The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-16
Fifth Avenue Cathedral.

Fifth Avenue Cathedral.
A Description Of the finest Church
{ Edifce. as far as Completed, in the
United States.
From the Scientific American.1
The great Roman Catholic Cathe-
dral, covering the entire square be-
tween Fifth and Madison avenues
and Fiftieth and Fifty-first streets,
New York city, 10 rearing its vast
proportions above the ground level
with increased rapidity. The entire
square Of the ground occupied by
the edifice proper is ono and half
acres. The huge enterprise, COM
menced about Eve years ago, during
the life. time of Arch bishop Nc losky.
The time estimated as necessary to
finish the work is about twenty
years. At present considerably over
one hundred men are employed quar-.
rying, stone-cutting, masonry and
general labor. The marble used 10
quarried at Plsasantville, on the
Harlem railroad, and is brought on
the premises by special branch
track. It is Of the very best quality
for building purposes. being Of fine,
l~rge 0rystale, of nn oven consistency
and uniform color. Some of the
blocks are very heavy, weighing
from ten to fifteen tons each.
The walls have now reached .
height of fifty-f -four feet to the tri.
forum, and are ready to receive the
cornices and the parapet. Next sea-
son the columns for the clear story
and the arches will be reared; the
entire front wall will also be compile
ted. The transepts are now finished.
The large Gothic windows, some
twenty feet above the ground level,
are al finished, and indicate the
grandeur Of the food of light that
they will admit through gorgeous
stained glass. The mullions, trace.
ries, etc., are all very delicately and
beautifully wrought, but are not to
be compared to the splendor Of the
greater upper windows in the clear
story yet to be erected.
A meagre idea OF the stupendous
work can be CLEANED from these
items. The distance from the floor
to the ceiling is to be ITO feet. The
edifice is crnciform in shape it is 1e5
feet wide at the transepts, and $50
feet in length. There will be two
towers and two spires, each $50 feet
high-the ground length ofthe bull
ding.
The side walls are between three
and four feet thick the tower walls
between twelve and fourteen feet
thick; the clear story walls are to be
three feet thick. About to00, 900
have already been expended, and
$2,500,000 will be required for lite
completion. The grand central en-
trance on Fifth avenue, lately COM
pleted, is o marvel of stately beauty
and architectural finish. It 10 20
feet in height, 80 feet in width, with
opening doors rs by IS in dimensions.
The marble work is most deliberately
wrought. Rich oarvings-the arch
iepiscopal coat Of Arms, the mitre,
keys, etc, form the keystone place ;
lilies Of the valley, grapes of Eschol,
grains of wheat, wreaths of ivy,
myrtle, olive branches, etc., orna-
ment the sides. Incomplete as it is
in every part, already tho Cathedral
is thing of wondrous and fairy-like
beauty. Its grand doorway is q
marvel OF art, its walls like carven
snow in their purity, and with inf
nite graces are blended in their but
tresses and pillars Of massive strength
with ethereal lightness of offecL.-
Much Of the ground is grass-grown,
and piles of debris, masses of carved
blocks of marble, mountains of brick
and cement cover the earth here and
there. Work is going on, but in a
lazy, dreamy sort of way. There is
no hurrying crowd of workmen /;
there are no unseemly noises Of puff
ing engines, creaking dsrricks, and
shouting laborers. A single, lonely
looking horse sedately lounges along
q path prepared for him, slowly
hosting up bricks and mortar to the
mon at work on the interior portion
Of the walls. A yoke of patient oxen,
and . still more patient driver lam
guidly move big blocks of marble
hither and thither on slow sledge.
There is no haste; the men work Is
those who work for all time, and
propose to take all time to do it in.
One has an almost irresistible incli.
nation to lie down and go to sleep
somewhere about tho place. The
loudest noise to wake him, if he did,
would be the chirping of the count
less sparrows fitting all about, and
his dreams would Inevitably be of
ghostly ruins in q land of eternal rest
and silence. When complete, how
ever, it will be the finest church edi-
foe in America.