The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1883-08-31
THE BARTmOLDi STATUE.
description Of This Famous Piece eI
High Art.

tfaTl9 COT. DHnS uouton hSpuoHSahl
Among the ties that l., d the lovers
of liberty in America TO those in France,
at the present time. even closer than
ever, is the idea of Republican frater-
nifty embodied in the great Bartholdi
statue of Liberty Lighting the World. "
soon to be erected in New York harbor,
and now almost completed in a Paris
workshop, or rather workyard, for no
building could contain the colossus.
The statue itself, rising over one hun
dred feet in the air, and casting into
insignificance the largest of all other
existing statues, is itself a wonderful
sight. As one enters the gate of the
yard, which is near the Monticeau Park,
he is startled by the immensity OF the
gigantic image rising before him. Some
possible appreciation may have been
CLEANED from view of the waist and
hand holding q torch alone rising 30
feet high which stood for some two or
three years in Madison square, but
which are now in Paris again Yet
this even gives no adequate conception
of the immensity Of the thing. Con-
template for moment these figures:
Total height to top of the torch. l57
feet; height from the heel TO the head,
illA feet; forefuger 8 feet long; Al feet
circumference at the second joint; fin.
ger nail foot I inch by 10 inches;
head Ia feet high; eye 2 feet 2 inches;
nose 3 feet 8 inches long. During the
exposition OF 1873 about 40 persons
were in the head at one time. When
erected IL persons can stand on the
torch above the hand at once. The
total weight OF the statue will be about
5000 pounds. OF which 200, 600
pounds will be OF copper and 300. 900 Of
iron. II must be remembered. also
that the whole is TO be mounted on a
pedestal 90 feet high, making the top
then stand 233 feet abo, the ground.
The process Of making the statue i-
very interesting, The materia! is sheet
copper 3.32 inches in thickness. NJ.
Bartholdi. the artist. FIRST executed a
study figure seven feet high. This
model was enlarged four tunes, thus
producing a statue about 2S feet high,
which the eye could take in. This VAS
reviewed aud remodeled by the artist,
and then divided into sections. These
sections were reproduced mathemati-
cally four times larger. upon timber
covered with lathwork. The sculptors
executed in plaster models OF the final
size, working out the enlargement by
measurements with the compass upon
plumb lines and rules. the general form
being frst roughly made in timber.
covered with lath. on which the plaster
was put. aud then. by exact measure
mant, finished to shape. The model
being thus completed in sections, the
form was taken, by means OF boards cut
out in silhouette according to the plas
ter model. These boards were then
laid on the ground. side by side, and
fastened together, thus forming a sorl
of mould, tho reverse of the model
Into these moulds the sheet copper il
hammered with mallets and hammers
and finally flushed by smaller ham
mers. The pieces OF copper thus fin
ished were strengthened inside by rib
of iron fitted to them, and thus com
pleted, were fastened to the iron tres
inside the image, which consists of al
iron standard fixed in the masonry be
low with branching arms. Although
the statue has had to be set up in shap'
at the yard in Paris, it will be takeI
down again before it's removal to New
York, and will be divided into NOR
Z than five hundred parts for it's trans
portation. 1t is intended to fill tn
statue, when finally in place, with SAM
up to the hips A trap-door is TO b
arranged to let the sand run out if re
pairs are needed.