Iron County register., 1882-03-30

entrances, with gates handsomely orna,
mented with orange trees In IeaI aIu
flower, with birds perched on the
branches, all of ice.
The roof was sloping, after the usual
style of Russian architecture. AT eitner
end there was chimney.
| The interior of this great playthlnS
was divided into three rooms. A spa
cious and handsome vestibule, hiteen
feet wide, extended through the middle.
! On each side of this room was square
room sufficiently spacious, and, as there
was no ceiling under the roof. also SUI
ficiently lofty. =,
! One of these rooms was called the
| Oueen's bedroom In one end OF the
room was bedstead, with bed, pillows
and counterpane, finely wrought cur
! tains and other furniture. At the Oppo-
site side there-was dressing-table, 1ul-
" set out with looking-Slass and all
| sorts of powder and essence boxes, jars,
bottles, a watch and pair of candle
| sticks and candles, all of ice. The can
dies were sometimes smeared with naph-
| tha and set in blaze without being
melted. On the right there was hire
place, elegantly carved, and within were
| LOGS of ice. which were occasionally
! smeared with naphtha and set fire to,
making brilliant show.
| The other apartment was the Queens
! drawing-room. 1t was fitted up with
| table and settees and sofas, handsomely
carved from the glistening material. In
! opposite corners of the room were
placed two large statues, and on the
table was handsome time-piece, pro-
vided with wheels of ice and all the
requisite machinery, which were vlsi-
BILE through the transparent case. All
the other parts of the room were fitted
up in a corresponding manner
In the front yard of the palace stood
an ice elephant of the size of life. and
on his back was Persian, holding
battle-axe in his hand before the ami
NAL were two other Persians, one of
whom held a spear in his hand. The
elephant was hollow, and was made to
throw water, through his trunk, to the
height of twenty-four feet. This was
done by means of tubes leading from
the fosse of the admiralty, near which
it stood. At night, burning naptha was
substituted for water, and the effect is
said to have been very singular, the ap-
pearahce being that of stream of fire.
To make this part of the exhibition
more remarkable, man was placed
within the figure, who occasionally
blew through certain pipes, so as to
make noise like the roaring of an ele-
phant
On each siLe of the ice-elephant were
placed three cannons, regularly bored
and turned, and with wheels and car
riages. These were of the caliber of
such as usually receive three pounds of 9
powder, but being of SO fragile a ma
terial, it was not considered prudent to
put in more than quarter of pound
the ball was of hard tow, well rammed
in.
On several occasions iron balls were
fired from these cannons without burst
ing them. The experiment was tried
in the presence of the court, and the ball
pierced a strong plank, two inches thick,
at distance of sixty PAGES.
BY this description, you have some
idea of the cost and magnificence of
Queen Anne's ice-palace. 1t was q work
of art as well as of royal splendor. But
it was s. transient in its nature, as in
show twas durable"
The immense toy vanished like a
dream at last. AS long as the
excessive cold lasted-that is. from the
last of December to the last of March
so long did this remarkable edfice
stand. 1t then began to give way
toward the southern side, and soon it
gradually melted away.
1t was not altogether useless in its de-,
struction, for the large blocks of the
walls were taken to fill the ice cellars of
the imperial palace-a very Inadequate
return for an enormous outlay. y.-Golden
Days.