Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-06
LIBERTY.
scne Description OF Earshoidrx L,s..
Dream.

ticle on the Bartholdi statue of Ljbersv
from which We extract the following,
| While the funds were being collected NJ.
Bartholdi was steadily at work on tho st,.
tue. The question Of material had hesn
easily decided. Bronze had been selected rt
on account Of its mallcability and tie M ,ver
| OF resisting the elements. The metal was
not cast, but repousfe. or hammered into
shape. The method by which this
was accomplished Is exceedingly IN.
| tertsting. First there was rough model
moulded In clay, for popular approval
Then plaster cast was made, one sixteenth
| OF The size OF the statue. From this, anoiber
model. one fourth the real size, was con.
siructed. All the measurements and
cresses in the drspery had to be carefully
gone over. After this model had been
completed another full-sized one was made
from Il, being constructed In sections. In
the immense workshops different parts Of
The floor were marked of for the vsriou,
sec,ioIs, and wooden supports built for
| theI.. Then skeleton OF latbs was made
for eecl piece. The sections into which
the quartcY.sized model had boon divided
were carefully copied by skilled workmen.
every measurements being four times as
large. Upon the wooden framework plas-
ter was first roughly spread, and then
smoothed down exactly in accordance
with the markings on the model.
| The detailed character Of the work may
be imagined from the fact that upor,
each OF the nine sections Of the model there
| were 600 measurements, besides 1,2O0
small marks which had to be copied in
order TO keep up the exact proportion.
After all this had been accomplished,
wooden moulds, exact copies OF the pias-
far had In no mazda bv han
lection or depression Of the drapery or
figure bad TO be exactly fitted to the wood
en- mould. Then the sheets were placed in
the moulds and hammered into shape, all
the hammeriDg being done from the back
or inside OF the sheets. They varied
greatly IN size. according 10 their position
in the figure, the majority OF them being
from one TO three yards square. In all
there are three hundred OF these hammered
plates, weighing lightweight tons. Be
aides this work on the outside OF the
statue, there had TO be constructed an
immense skeleton OF iron and steel beams
10 which the bronze shell could be firmly
riveted.
DELICATE NoULDINGs.
The modelling Is broad and massive, and,
where necessary, exqusitely fine. There
are parts Of the drapery that have the deli
eecy OF work on statueste. This Is en-
banced by q wholly accidental effect--the
way in which the metal is wrought by the
hammer gives the whole surface OF il kind
Of nottle, which breaks up the light pre-.
cisely as the light Is broken up on silk. The
huge robe has thus perfect texture, aud
one forgets that its folds are in stubborn
bronze. This applies more especially TO
the drapery Of the lower part OF the
figure Just where the dress sweeps the
ground. Beyond rises the mantle, or outer |
covering, in great majestic folds, treated |
with a perfect eye for the handling OF |
masses in drapery. Above this again there |
is more work Of extreme dClicacy, and the |
sleeve OF the right arm would be thing |
for any sculptor in the world 10 be proud |
Of, and it is almost as great a credit to the |
artisan. How so much freedom of effect |
has been preserved through all the pro. |
cesses one can hardly understand. But all |
this beauty could be destroyed were 1t not |
that proper precautions have been taken to |
prevent tho attacks Of the weather. The |
mere expansion by the hest OF day, or the |
blaze OF the suSmer sun would pull the |
statue 10 pieces In very short time, |
II each Of The plates had not been |
so arranged as to move slightly on
the rivets which Join /: to the
IIOU AhtlctOu. piatos W DO
enough TO bend slightly, under changes OF |
temperature. so as to preserve their proper !
shape both winter and summer. But cop
per and iron are dangerous metals to place
IN contact; an electrical current might |
easily be generated which would cause the |
copper coating to slowly vanish. Every |
Joint and every rlvet Of the structure had |
10 he isolated. General Stone, who since
bis return from Egypt has conducted the
scientific part OF the preparations, believes
that be has succeeded in obviattng any |
dangers from an electric current.
pIhBNaoss.
Reckoning from the oorone. to what
might be called.the foot-Stool, the figure
measures 104 feet liz inches, and 10 the |
extremity OF tho torch 1873 feet. The pc
deStal Of granite on which it will stand Is
TO be eighty-two feet high, giving total
Of 230 feet as the height OF the work. The
bead lie fourteen feet high, and forty per.
sons can stand within II. The circum-
ference Of the thumb measures twelve feet. |
The forefinger is eight feet long and four |
feet in circumference at the second Joint. |
The balcony around the edge OF the torch |
will hold fifteen persons. An electric |
light will be placed in the torch and points !
Of electric tight will encircle the coronet. !
The foundation, when completed, will be |
ffty-two feet high, and the top Of the torch |
will be elevated 300 feet above mean tide |
level.
COMPARISONS.
Thus it will be seen that the statue OF
liberty Is the talleSt in tho world. The
monument at London, the next lo.tiest iso-
lated column, Is but a02 feet high. The
Porcelain Tower at Maxim was 200 feet
high. The "Germania statue, unveiled
last autumn On the Neider valid, is only 10
feet high. That OF " Bavaria" al Munich,
is Gig feet, with pedestal Of 2St feet. The
statue Of -. Charles Borromeo, at Arano,
near the southern extremity Of Lake Mag
giorc, Is SO feet high, with pedestal
OF 40 feet. The Vendome Column in
Paris is IA feet high. and the
Arc de Triomphe 1G0 feet. Trinity
will rise % feet above the Brooklyn-bridge
towers. The statue OF Memmon, cele-
brated In antiquity, WAS only IS feet In
height, and Trajsn's Pillar 1870 feet. Pom
pey's Pillar, at Alexandria. Is ia feet
high. 1t formerly held statue on its capt.
tai, Of which only enc foot and ankle are
left. The most celebrated colossus OF an.
cient and modern times previous TO the
statue OF Liberty was the Colossus oil
Rhodes. The city had been besieged by
Demetrius Poliocetes. King OF Macedon,
but assisted by Ptolemy Softer, King
OF Egypt, the citizens repulsed their
entmies. To express their gratitude
TO their noble friends, and TO their
tutelary deity, they erected brazen
status TO Apollo. Charles Of Indus, the
pupil Of Lysippus, commenced the work,
but having expended the whole amount
inirusted TO him before il was hall CON-
pletcd be committed suicide. and II was
finished by Laches. The statue was los
feet high and hollow, with winding
staircase that assembled to the head.
After standing 1ity-six years 1t was over
thrown by an earthquake in 224 y. c., and
lay nine centuries on the ground, aud then
was sold TO Jew by the SIacens. who
had captured Rhodes After the middle OF
the seventh century. II is said TO have
required 900 cafnels to remove the metal,
and from this statement Il has been calcu-
lated that its weight was 100, 900 pounds.
Laying OF tho Cornerstone or the