The Democratic advocate., 1885-04-11

Touser went to their seven years sentence
while NJ. Charter went away on his wed
ding tour. Mr. Woodford gave me the
whole story long after, as related by the
well-sucked victim, from which | learned
that the flaming appearance on his face
and hands was nothing but preparation
of phosphorus, with which he had covered
them on entering the house with view tC
frightening any servant who might have
been left behind, the door being opened
with key he had got many months before
from cast taken by himself while on a
visit to the house.
Ancient and Modern Engineering
and Architecture.
Extracts from Paper by DR.. R. Wood Brown, in the
: February Number of the Kansas City Review.
The remark, 'There is nothing new un-
der the sun, is more automatic than the
casual reader believes. We think that this
is very progressive age, and that our
generation stands pre-eminent in civiliza-
tion-is the highest known. This is SO,
but to state that we, in this age, are i'm
measurably superior to the ancients is, we
think, incorrect Our aim is not to prove
our century inferior to the past ones, rather
it is to present historical facts which will
indicate that modern architectural and en-
gineering works are merely reproductions
of those of the ancients, though sometimes
larger and more speedily erected, owing to
better facilities.
The works of long ago compare very ia
vorably with those of the present, and in
some instances excel anything of our own
time. Hardening copper for tools is one
of the lost arts; we cannot manufacture the
Damascus blade, nor do we know by what
means the pyramids were erected. There
are very few Gf any streets like one in
Cordova, founded 152 B. G. 1t was per-
fectly straight, ten miles long, and illumi-
mated by public lamps. Paris, which is
said to be the best lighted city in the world,
cannot surpass this wonderful street. Cor
dova was not without rivals. Granada,
founded before Augustus; Seville in its
prime $50 B. c.; Toledo, taken by Maxi
mus Flavius 1913 B. c., Wed with Cordoya
with its 200, 900 houses and 100000 in
habitants This city of Cordova may not
be fair comparison, as its decay commenc-
ed when conquered by Ferdinand Ill, of
CASTLE in A. D. 1886. Modern cities sur
pass the ancient in number rather than in
magnifcence.
A slight acquaintance with archaeology
is sufficient to show us that the Statue of
Liberty Enlightening the World is du-
plicate in principle of the Colossus of
Rhodes. The former is to be erected upon
Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, in
honor of fraternity between France and the
United States. 1t is of copper, and the
ascent to the head is made by inner stair
cases. The right arm is extended, grasp
ing a torch, which will illuminate the har-
Dor by electricity. The total height is 328
feet / inches; pedestal III feet inches,
leaving 151 feet 2 inches for the statue
This work of art was fabricated in France
under the supervision of its protector, Bar
tholdi, who in all probability took his idea
from the Colossus of Rhodes, which was
also erected upon an island, the Rhodus, in
the Mediterranean Sea, twenty miles from
Lycia on the south coast of Asia. This
colossus was of brass, and erected 300 B.
G. in honor of Apollo Historians tell us
that the height was 125 feet, with legs
distended on two moles which formed the
entrance to the harbor," said moles sup
posed to have been twenty feet apart, and
ships sailed under the body on entering the
port. The statue was hollow, and the legs
were lined with large stones to counterbal-
ance the weight The colossus was the
workmanship of Chares, pupil of Lysip-
pus, celebrated sculptor of Greece. The
Colossus of Rhodes was thrown down by
an earthquake sixty years after erection.
The brass made 900 camel loads, or 720,-
900 pounds. The Washington Monument
is considered grand work, but the work
of putting a new foundation under the old
one was far more wonderful than the build
ing of the obelisk itself This monument
presents smooth exterior, and is 800 feet
in height; was commenced more that thirty
six years ago, and finished under Colonel
Thomas Lincoln Casey, chief engineer and
architect, December 6, 1884. This pile
of stone is hollow, and capped by marble
with conical apex of aluminium. The
Pharos of Alexandria was 45O feet high,
and built upon an island. Alexander the
Great gave his order for this structure 332
B. G. to a Macedonian architect, Dinocrates
by name who also connected the island
with the mainland by an earth wall. This
lighthouse differed from the Washington
Monument in being highly ornamented, the
stone was finely carved, columns and bal
ustrades worked in the finest marble en-
bellished the exterior 1t was built in sew
eral stories, tapering toward the top. The
ground floor and the two next were hexa-
gonal; the next square, with towers at each
corner; the fifth to the top was round, with
an external winding staircase. The ex-
treme top was open so that sailors could
see its night beacons. The Pharos at Alex
andria was a work of art, credit to
Alexander. who commenced, and to Ptole-
my Philadelphus, who finished it. The
Americans have built the highest structure
known to man, but it is barren of all art.
There is quite difference between build
ing lighthouse with carved marble on an
island, and erecting huge stones perfectly
smooth by machinery, inland, even to the
height of 555 feet
Both ancient and modern engineers and
architects considered height as great OBJ
iective point. The Great Pyramid is 478
feet. Cologne Cathedral is $40 feet. Rouen
Cathedral, 400 feet The statue of San
Carlo Borromeo, at Aroma, erected in 1897,
was sc feet high, and the pedestal 40 feet.
A marble statue of Nero was said to be 12O
feet high. The walls of Babylon were 378
feet high, also SO feet 4 inches thick, and
in compass so miles Herodotus, who was
at Babylon, gives these figures; others give
the height 80 feet as they were after the
time of Darius Hystaspes, who pulled them
down to that height that he might con-
quer the city again more easily, if necessary.
The Chinese wall was much longer, being
l ,25O miles, but very much inferior In