Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-07-28

Paris Viewed fr0a the Great 0tfu0-
tars Now BnilAing.
1Hs BAsrIE AND rus Rue 81. ANTOINE xxsunr-
TIE MoHrEnru CENTURY KIvIvD-vuwuo
TIE CITY FROM A DIZZY HRIaHr.
Correspondence Boston Herald.
The other afternoon went over to the Champ dc
Mars to climb the EifIel Tower ana look at the
position buildings They are also constructing a
model Of the old Bastile and the quarter St. An
tome over there and predict that this side show
of next years worlds fair will be of the most
attractive features OF the whole exhibition. The
entrance Is through an archway that is q recon-
struction OF the Porte de Ia Conference, gate Of
Paris which disappeared century or so ago. and
then comes q street, the Rue St Antoine, rebuilt
just as 1t stood when the Bastile was captured.
The houses have an ancient look, the plaster is
chipped on here and there the stones are black as
II with age, and the tile roofs are overgrown with
moss. This extraordinarily excellent imitation OF
artistic side OF the enterprise. The street is
crooked, and not 0verwel paved Is devoid of side
walks and Is lighted by gas lanterns swung on
ropes overhead As for the houses they are small
and exceedingly picturesque. No Two are alike,
and from fantastic caves and gables project quaint
looking signs.
THE BAsrnE RECONSTRUCTED.
At the end Of the rue the perspective is closed
by the somber walls and towers of Bastile re-
constructed on the same scale as the original, so
far as height Is concerned. In the street the en-
semble is wonderfully stricking, nothing having
scene. / stepped into the shop OF the sedan chair
man, and In his shed saw several authentic
..chaises pOrteurs" waiting for customers Across
the way, over shop OF a dealer In secondhand
articles Is the sign "BrOcante, bric-a-brac, and
little further on another reads: -ssMeuDreS vends
original looking with touches q shat
Gallo wit TO which the eighteenth century gave
such graceful turn.
THE TOWER ITSELF.
Good progress has been made on the exposition
buildings but none OF them are as yet sufficiently
advanced to enable me to form a correct idea OF
what they will look like when completed. The same
is true OF the EfYel tower. / have all along said
that 1t was going to be h1deously ugly structure
that felt the other afternoon a new and strange
sensation. Not that am willing TO admit It il q
thing OF beauty and Joy pqt It certainly
TO about one-third the height 1t will have when
completed, and doubt II even the famous tower
OF BABEL was anything like 1t in holiness OF con-
ception and execution.
AS IT Is NOW.
1t Is now an enormous pile Of iron beams and
girders, put together with perfect regularity OF
pattern, supported by huge masses OF wooden
scaIOdng, arranged In geometrical designs, and
pyramid IL is Baby lOnian, CyclOp1an, everything
else that conveys the idea Of enormous size, and
yet II is light and airy looking, so much so that
sky like m tallc web, spun In midair by some
gigantic spider. Standing inside and looking upw ard
II seemed TO me as II the thing was an iron gauze
rising to an lnterminable height In a bewfldering
maze OF cross pieces.
/ commenced the ascent and made my way up
the $50 steps that lead to the first landing This
Is vast platform 275 feet above the ground, and
resting on the four main pi rs or pillars Of the
structure The iron OF these piers weighs not less
than $500 tons, or more than one-half the whole
weight OF the entire lower. This platform is net
yet completed; the tiled door Is only partially
laid and In places there are only loose planks,
with here and there an open hole through which
ii was possible for me 10 drop to the earth below
Around the outer edge runs the track Of railway,
with train OF diminuthe freight cars and from
trusseS up 10 their places 80 or 60 feet higher,
where nearly two hundred workmen kept adding
hot bolts the Top OF four more piers that start
fiom the corner OF this platform.
HIGHER THAN THE PANTHEON.
These second noor piers are much more slender
than those on which the first platform rests and,
as they bend toward each other as they go up
ward, in due time their tips will meet to form the
support OF second platform, which Will have an
area or $500 feet at least. BY means OF narrow
spiral steps climbed to the highest point OF the
talieSC or the four smaller PIERS and there cling
Ing 10 chain, saw Paris spread out before ne
and bathed In the sunshine OF a cloudlesS day,
The scene was splendid around the great city
stretched a landscape OF fields, forests hills and
valleys, dotted here and there with suburban
towns and villages, with innumeraDle villas and
The more distant points OF the horizon were
yelled by violet colored mist, while here and
there Silded dome or glass roof glowed like a
mass OF nre as IL reflected the slantng rays OF an
afternoon sun, while In the midst or 1t all the
Seine stretched Its tortuOuS length, like some
great silver serpent asleep and basking. was
lar above the top OF the highest building In Paris;
The pantheon has an altitude Of 260 feet only; the
point OF the tower where chung was more than
IS feet higher.
The Arc de Tri0mphe looked hardly much bigger
than those models or IT which are sold along the
Rue de klvon as paper weights; the obelisk
seemed slender enough to Justify its being called
Cleopatras needle the ColOnne Vendome and that Of
July In she Place de Ia Basrile were mere toy
lures, and even the great towers OF Notre Dame
were dwarfed almost 10 nOthingness. On the I4th
OF July The Ethel tower will measure at least 4OO
feet and 1t is proposed to have tirework display
at its top, beside Illuminating the entire structure
that evening In honor OF the national holiday.
AN IRON CAGE FOR SCIENTISTS
The tower will be completed, SO Ethel says by
the LIST Of December next, but the elevators in.
tended to carry visitors TO the top will not be
placed In position until just before the inaugura
ton OF the exposition. The tower will be painted
shade OF bronze known as Barbedienne. At the
top will be an iron cage or lantern, but visitors
Will not be admitted into IL. II Is TO be the do.
main OF science, and nothing will be allowed tC
disturb the savants In experiments. which are ex.
pected to add considerably to the worlds physical
knowledge
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