The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-04-05
ANCIENT WORK OF ART.
A Psi uaus Chin csc Pasotif-7 The Celeb "a
ted Porcelain Tower,

te0 Porcelain AGReIs
The celebrated Porcelain tower near
Nanting, China, is described by travel
er. who gsys: In the quiet evening we
made our way out of the city nv the
south gate, through well>euns.ructeu
tunnel, and shortly stUud upon al emil
hence whose surface was mass OF debrs
consisting OF broken bricks, tiles and
plaster several feet thick. This was all
all that was left,of chat which, for 1ts
historic beauty, the ingenuity OF Its con~
strucaion and its great cost, took RANK
with the wonders OF the world--Ihe Ia
NOUS Porcelain tower. II must nave
been very beautiful IL liz PERFECTION; II
we accept the statements OF its various
historians, VINO differ go little IN their &C
counts that one dues f0r all. From them
we learn It's form was octogonal, nine
stories nigh, TaIiering, az II arose, to the
hight OF TWO hundred and sixty.one feet
from the ground, the circumference of
the lower atoTy being one hundred and
twenty feet. The BODY ot the pagOds
was of prick, nut its face was composed
OF porcelain tiles o. many c0iOrs. Each
formed kind Of saloon, through which
ran the spiral staircase leading TO the
summit, and Whose walls were severed
with small giIded idols resting in inches,
the entire apartment richly painted and
giided. Each story was defined by &
projecting eornice Of green tiles, from
whose points gilded bells were hung.
The roof was overhaul with copper, and
above rose mast thirty feet high, capped
by 6 golden ball, and cUiied about by al
immense band of iron, appearing like
rings from below. The base of this
shaft was an iron ball formed of two
halves, the outer surface OF which is
magnihcently embossed. j say is, for
one-hah rests where ii feil, the only tan
gible timing IL the mass OF ruin. The
other nal, weighing twelve TONS, being
broken by the fall, was recast into tenn
pie bell. Standing before the halt which |
is lett, we query, vino were they that |
fashioned this beautiful casting, worthy |
the hand Of & master Whose writing
and inscription enlbel iished It's face, uD-
like any Chinese workmanship? Whose
skill was great enough in 1880 TO place
ball of iron thirty-aix feet in circumfeI-
enee, weighing twenty-iour tons upon 8
pedestal two hundred and slxty-one ieet
nigh. This ball was the receptacle of
various treasures calculated TO warn of
evil influences, among which were might
shining Jewels pearls, books, gold, sill
yer, thousands of strings of cash, satin,
silk and priceless medicine. The number
Of bells on the structure was one hun
dred and flfty-two, and the interior was
Illuminated by several hundreds of
lamps, while the exterior required one
hundred and twenty eight to light it.
1t took nineteen years TO build it. and
cost three million three hundred and
seventy eight dollars o. ali this, not
one story rests on the other. Lightning,
IRE and water have laid their hands up
On it, and it fell, its FINAL destroyer being
she Taeping rebels, about twenty years
ago. 1T stood on the grounds of
Buddhist monastery, which fell at the
same time q prey to the fanaticism and
capacity of the invaders. One work of
art within the grounds escaped deatruc>
ion--a pure white marble tortoise, bear
ng upon his back perpendicular tablet
with an inscription. This, with one SOL
tary priest, keeps watch and ward over
inc ruins of bygone glory. 1
A CurinKIs s7ancar A