Evening star., 1884-07-18
Barth0ldi,s Great Statue.

AN ENGLISH VIEW OF IT'S ART vALUE-CoNSrRUc-
TIoN DETAILS.
From the LONDON Daily News July3.
Tomorrow NJ Jules Ferry will solemnly hand
over to the United States minister In Paris the CO
lossal statue OF liberty for the bay OF New York. on
which the French have been at work for the past
eight years 1t Is out and away the largest statue
OF modern times The Colossus OF Rhodes as Will
be presently seen was nothing to It; 1t could carry
the Bavaria" or the Hermann" In its arms 1t
towers to the skies from the factory yard OF the
Rue de Chazelles, and the view from its coronet
sweeps clear OF the sixstory houses and right be-
yOnd the walls OF Paris 1t is to stand on Bedloe's
Island, In the bay OF New York, and is TO bear In
Is to symbolic "Liberty Enlightening the World ~
The statue has had all sorts OF vlcissitudes It's
conception Is due TO the great French sculptor,
Bartholdi, who has passion for working on the
colossal scale: but he and few faithful friends
had no little difficulty In persuadng the public OF
two hemispheres that they were In want OF this
work. Franco American committee was formed
in France with very Influential nameS-M. Labou-
lave, N. Oscar de Lafayette. N. de Rochambeau, NJ.
Paul de Remusat, NJ. Waddlngton, &c.-and the
Franco-American committee duly issued its pro-
posals for subscriptions In France and in the
United States They were put in very seductive
form-the Republic OF France was to make this
pretty gift to her elder sister OF America. Every
body said 1t would be good thing, but few put
down the money. However, by dint OF vigorous
beating OF the big drum on platform and press, by
concerts and lectures and balls and fancy fairs as
well as by generous donations, the money was got
together; and the statue OF Liberty now stands
finished In Its Paris workshop. the most extra
ordinary work OF its kind OF all time.
The moment after the presentation, the work
men will begin to take IT TO pieces for transport TO
America, where 1t Will be riveted together again
10 stand for eternity: The dimensions are almost
ludicrouSy large. The figure alone In sheer height
clear OF all reckoning for the coronet, stands IO5
feet; the extreme length from the sole OF the foot
TO the end Of the torch in the outsretched hand Is
137 feet tncheS the pedestal OF granite Will be S3
feet high, and the two together give grand total
OF 22O feet for the entire work. The monument OF
EfcI,o tf,aI IoVtf
world, Is but zoe feet high; while the far-famed
Colossus OF Rodes stood only about l40 feet without
his stockings The work has been going on all
these years. slowly but surely ut the copper foun-
dry OF Mondlnt ct Gle, near the Pare Nonceau, In
q great workshop built specially for It, The fur
ther the coppersmiths advanced with their task
the more nlliputian they became In relation to il.
What were men, for instance, or the children OF
men, In that awful eye. measuring thirty inches
the level Of the lips only just reached the eye.
brow. While they were working on the crown OF
her head, they seemed % to be making huge sugar
the tip OF the nose Fifteen people might Sit round
the flame of the torch, and they would reach that
elevation by spiral staircase within the out
The details Of the construction are hardly less
curious Something light was wanted for trans
port TO the other side or the globe and something
strong as well, TO enable the statue TO resist the
wear and tear OF the elements, for at Bedloe 1t
therefore to make it OF plates OF very thin copper
only an eighth or an inch thick-forIning an
inner and an outer skin about foot apart, and to
I'LL the space between them with sand, especially
toward the base so as to give the statue the requ
site solidty. The colossal statues OF the past were
either OF solid metal, o. or We're nlled no with ma
that plan In the present instance; the cost or the
metal would have been too great and the difficulty
plates can be easily unrveted packed on board
ship, and rveted together again when they reach
their destination The sand can be as easily poured
in or drawn on for repairs for any particular part
The two skins are to be kept In their places by a
gigantic skeleton framework in iron, running four
square from the basement TO the very crown OF the
head, exactly like the framework OF lift, and meant
TO serve IT. that additional purpose when the statue
be carried up into the extended arm, which has all
along presented mechanical problem OF peculiar
dfculty its leverage with the weight OF the torch
fore runs down almost to the center Of the body
and well below the center OF gravity. Some people
and among them Mr.. Story, the great American
sculptor-think the statue win never stand. and
that the winds and waves Will play havoc with H.
1t Is not solid enough and never can be with It's
soH UI esa t % ana s1 sand could not
have been In masonry or wood covered with copper
plates But this Is question for engineers rather
vinoed that "uberty" viii resist the Atlantic
word should be said about the artistic merit Of
the statue, and this, In spite OF its sZe Is very
siderable. Bartholdi is used TO working on a large
scale, and he knows his craft 1t is Impossible,
ed Of such SUBJECT The inquire emu must S5ee pose. and
pose theatrlcally, and some people have found fault
with the stride and the gesture But the general
sive and fne; some parts where the sleeve falls |
under the right arm, for instance are as Delicate
ne c6isel6n the smallest scale and in others the
fods . ns In great imposing masses The face again
csc ssne5 %o ,S not Without
haps, 1s the coronet branching out into star rays
each OF which Is to be point Of electric muminsI
ton foe the universe o. aS any rate for New Yori