The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-25
Tho Colossus of Rhodes.

Iradltlon has II, as Is well known, that at the
entrance to the port OF Rhodes there was
standing gigantic statue OF Apollo, with
outstretched legs, one foot resting on lower
mole, and the other on O higher; holding a
bow in one hand, and in the other, raised
high above his head an immense basin, IN
which large fire was constantly maintained.
The size of the statue, report added, was so
colossal that the largest vessel could easily
pass between the legs.
The facts unfortunately are, that the Colossus
of Rhodes never served as a lighthouse, and
that vessels never passed beneath it into the
harbor.
The whole story rests upon the highly roman.
tic account found in very Indifferent compiler
of the seventeenth century, who for the first
time mentions the Colossus as serving as u light.
house, but carefully abstains from giving his
authority for the statement. Another writer,
OF even less judgment, translator of Philos-
trates, added subsequently the story of the ves-
sells passing between the outstretChed legs of the
statue. This author, also, is disCreety silent
as to the source from which he has derived his
information.
What, then, is the truth about the Colossus?
There is no lack of reliable statements concern.
ing the statue. Strabo quotes fragment of an
epiglam In Iambic verses in which the name of
the architect, Chares, from Lindos, a town on
the island Of Rhodes, and the dimensions of his
mentioned. BE dds that the Colossus was, IN
his day, lying he ground, having been over
thrown by ie, al earthquake, which destroyed
a large portion of the city. THE Rhodians,"
an oracle" and that is literally all the ilustrious
geographer seems to have learned about the
Colossus. Pliny, however gives US additional
and interesting details. "The statue" he says,
"tell ffty-siX years after its erection; but
although thrown down, it is still a marvel
Few men are able with their arms to span its
thumb; its fingers are larger than most of our
statues. Its disiointed limbs form vast caverns
and in the inside are yet to be seen enormous
masses of stone, by means of which it had been
balanced. They say 1t cost three hundred
talents-a sum which the Rhodians obtained
from the sale of instruments of war left by
Demetrius before their city when he abandoned
the siege in despair" clever engineer of the
third century before Christ, Philo OF Byzantium,
is the third author who gives, in his interesting
work on the Seven Wonders of the World-if it
really is his-a still more detailed description of
the statue; but, as has been seen, not one of
these writer's speaks either of lighthouse or of
the marvellous fact that ships could have sailed
beneath the Colossus.
For nine hundred years the gigantic limbs
remained lying near the entrance of the harbOr,
the pride of the inhabitants and the wonder OF
all travellers. In 672, however, the Arabs came,
in the rapture OF their first successes, to Rhodes
also; and their general, one Of Othman's lieu
tenants caused the pieces to be cut up, and sold
the metal to Jew, who is said to have loaded
nine hundred camels with the precious burden.
Thus every trace was lost OF the far famed
statue, and even the name of the artist was long
lost, although she had made a god like unto a
god, and given a second sun TO the world" y
Hd7peT'S Mdgdzine.