Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-11-19
The L.eaning Tower o. Pisa

The Rev. w. p. Harrison, the
chaplain of the national House OF
Representatives, has been travelling in
Europe and writing to the Atlanta
Constitution thus describes the tower
of Pisa:
Leaving Rome at 2;4O in the after
noon, a journey ofeight hours brought
me to Pisa. There are only four
objects of interest here, and these
visited this morning. The cathedral
a fine bailding Of Byzantine style, and
the baptistery, built in the twelfth
century, stand near together, while
the c|amposantO, or cemetery, is only a
little way beyond. Fifty-three ship
loads Of earth we're brought from Mt,
Calvary for this burying ground,
Many works OF art adorn its spacious
colonnades. The celebrated leaning
tower isthe church tower Of the cathe
dral, and whilst | was upon it, at nine
in the morning. the old sacristan in
formed me that he was about TO ring
the bell, and as many nervous persons
were frightened at the first few
strokes, he kindly gave me warning.
Back and forth he swung the great
old bell with a halter on the tongue,
until he had it well i'll motion, then
slipping the rope off the clapper he
rang away until the peals came back
again from the neighboring heights.
Everyone is familiar with the de-
scriptiou ofthe leaning tower. Wheth-
er by accident or design, no n can
now tell, but the inclination
of the structure makes it look and
feel to the visitor as il it were about
to fall. 1t is $50 feet high aud IS Is
feet out Of the perpendicular. This
is stated everywhere, and is no doubt
true, but / suppose there are many
persons who, like myself, expected to
see a building standing erect the cen
ter of whose top was outside the CEN
ter ofgrayity. Tbisis not the case by
any means. 1t is true that a rope
falling from the top would strike the
wall at the bottom Of the tower side,
but the rope would not fall outside Of
the tower wall. In q short time |
satisfied myself and two other visitors
Of this fact. The apparent contradie-
ton Of the laws of nature disappears,
then 10 a moment. TakiEg she bald,
ing as a whole-letting a line fall from
the center at the top-ie this line fell
outside of the base, 10 that casG the
building would violate the law of
gravity if it remained standing.
| believe the architect planned this
optical allusion. There are no signs
OF any giving way in the structure.
No crack or crevice gives evidence OF
rapid or slow settling Of the walls.
The architect knew very we'll how
easily the eye can be deceived. The
frmness Of the masonry, the gradual
ascent, the symmetry Of the whole.
prove, beyond a doubt, that it was
built as it now stands. The walls be-
low are very thick, and unless these
should give way. there is but one
other method by which the building
could be overihrown. If the stones
were to slip from their places, then,
little by little, it would be dislodged.
But the whole structure is keyed and
bolted and cemented in a solid mass
If it leaned nine feet moret than it doe. 8
then it would fall outside of the cen
ter Of gravity. The mystery disap
appears at once when VIC exc min,
it, but the curious effect upon ono'i
nerves, in making the ascent, anc
standing on its top is nevertheless,
real. You feel as if you were about tc
fall with the whole pile, and a lady Of
our party looked with a deprecatine
eye at the old sexton as he swung "a
and fro the massive bell upon The
tour. Many persons get down upon
the stone floor aud try to.look down
the slsOting wall to the bottom. 1t
can probably be done, but | did not
try the experiment, fer several rea-
sons. 1t is not a very graceful posi-
ton in the first place, and nothing is
gained by it when accomplished. Like
an immense winding barrel the interior
looks, and whether from above OF
the inclination seems much
greater than it really is. The picture !
Of the tower Of Babel very properl '
represents this unique building. III
IS sometimes iltumussted az night. al 4
the effect is said to be very remark :
able. There were too few visitors in