The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-31
THE EIFFEL TOWER.
Notes by a London Journalist who
has Ascended 10.
Irrom the Pail Mail Gazette. !

uidklnS ltS own peCuiidf Con-
tribution TO the unique attractions of
one OF the most beautiful cities in the
world. Unlike all other monuments,
il is visible from almost every part OF
Paris, while from its summit you OBJ.
tain great panoramic view of the
heart of France. In tie daytime the
flag flutters at the masthead, but al
night las from sky piled Pharos streams
over the great city the light which rep
resents the transmitted energy of en-
gines of 500 horse power They say
that the beacon on the Eiffel will be
visible at distance of forty miles, and
that by the rays of its lamps you may
read newspaper in the streets of St
Germain-at least seven miles as the
crow flies.
The Tour Eiffel is the feature OF the
exhibition, and the new landmark OF
Paris. 1t is the future observatory OF
civilization, and possibly the mark by
which some future invader will level
the artillery used in bombarding the
French capital. The rest of the ex-
hibitions, only vaster and more varied
than any of its predecessors but the
Eiffel Tower is unique. Paris in 1879
rears the Eiflel rower. Both perform
ances are characteristic and original. Ii
is the only original thing that France
has done for some years. To
To have made the ascent OF the Eiffel
Tower will be one of the regulation
performances of the year. The sensa-
ton is novel. 1t presents the sem
blance without the reality of danger.
Four elevators start from the base OF
the tower, one from each of the colossal
feet upon which the giant whose head il
in the clouds steadies himself on earth
You get into u room large enough to
hold 100 persons, adjust yourself com
fortably, and before you fairly realize
that you are off, you are landed on the
first floor. Then you mount to the
second floor, where you change cars
The second elevator runs to the top oi
the tower at about the rate of six miles
an hour. The hoist contains sixty five
persons, and you are landed at the
summit in less than ten minutes. You
leave the hoist at the top just as if you
were in a hotel, and step out upon q
perfectly secure platform, from which
you cannot fall even if You try. After
you have enjoyed the sensation of be-
ing mastheaded at an altitude to equal
which the tallest pine hewn on Norwe-
gian hills, like the mast ''of some great
Ammiral," would stretch its length in
vain, you come down again by the
same simple method. So, at least. il
will be when the lifts are all in work
ing order. When | was there the liltt
had not begun TO run; but no doubt the
lifts will be ready before the exhibi-
ton. Their maximum lifting capacity
is said to be 1850 per hour to the second
floor and $50 ali hour, or twelve jour-
neys, to the summit.
I Standing under the tower it impress
ses you by its combination of solidity
and of grace. The great arches spring
ing from the four bases meet overhead
at a height which is greater than the
summit of the Vendome Column
Imagine Trafalgar Square taken as the
base OF a gigantic tower, and let the
space of the first arch overtop the
column from which Nelson looks dowr
over the capital of the land which be
defended on the seas, and you will ge
some idea as to the immensity of the
Tour Eiffel. Then, after you have
rooted in the square, and established
Spiers and Pond in restaurant abou
the level of Nelson's head, from thi
carry further shaft of interlaced iron
work nearly twice as high from the tol
of Nelson's column as the cross on st
PauPs dome, and You will be able t
to picture to yourself the height t
which you glide silently and safely in
the elevators. To 60 up the tower yol
pay 81. to the top, 3f. to the secont
floor, and 2f. to the first floor. Hal
way up the Tower stand The cannon
whose brazen throats thunder forth tn,
hour of opening and closing the grea
show. What carlton peal OF can.
mons would make in the great tower
To hear the "Marseillaise" thunderet
forth in that fashion would indeed b,
worth pilgrimage TO Paris.
| The tower stands on four square fee
of solid masonry, to which it is bolIet
by anchor rods, four inches in diane
ter. an arrangement which more thar
doubles its power of facing the winds
Even if it stood loose on its ston
pedestal, it would not blow over under
pressure of anything less than hurri
cane, concentrated on its summit. l
sways slowly and almost imperceptibly
in strong gale, but so does the grea
chimney OF Glasgow, which offer
much more resistance, and is much les
elastic, than this marvellous network
of iron orders. The total weight O
the tower is $500 tons, just half th'
tonnage of one of our new ironclads
To put it up complete cost from first t,
last about Gl60,000. If it had beel
built of stone, it would have cos
100000, and weighed-who can sa,
how much it would haye weighed
| The loftieSt stone monument in tn
world, the Washington obelisk, Is onl,
554 feet high, but it weighs 45, 800 tons
| BY using iron Nj. Eiffel got, at one sixt
of the weight, 430 feet nearer the sky
The honor belongs to the rivet. Tn
tower is the work of the riveter. Tn,
whole structure is held together by tn
rivet, and nothing but the rivet. Mex
to the imposing altitude and audaciou
sweep of the immense span, the frs
thing which impresses the imagination
is the number of rivets. Two millions
and a-half rivets have been employe,
in its construction. Every one of tines
was heated white hot on the tower an,
hammered into position there. But tn
holes for the rivets were all cut at tn
wor of NJ. Eiffel at Leyallois- Perret
from which the $4,000 separate girders
beams, joists, and other descriptions G
ironwork, were sent to Paris, punctuI
ed with no fewer than 1000, 900 holes
Forty draughtsmen and calculator
were employed constantly for two year
in preparing the 500 engineers draw
ings and $500 working plans, by th
aid of which every hole was punches
in the right place before glrder lef
the works. The tower as il stands is
great monument to the absolute &C
curacy and scientific precision witt
which the modern engineer can manip
uiate his material. When the secon
floor was being laid it was discovere,
that the two western piles were abou
Il fifth OF All inch higher than the tw,
eastern. Only fifth of all inch iu tn
rearing of the four sides of the gigantic
pyramid which overtopped the tower
OF Notre Dame! But that was not al
lowed to pass without immediate recti
| tication. One-iitth of an inch on tht
first floor would have thrown all the
rivets out of place in the upper part o
the tower. The hydraulic screw pres,
that is fitted III the shoe so to speak, o
each OF the four feet Of the tower, was
brought to bear. The western pile.
were lowered and adjusted, and the
work went on without interruption
The we, hit resting Oh each of the foul
uprigh' which together from each foot
of the wer, is nearly 500 tons. Each
of these uprights terminates in steel
hat titung into an iron socket sunk in
mnsonry. Within this socket the hy-