Cracks may force replacement of the Tomb of Unknowns

``We know this is not a stagnant thing," said John Metzler, the cemetery's superintendent. ``This thing is continuing to move."

Cemetery officials are taking public comments through Sunday and plan to choose an option by September. The cemetery could repair it, do nothing, or buy an extra marble block and store it as a standby if the tomb continues to deteriorate.

A 1990 report concluded that within 10 to 20 years, the damage could lead to a ``negative effect on visitor's experiences." Metzler said he feared some of the carved sculptures could eventually fall off.

Replacing the monument now would take about a year and could cost up to $1 million. The tomb would be closed to the public for about two weeks, Metzler said. Filling the cracks would be cheaper and quicker but might not solve the problem.

The sculpted sarcophagus has a commanding view of Washington across the Potomac River. With shouldered rifles, soldiers from the Army's Third Infantry ``Old Guard" Regiment guard it at all times, making a 21-step march in front of the tomb, clicking their heels at each turn.

Beneath the marble structure is a crypt holding the remains of three unidentified servicemen killed in the two world wars and the Korean War. A Vietnam War soldier buried there was later identified through DNA testing and removed. An inscription on the tomb reads: ``Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known But to God."

Cracks were first noticed in the 1940s, but Metzler said flaws were probably present when the tomb was installed in 1932. By the late 1980s, when a study of the damage was done, the largest had stretched 28 feet. The marble block was probably cut from a Colorado quarry using dynamite, creating unseen cracks that were later worsened by exposure to rain and freezing cold, Metzler said.

The most noticeable crack cuts right through the middle, prominent enough that it even appears on a scale model of the tomb in the cemetery visitors' center. It cuts in half the sculpted figures of Greeks representing Peace, Victory, and Valor on one side, and runs right below the words ``An American," as though underlining it for emphasis.

The tomb has been patched repeatedly, most recently in 1989. But the 1990 report concluded the fissures would only get worse. That year, Rex Loesby, then-owner of the Colorado quarry that supplied the rock, said he could provide another stone. After several stalled attempts, the cemetery started the replacement process again this year.

Metzler said the process is taking longer because the cemetery intends to get reaction from the public and historic preservation groups first. Any replacement contract probably would also go up for competitive bidding, he said.