The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-05-27
The Fairfield Herald.
PUBLISHED
ET.ERT WEDNESDAY,.
L0nd0n..

g.. London.a .. .
WITTEN FOR THE ATLANTA CoESTITU.
TIoN-BY PROV. wADDELL.-
=, We reached custom square after
dark. Wo had ascertained that
there wasa hotel upon tho spuoe
Known as St. 'Paul's 'Churohyard, and
'as I had fancy to spend our first
Sabbash'there, Gt being Saturday
night we took q cab to tie "Ca,he.
'dral Hotel" -
Arriving as we did, after dark,
nothing of our whereabouts could be
: aeen. But eafly the next morning /
looked out of our chamber windows
: and gazed upon, Grst, contracted,
irregulur court, hemmed in by tall
: gloomy stone blocks on all our four
: sidos save where the streets enclosing
the yard found egress and, sec oud.
) upon a mighty stone pile rising up.
tho middle Of tho court, and, in.
deed, completely filling it up, with
Che exception of few square Yards
= OF paving stones and grass around
; the odifice. The enclosure is known
as 81. paul's >Chu reh. yard, as is
stated above, while tho church is the
world"renowed est. Paups Cathe-
dra!." Words and figures give mis-
erably inadequate Impressions of
the vast size of this prodigious build.
ing. 1t is most disadvantugeously
situated for etfeot. The other build
ings crowded up so closely to it that
no full view of it is practicable.
You cannot see the whole house at
any distante which would bring its
vast proportions properly into view.
'The ground plan is TINT of a Latin
GROSS length, $50 feet, width loo
feet height to top Of cross susm ouu-
ting principal steeple, 1910 feot.
Notwithstanding these enormous
proportions, tho whole boilding,
stecple and all, could bo plac-
Cd inside of St. Peters Church
at Rome. The cupola is of brick,
1o8 feet lin diameter. The interior
is decorated with eight paintings,
representing events in the life OF St.
Paul. The nave and transepts are
adorned with many monuments,
among which arc (l) a statute of
John Howard, {2) DR.. ,Johusou, i3)
Sir Joshua Reynolds, (4) Lord Mel.
aon. Down in the. crypt are the
graves Of Sir Christ her Green, the
architect of 81. Pauls, Lord Nelson,
Lord Collingwood, the Great Duke
OF " ellington, and many other illus
trious men.
Divine service is held three
times day in St. Paul's. The vast
space of the interior is only seated il
the further end of tho nave. We
attended worship here one raw Sab
bath morning, and what, with tic
chilling atmosphere, the Ill cagre audi
ence and the truly barren sermon
which was preached, + have seldom
spent a'more dismal hour.
The ascent to the dome is in the
'contre of the Church by 'slG steps,
of which 27o steps take us to the
"Whispering Gallery" which derives
its nan1e from the fact that tho
,gcntlest whisper is heard from Que
side to the other of it.
Another source Of much curiosity
to visitors is the "Clcck Room"
Here is the great clock with the
bell upon which the hammer strikes.
The minute hand is feet long aud
Weighs 30 poudds. The boil is 10
feet in diameter, weighs ll,47d
pouuds-while the hammer weighs
l45, and tho olapper lsO pounds
This bell is never tollcd save upon
occasion of tho death of some mem
Der of the Royal'Family, the Bishop
of London, Dean of St. Paul's, or
Lord Mayor. The striking of the
huge hammer, however, Is Heard at
every hour of the twenty four
Many a slaepless night have I spent
in the Vest End OF London, more
than two and half miles distant
from st. Pauls and heard the long
:protracted, solemn roar como rever.
berating in deep, hoarse tones over
tho countless .roof.tops of tie great
city, and, and, in the dead silence Of
Eight, eohoing like some awful super.
natural voice. I can find no words
to describe tho sound of St. Paul's
clock at night. Poe's poem of "The
Bells" gives you some faint ooncep.
tioD Of 1t.
st. Pauls is in tho very heart of
the city Of hondon proper. This
space has for its base the north bank
of tho Thames; its western bcun-
dary from Middle Temple Lane to
Southampton Buildings; its northern,
Smithfield, Barbioan AID Finsbury
Circus, returning to the Thames at
the Tower. Temple Bar, a vast
stone archway thrown across Fleet
street, 10 the only city barrier re.
naming. Here the strand ends and
Fleet street begins. Enormous iron
gates stand open day and night, save
upon occasion of Royal visitation,