The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1867-02-08
The Paris Exhibition Building.

From the variety OF descriptions which
have reached this country. the Scientific
American condcnses the following outline
OF the enormo Is preparations made by the
French Emperor. i'll the Champs de- Mars,
for the approaching Worlds Congress Of
Arts. Products and Manners"
The monster building is of an oblong
form, with rounded corners coliseum like,
and covers forty acres. 1t consists in fact
d; eight hollow eliipiics. one within an
other, wheel within wheel connected bv
galleries and corridors. an united by Oh.
vast iron roof. stretching over all. The
i:Imo>t area, at the centre. is Il magniti-
cent garden oi trees. flowers, shrubEcrv.
pools. fountains, cascades, >tatuarv. and
illustrations OF The architecture OF all nj
tons. IL tIS form OF bowers, cloi>ter,. Of
tice>, clc. I'll has Il suspended roof OF iron
ana glass, and occupies an acre and Il
puaricr OF gruUnrl. The trees in this
>Iacc-where SIX months ago there w;lS
not a green ihln@-havc been tran-planlrd
1t lu!l size. and the total number here and
elsewhere in the grounds, thus transplant
cd. Is EIGHT thousand
Sixty grand arches open into this gar
den from the main building arohnd. Be-
tween them, and opening likewise into the
garden, are located all the cafes or re-
trcShment rooms, distributed in the dlvis-
ions proper TO their respective nationali-
ties, and will each present the indigenous
article OF food, i'll HE characteristic styles,
OF their several countries.
The interior area is, of course. open TO
the lofty room likewise the outermost Of
the eight ellipIic:l! structures cnveloping it.
Two grand transverse Misunderstanding
to the root, but not continued across the
central gardcn-diyile tie whole pile into
four quadrant shaped sections. Twelve
intermediate avenues, rldiating in like
manner from the centre, three in crch Sec
ton, again subdividc the whole into sin
teen grand national departments, each
covering about two and half acres Pass
INC from the centre. outward, through
any of these avenues, the visitor will in
>pect thirteen successive departments of
The civilization of that nationality assigned
to either side OF the avenue The first be-
ING that of the fine arts, and the second a
museum Of the history OF labor, from the
rudest ages. Following any of the clip
teal corridors around the building, he will
see single aspect of civilization, as pre-
scnted in diverse forms and stages by each
of the sixteen nationaiities, in succession
Light, ventilation, warming, cleansing,
drainage, ETC., are muniiicenlly provided
For example, the great gallery for machin-
cry is is SAID to be lighted on each side by
260 windows, 520 in all each of which
is about % feet high and Is feet wide
The underground galleries beneath all
parts OF the structure, for the various
Kinds of service and communication, are
over three miles in length the length OF
drainage is five miles. Air is TO he intro
duced and distributed by means Of i'm
lucnse steam pumps.
But the cost Of this work is, perhaps,
tie mo impressive Illustration OF its vast
hess. The edilice, it is sail, will cost
SIG, ,0O0,0 and the transformation OF
tic grounds So, 100000 more 1t is built
entirely ofiron and glass, except the two
inner structures, and the grand portal.
which are OF masonry. Six thousand
workmcn have wrought on tic iron, two
thousand five hundred ma<ons ON the
foundations, fifteen thousand iaborers On
tie grounds, and eleven hundred carier>
and teamslerS, with lwenly-eight hundred
horses, have conveyed tue materials
brought in or removed an army OF near.
ly twenty-five thousand men. And with
all this inconceivable force, perhaps the
greatest marvel is that it ll;,s been 50 ably
handled as to complete the work (so il
promises to do) within one year from lis
commencement, and within eighteen
months from the examination of the plans
OF all tie trophies Of human skill to b,
exhibited there, the French will be able tt
point 10 this dazzling creation with the
!hie Lest Ir.ds.