The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-02-03
The Ice-Palace.

1ue winner or tne year Inv wac I" soJ |
severe one in Russia; poverty and mlsey |
abounded in the land, and in order to give
occupation to some of the many thousands
of people who were thrown out of work b!
the .nclemency of the season, the Empress
Anne planned and caused to be constructV
a work of architecture which, though of lit
tie durability, had the merit of entire orig.
nslity. This was the celebrated ice palace
which was built in st, Petersburg accordit
to the designs of Alexis Danilowitsch. y
1t was made of the purest and most trans
parent ice cut out in great masses from the
frozen Neva, and brought Up. to the building
site by means of cranes and pulleys. The
single blocks were worked out in the most
accurate manner, and adorned with various
architectural decorations; when two COM
pleted ones were to be placed upon each
other, water was first poured between them,
which freezing at once united them in sin.
gle mass. Thus the whole building seemed
to be cut out of one frozen whole, and the
blush tint of the. pure ice made it resemble
one of those enchanted edifces carved out
of single diamond, of which We read as
children In fairy tales.
The house, properly so-called, was forty
six feet long, eighteen broad, and twenty
one high. The front was divided by pillars
into compartments, in each of which was
window, the framework being painted green;
the psnes, also of ice, were as transparent
and smooth as ground glass; at night they
were generally lighted up from the iueide,
and then the whole house was Illuminated by
the softest pearly light. The centre division
looked like an entrance, and was richly dec
grated, the real inlets being at the back and
consisting of two moderately sized openings,
about which were grouped flowers and trees;
OF the latter were perched quaint-lookiDg
birds, all made of ice and gayly painted, so
as to resemble nature. The roof which sur
mounted the whole was fat, and surrounded
by an ornamented balcony. decorated by
statutes standing upon low pedestals Round
the house was fixed an elaborate railing, also
of ice, which enclosed a broad space for
walking. In front of this enclosure stood
six guns, three on each side. They were of
the size of four Founders, but being of ice,
they were only loaded with half a pound,
and the balls which consisted of pressed tow,
would pierce through board two inches
thick from distance of sixty steps without
bursting the gun. Ga each side lay dol
phin, which threw up lofty jets of naphtha
at night, and 30 formed two beautiful foun.
tains of fire. At both ends of the row of
guns in front of the enclosure stood two
pyramidal buildings, on each of which was
painted sun-dial. They were lighted up
at night with great paper lanterns. On the
| left side of the house was life-sized ele-
plant; upon his back was man with bat
tie axe, and in front two guides in Persian
costume. The elephant was hollow, and
spurted from beneath his tusks twenty-four
feet into the air by day shower of water,
and by night feathered spray of glowing
naphtha. At the right side was an enor-
nous bath, made, in true Russian fashion,
of round blocks of ice.
The interior of the house was divided into
three ompartments-Damely spacious
ante room, and two side apartments; one of
these was arranged as a bedroom, and con-
tanned, in an addition to a table borne by
two figures, upon which were placed every
species of understanding casket and bottle
"a pair of candle sticks and candles which
we're dipped in naphtha, and shone at night
without melting a looking glass and little
clock hung on the wall. The bedstead was
richly furnished with pillows, blankets, and
beautifully embroidered coverlid; these
were the only things in the whole palace
that were not made of ice On one side was
a pretty fireplace and CRATE filled with ice
Goals which were also dipped in naphtha, and
shone brightly at night.
The second room might be called the din
ing room. The most charming adorpment
there was lovely clock, through the trans
parent case of which the whole mechanical
array Of wheels could be seen. On all sides
were sofas and arm chairs, and in the cor
ners elegantly-draped figures, as of scup-
ture. Against the walls stood ice cupboards,
in their transparency as of glass, through
which might be seen goodly stock of din
ner parsphernalia, knives, forks, spoons,
drinking. cups, as we'll as every sort of food;
all and everything was of ice-some shining
brightly, others again painted with the most
natural colors of the objects represented.
This wonderful work of art, the enormous
cost of which could only be justified by the
fact that it did good to many thousands of
persons, remained intact from the beginning
of January till the middle of the month of
March, when the mild spring sun under
minded it's supports, and slowly consumed
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