mistake. The stone work around the goddess' feet has been repaired and two turnstiles placed in the stairways leading to and from 'the head of the statue. This was found necessary because be-cause so many persons did not read the directing signs and went up the wrong way, with the result that there was a great deal unnecessary confusion con-fusion and some anxiety on the part of persons meeting on the narrow spiral. The repair work Is now complete and the goddess is In as fine and sturdy condition as when she was first erected. |