The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-07-21
THE TOWER OF BABEL.
THE STRUCTURE PLANNED FOR THE
PARIS EXPOSITION.

Twice the Height of Esypt's Pyramids
Construction of the Elevators An OBJ
servatory for Astronomers and Electro
cians-View from the Cupola.
No feature OF the plans for the great ex-
position of 1850 Is 50 much talked about as
the gigantic tower. 1000 feet high, or
twice the height Of the pyramids Of Egypt,
designed by NJ Eiffel the engineer Of the
department OF arts and manufactures, to
decorate the c. amps de Mars Nothing
like it has been attempted since the Tower
Of Babe, and scientific progress may per
NIT the descendants Of those whom God
dispersed because of their impiety TO
carry out a similar design.
AS the workmen Will soon begin digging
the foundation of the tower, a description
Of the plan will be of interest. The base Of
iron is composed of fouc pyramids, each
one square, fifty feet a side, and diminish
ing towards the top, winch is twenty feet
a side. These four pyramids are sepa-
rated from each other by a space of 300
feet, and for stability they are anchored in
solid masonry. Two hundred and thirty
feet above the ground these pyramids are
united by a gallery fifty feet wide. This
gallery, which is covered with glass, will
be used for restaurants, sOirees etc. The
next story has a room, covered with glass,
100 feet square. At the summit is glass
dome, with terrace, and from this terrace
she exposition will be lighted by cleo
tric.ty.
Visitors will reach the dome by means
of elevators. Four of these elevators,
constructed like the Swiss railways, will
be placed in the four pyramids and we
can 60 seven times as high as the Column
Vendome and stand coo feet higher than
TON of Mont The aVaS
sweep the horizon for 100 miles, and Com
piegne, Rheims, Fontaineblau, Charities,
Dojou, with the little villages lost in the
woods, and the rivers, wandering through
the valleys, will all seem a continuation
of Paris Ten departments of France will
be at our feet. There have been no &C
cidents with this system of railway, be-
cause the car is drawn by a cable and the
axle attached to a steel hook SO if the
cable breaks the car remains fastened to
this hook. That is the system for the
elevators, and in addition to the four
placed in the pyramids fifth will take
visitors from the center directly to the
summit.
ASTRONOMERS AND ELECTRICIANS.
In the cupola astronomers will be eS-
tablished with their telescopes, plurio-
metres, etc. This observatory, fitted up
with a metallic armature, destined to re-
ceive all the atmospheric electricity, will
be surrounded by a paratonerre. Elk
periments heretofore impossible can be
made here; atmospheric electricity, speed
of the wind, Foneault's experiment to
demonstrate that the earth revolves-au
can be studied. Spectroscopes, destined
to analyze the light of the sun and stars,
and an enormous telescope, to follow stars
which could hardly be perceived from the
other ObservatOries, will be placed in this
cupola. Another interesting study will
be that of the variation of temperature,
with altitude. The tower will form an inn
mense paratonnerre, and when there is a
storm everybody in the tower viii be
struck by lightning and not feel any eff
feet. To produce this result the conduc-
tor will be interrupted for a distance of
two yards and the lightning will jump
from one section to the other, with con
tinual explosions.
The iron used in the construction Of this
gigantic monument will weigh about
1000 tons. OF course the critics are very
busy prophesying the failure of the work.
"The tower will never be diminished; it
cannot be scientifically utilized, for ut the
slightest wind there will be an oscillation
preventing all observations" NJ. Eiffel
answers by saying that with an impetu-
Gus wind of seventy feet second and
pressure of 100 pounds to every
square yard, the tower will not sway more
than four inches. With a tempest-the
wind 100 feet a second and a pres
sure of $50 pounds yard--the oscillation
will not be more than six inches. The
oscillations will be very slow because OF
the great length of the part which vi
brates, and it is certain that it will be
much less than N columns Of masonry,
where the elasticity of the mortar is the
chief cause of marked oscillations.-Paris
Cor. Philadelphia Times.