The Dickinson press., 1885-03-28
Tar T4uous TOWER OF LONDON.
The Historic Pile whichwa Shocked on satur.
day-Reminlscences Of Past Ages.

OF Fast Ages.
Within the Tower of London, that
famous pile Ground whose history clust-
ers so much that is of historic interest,
occurred a1sther of yesterdays ter
rifle explosions which startled the
great metropolis. The Tower is the
most celebrated fortress in Great Brit
ain. and stands just without the an
cient city walls on the Middlesex bank
of the Thames and between the Gus
tom-House and st. Katherine's Docks,
about two and a quarter miles from
the palace at which the other explo-
sion occurred. The scene of the ex-
plosion in this structure was in that
portion known as the white Tower"
and shown in the Worlds diagram to-
day. The Tower of London IS suppos-
Cesar. although some writer's are of
the opinion that the venerable pile was
first begun by William the Conqueror
in 1913. No less an authority, how
ever, than Shakespeare declares it to
have been commenced by the Roman
Emperor.
The Tower of London narrowly es-
capped destruction by fire in 1879. Ow-
ing to the exertions of the Fire Brigade,
the flames, which severely damaged
the officers quarters, were subdued
before further mischief was done.
The Tower had enjoyed a long i'm
munity from danger of that descrip-
ton. On October 80, 1871, the great
armory or storehouse to the east of st.
Peters Chapel was burned to the
ground by a fire caused by the over
heating of the tlue of a stove in the
Round OIL Bowyer Tower Immediately
adjoining. On this occasion $780, 900
stand of small arms were destroyed
and the Great OF White Tower, as we'll
as the Jewel Tower, narrowly escaped.
The Regalia were saved mainly by the
agility and courage of a snperintend-
ent of the Metropolitan Police, Mr..
Pierse, who squeezing himself through
a small aperture hastily made by
crowbars in the iron grating of the
room in which the jewels were kept,
handed out the various articles of the
Regalia, remaining at his post at the
risk of his life until they were all
rescued.
The site of the structure covers
about twelve acres of ground and is
surrounded by q moat, which for the
past forty years has been occupied as
a garden. On the river side is an en-
trance called the ORATORS Gate"
through which distinguished person
ages were conveyed in boats after their
trial
Mot Gate, misDamed, through which before
Went Sydney, Russell, Raj igh,C ranmcr, More.
Within the famous structure are nu-
merous buildings, including the Bar
racks, Armory, Jewel-house, White
Tower, St. Peters Tower, Bloody
Tower, where Richard LII. murdered
his nephews; the BowyerTower, where
the Duke of Clarence vas drowned in a
butt of Malmscy; the Brick Tower, in
which Lady Jane Grey was confined
the Beauchamp Tower, the prison OF
Anne Boleyn, and numerous other
buildings. In addition to the Towers
original use as a fortress, it was the
residence of the monarchs of England
down to the time of Elizabeth, and q
prison for state criminals: and numer-
GUS are the kings, queens, warriors
and statesmen who have not only been
imprisoned but murdered within its
walls. The histories of Lady Jane
Grey, Catherine Howard, Annie
Bole yn, Sir Walter Raleigh, Lord Will
liam Russell, the Protector Somerset
Sir Thomas More, William Wallace
and King John Of France live in the
remembrance of every historical read.
er. Queen Elizabeth's Armory, tilleo
with arms and relics, is located within
the walls of the White Tower, which
are fourteen feet thick. The room il
which Walter Raleigh wasimmuree
is here SHOWN; he was confined three
different times in the Tower. and here
his son Carew was born. Lion Tower
on the right, was for 600 years thu
royal menagerie: the few animals re
naming were removed to the Zoologi
cal Gardens in the reign of William Nv
The jewel-house known as the Wake
field Tower, which has apparently es
capped injury, contains all tho crown
jewels of England; they are enclosed
in al immense case. Prominent among
them is the crown made for the coro
nation of Queen Victoria, at an ex
pense Of about 5000, 600. Among thu
p%rofusion of diamonds is the larg'
ruby worn by the Black Prince; tn,
crown made for the coronation o
Charles H.; the crown of the Prince o
Waies and that of the late Prince Con
sort; crown made for the coronation
of the Queen of James H., also he
ivory sceptre. The coronation spoon
and bracelets, royal spurs, swords o
=. Mercy and Justice, are among tn
other jewels. Here, too, is the silver
gilt baptismal font, in which is dcposi
ted the christening water for the roya
children, and the celebrated Koh-i
moor diamond, the present property o
Queen Victoria, and the object o
great interest at the great exhibition
in Hyde Park in 1851. 1t formerly be
longed to Runjeet Singh, chief Lahore
and was called the "Mountain q
Light"
The oldest portion of the Tower
the isolated square, keep or donjon i
the centre, called the White Tower
built by William the Conqueror i
1913, the architect being Bishop Cur
dolph. of Rochester. This, as statet
was the scene of the explosion an
wreck. The structure was refaced an
the windows modernized by Wren, BIT
its interior remains pretty MUCK a
originally constructed. A windin
stairway at the corner, at the foot {
which the murdered princes wei
found, leads to the Chapel of st. Johr
long used, as we'll as other chamber
as a place of deposit for records, BIT
now removed. 1t is one of the be-
preserved of and Oldest specimens {
Of early Norman style in Britain, plai
and massive. piers supporting roun
arches and q harre1 vau1t. The ga,