The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-05-29
History Of q Famous Chinese Psgoda.

The celebrated Porcelain Tower, near
Wanting, China, is descaibed by q trav
eler, who says: "ln the quiet evening
We made our way out of the city by the
south gate, through well constructed
tunnel, and shortly stood upon an emf
nence whose surface was mass of de.
bris, consisting Of broken bricks, tiles
and plaster several feet thick. This was
all-all that was loft Of that which, fol
its historic beauty, the ingenuity OF its
construction, and it's great cost, took
the famous Porcelain Tower. 1t must
have been very beautiful in it's perfec
ton, if we accept tho statements of its
various historians, who differ 80 little
in their accounts that one does tor all
From them we learn its form was octag
onal, nine stories high, tapering as II
rose to the height OF POI feet from the
ground, the circumference of the lower
story being l2O feet.
i The body Of the pagOda was of brick
but its face was composed Of porcelain
tiles of many coiors. Each story formed
kind OF saloon, through which ran the
spiral staircase leading to the summit,
and whose walls were covered with
small gilded idols resting in inches, the
entire apartment richly painted and
gilded. Each story was defined by q
projecting cOrnice of green tiles from
whose points gilded bells were hung.
The roof was OVERLAND with copper,
and above it rose q mast thlrty feet high,
capped by a golden ball and coiIed
about by an immense band of iron, ap-
pearing like rings from below. The
base of this shaft was an iron bull form.
cd of two halves, the outer surface OF
which is magnifcently embossed. say
is, fer one half rest where it fell, the on
ly tangible thing in the mass of rum.
The other half, weighing twelve tons,
being broken by the fall, was recast into
temple bell.
Standing before the half which is left,
we query who were they that fashioned
this beautiful casting, worthy tho hand
of q master? Whose writing and in
scription embellished its face, unlike any
Chinese workmanship Whose skill
was great enough in A. d. 1880 to place
ball of iron thirty-six feet in circum-
ference, weighing twentw-four tons, up
on a pedestal POI feet high? This ball
was the receptacle of various treasures
calculated to ward off all evil infuen.
ces, among which were "bright shining
jewels" pearls, books, gold, silver,
thousands of strings Of cash, satin, silk /,
and priceless medicine.
The number of bells on the structure
was l52, and the interior was illumina.
ted by several hundreds of lamps, while
the exterior required l2S to light il. IL
took nineteen years to build it, and
cost s3,5l5,07s.
OF all this, not one story rests on the
other; lightning, fire and war have laid
their hands upon it, and it fell, its final
destroyers being the TAPPING rebels,
about twenty years ago. Ii stood in
the grounds of q Buddhist monastery,
which fell at the same time q prey TO
the fanaticlsm and rapaclty of the invad-
ers. One work OF art within the grounds
escaped destruction, pure white marble
tortoise, bearing upon his back per-
pendicnlar tablet with an inscription.
This, with one solitary priest, keeps
watch and ward over the ruins of by
gone glory.