Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-09-21
UP THE EIPFEL TOWER.
A Returned Nashvil,ian Talks about
Paris and It's Great Show.

Nashville American.
"What is the most interesting fea-
ture of the Paris exhibition" said
Prof. Frank Elliott in answer to a re-
porter's query. "Why, l should say
above and beyond all else the Eiffel
Tower, or to tour Eiffel as they call it
over there. Built at cost ofover five
million francs, and nearly 100 lives,it
has immortalized the name of it's
builder, Mr.. Eiffel, and is undoubted-
~, as building, thegreatest triumph
of engineering skill in existence. 1t
is exactly 9S3 feet 4 inches in height,
overlapping our Washington monu-
ment by nearly 400 feet. 1t stands
upon four feet, each of which has a
decorative base of cement on whichit
seems to rest. This gives very light
appearance but in reality it is i'm
bejded in the soil by foundations ex-
tending A5 feet in depth, and weighs
over fourteen million pounds.
"There are four landings or stages
in the tower which are reached by
four staircase and tiveelevators. Any
one of these elevators or 'ascensceurs'
is practically twO-stOry building, ac-
commodating from eighty to 100 per-
sons. There is separate 'ascenseur'
for each stage to the next. They move
with considerable speed, hence the
great time consumed in doing the
tower is in the serpentine lines lead
ing up to the ticket offices. No one is
admitted to the next ascension with
out ticket. On the first stage |
stood in a line with 900 people, two
abreast, and after one hour and forty
minutes obtained ticket to the next
landing. On a challenge from friend
undertook to go to the top of the
tower and down in less than two
hours. The signal of my arrival at
the top was. to be a newspaper
thrown out. | began the ascent at
o'clock and with the utmost dispatch,
it was five minutes past when the
Figaro flutered from my hand, and,
returning Immediately, ten minutes
past 5 when reached terra firma. /
had lost by two hours and ten min
utes.
"The transient population of the
tower at the busiest part of the day is
from 5000 to 10000 at any one time.
Yet there is plenty of room for
everybody. There are innumerable
stores and booths in the structure,
and on the first landing the little
avenues are bordered with tastefully
arranged shop windows. There are
four great restaurants. Russian,
French, Italian and British. In each
of these may be generally found some
800 or 400 people enjoying the novel;
ty of dining nearly 400 feet above
ground. The two.story publishing
house of the Figaro is here, the i'm.
mense presses throwing off free
circulation to all visitors to the tower
The last or upper stage is cap
able of holding several hundred PEG,
pie, and, the height is so great that
the city of Paris becomes little more
than a map like those sold in the
streets. The view over Frrnce, how
ever, is most superb, extending some
hundred miles or more in every di
ection. The Seine River looks little
more than silver ribbon. The
downward look is appalling. The
exposition bindings appear as dol
houses and the people mere dots. Nc
sound, of course, reaches this great
height.
"The building of the tower was
commenced some two. years andG
halt ago, consists of no less thar
twelve thousand separate pieces o
iron and steel. | understand tina
each piece was delivered on thu
ground numbered and ready to bt
riveted into place. Each piece wa,
perfect; not a rivet hole was lacking
and each brace and girder was easily
adjusted to its place according tC