The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-20
REV.J.C. FLEfCHER'S LETTER
Plumbing Jobs in the Old World-Cov-
ering st. Peters Dome with Lead.
Electric Lights on the Suez Canal, Whereby
Receipts Are Practically Doubled-The
Thing Suggested by an Indianian.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.

Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.
PozzUoLI, Nov 25.-By steam tramway, as
they call it here. but which should call mar
row-gauce railroad, we can run out from Naples
T, TO the Puteoli where Paul landed from the good
ship Castor and Polux [Acts, xvii, lib just
] about eighteen hundred and twenty-five years
ago It is most interesting trip. for one
goes over ground where sacred and profane his
tory meet where every acre is redolent OF classic
associations, and where so many places are con-
secrated by the early heroes of the Christian
church. But l shall not say so much about
these associations in this communication as in
my next letter, for wish to touch upon two or
three things suggested on my way here.
Not far from the Naples end of the narrow
gauge road to Pozzuoli-the modern name for
Puteoli-I noticed particularly the ead-covered
dome of one of the Neapolitan churches.
have counted no less than forty one such domes
on the churches of Naples. and they are almost
all, in form like the dome of our old State
house, which has ''gone glimmering" and has
given place to larger and better building. 1t
occurred to me that if there is Job in the
plumbing of our new State-house, as
indianapolis plumbers say, there have
been plenty of opportunities for jobs
in covering with lead the greater part
of the forty-one domes Of Naples. l say the
greater part. for several of them are rooted in
with the beautiful colored porcelain glazed tiles
which are made in Naples.
OF course, the biggest dome in the world is
that of St Peters, in Rome. For number of
years past have seen men perched between
fo,,~ H., faa& @bar rtp
engaged in reroofng the gigantic structure
above the main building-engaged in putting
lead on what Michael Angelo prophetically
Michael did not live to see it-called the Pan
theon swung in the air. Well, after twelve
years the work of covering anew the grand old
dome has been completed They actually began
what might be called the new covering in 1869.
but it was found to be so badly or imperfectly
done that the lead foundry of St. Peters had
constantly to renew what had just been done.
Therefore, a new departure was taken by those
who. under the papal government, directed the
work. and the modification in the business be-
came a success. In the first place, they sent to
Spain for 900 pounds of the best new lead
for which they paid at the rate of thirty three
of our United States cents for every ten pounds
i'm short, So 30 per 100 pounds How does that
correspond with Indianapolis prices' This new
Spanish lead was melted up with certain very
large proportion of the old lead stripped from
the dome. l may remark that while they were
taking off the old roofing the workmen came
across three large plates of "copper" with golden
ornaments, of which no one could recall why
they We're placed there. Twelve years We're
occupied in putting en- the new lead. although
1t might If required, have been done much
quicker. During the whole twelve years. though
many men were occupied, not a single accident
occurred. The total quantity of lead consumed
Yves equivalent to about $780, 900 of our pounds,
and the superfce covered was 6,l523 metres
square. The square metre is about equal to
1-5 of our yards The total cost was 200. 900
frarcs-a little less than $40, 900, United States
currency.
Before leaving my house this morning read
in yesterdays largest daily of Italy that from
Dec. the Suez canal will be open during the
night as we'll as day, for the passage of steamers
carrying the mail. for men-of war, and for all
other steamers that are provided with electric
lights of such power is laid down by the COM
pany. am glad to see this and think that
can say that the original idea was from an Indi-
anian, namely. Hon. j. W. Bookwalter (now Of
Springfield, o. native of Rob Roy, not far
from Attca. Ind How long he had entertained
this idea of practically doubling the capacity Of
the Suez canal by electric lights know not but
this | Go know, that nearly q year ago he
preached the idea to me and others, and wrote
in a letter to Paris THE headquarters of the
Suez canall on the Goth of January 1885, after
giving facts and statistics of the receipts profits
and prospects of the canal, the following state
ments: Just complaints are made in regard TO
the iasufficiency of accommodation. rather,
the impossibility OF quick run through the ca
nal by the great mail steamers bound to Aus
tralia, or India or China, to whom time is every
thing They have to tie up each
might in the canal The regulations
are that the steamers must stop just where they
are at sunset The doubling of the width of the
canal which is proposed. would be attended
with enormous expense and with great hindrance
to navigation during this widening-but if yes
sells could be allowed to prosecute their voyage
at night, the capacity of the canal would be
practically doubled. An American manufact-
urcr Hon. j. W. Bookwalter of Sprir gfieid. O..
stated TO me and 10 others on the steamer lone
of the large Australian mail steamers which
was then slowly plowirg through the canal
that when his orders are doubled for machines
engines. etc, he does not lay out his money in
new buildings he does not double his plant but,
BY the aid Of electric lights another set of men
are put on at night TO work in the same build
ings and with the same machinery that another
set of men have been working IN and with dur
ing the DAYTIME. Thus, he said, the Suez
Canal Company could put powerful electric
lights on each steamer. and, II need be, on every
half-mile of the canal and all this would be at
only one-tenth the cost OF widening the canal
AUD thus, ne continued. steamers could so
through the Suez canal in sixteen hours instead
of, by the present mode, in forty-eight hours
greatly to the loss Of time and Of money-for
each steamer must now pay their crews and
their coal for two days instead OF for two-thirds
OF day. The thing is worth considering
Naw. II is possible that the subject
aad oeen entertained before. aud may
have been written about before the
suggestions OF Mr.. Bookwalter, but
after much reading and inquiry have not found
thAt any one had been ahead OF ar r in ,he
suggestion Speaking of interoceauic canals
- FAD 10 see that Mr.. Croffut, in his letter of
Jet - published in The indianapolis Journal of
nov l. gave you long notice and an interest
ing resume OF my friend Dr. ]. c. Rodrigues's
work. entitled The Panama Canal In the
volume referred TO. we only have the collection
o. articles written by Dr. Rodrieues during the
past year in the leading financial journal of Lon
DON which articles tell the plain truth in regard
70 about as gigantic bubble as tie nineteenth
has &ha al