The Osceola times., 1886-08-07
A TOWER OF BABEL.
Description of the Queer Structure Planned
for the Paris Exposition.

Tor the Tafis Gkpositiohs
No feature of the plans for the great
exposition of 1889 is so much talked
about as the gigantic tower. one thou
sand feet high, or twice the height Of
the pyramids of Egypt designed by
NJ. Eiiel. engineer of the Department of
Arts and Manufactures, to decorate the
Champs de Mars.
As the workmen will soon begin dig
ging the foundations of t..is tower, a
description of the plan will be of interest.
The base Of iron is composed of four
pyramids, each one square, fifty feet
side, and diminishing towards the top,
WHICH is twenty feet a side. These four
pyramids are separated from each other
by space of three hundred 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. soaces, etc.
The next story has room, covered with
glass, one hundred feet square. AT the
summit is a glass dome, with terrace.
and from this terrace the exposition will
be lighted by electricity.
Visitors will reach the dome by
means of elevators -Four of these
elevators, constructed like the Swiss
railways, will be placed in the four pyr-
amids, and we can 20 seven times as
high as the Column Nendome and stand
six hundred feet higher than the top ot
N,l.
the horizon for hundred miles, and
Comp.egne, Rheims, Fonianebleau,
Chartres, Dion. with the little villages
lost in the woods, and the rivers, wan
dcring through the valleys, will all seem
a continuation of Paris. Ten depart
ments of France will be at our feet
There have been no accidents with this
system of railway, because the car is
drawn by cable and the axle attached
TO a steel hook, so if the cable breaks
the ear 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.
In the cupola astronomers will be
established with their telescopes,
pluriometres. etc This observatory.
fitted with a metallic armature, destined
to receive all the atmospheric electricity,
which will be surrounded by paraton-
nerre. Experiments heretofore impos-
siblc can be made here; atmospheric
electricity, speed of the wind, Fone-
aults experiment to demonstrate that
the earth revolves, all can be studied.
Il To lx-y hn
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 variat on of
temperature, with altitude. The tower
will form an immense paratonnerre,
and when there is a storm everybody in
the tower will be struck by lightning
and not feel any effect. To produce
this result the conductor will Dc inter-
ruptcd for a distance of two yards and
the lightning VIII jump from one sec
ton TO the other, with continual eX-
p,osions.
The iron used in the construction Of
this gigantic monument will weigh about
1000 tons. ot course the critics are
very busy prophesying the failure of
the work "1he tower will never be
finished; it can not be scientifically util-
lied, for at the slightest wind there will
be an oscillation preventing all obserya-
tons" NJ. Eiflel answers by saying
that, with an impetuous wind of seven
ty feet second and pressure of
hundred pounds on every square yard,
the tower will not sway more than four
inches. With tempest-the wind
hundred feet a second and a pressure of
one hundred and fifty pounds yard
the oscillation will not be more than six
inches. The oscillations will be very
Sow because of the great length of the
part which vibratcs, and it is certain
that it will be much less than in columns
of masonry, where the elasticity of the
mortar is the chief cause of marked os-
citations. - Cor. Hiiadelphta TsEo.
.