St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-21

houses. There will be fixed light and
in addition to this two optical projec-
tons giving the power of Illuminating
at will the principal monuments Of
Paris.
The Engineer, the well-known En-
gliSh authority on such subject, says
that the question of the possible use of
the Eiffel Tower for scientific purposes
has been often raised, and as yet we
have seen no authoritative documents
on that head signed by any scientific
man or Endorsed by any learned society,
put scientific utility is possibly a sec
ondary object IN its construction. The
tower Will be such a curiosity in itself
as TO draw many visitors to Paris during
the exposition. On the 1st of January
a book on the Eiffel tower by NJ.
Max Nansouty, engineer, was published
In Parls,and the author gives the names
OF several leading Frenchmen of scien-
tlflc importance, who have expressed
their appreciation of the scheme, but
appreciation of what is not quite dis
tinctly stated. The author then sug-
gests that the tower may prove useful
for strategical observations, as the
enemy can be watched when sixty kilo-
metres or more away. as far as the most
powerful forts for the defense of Paris.
IL I'll 10 NC SlSlldlS
could be flashed from the top of the
tower to friends outside the lines of the
enemy and secret messages given to
them optlcally by cryptographic
method. Possibly, says our author, the
enemy might fire hOwitZers at the top
of the tower, although he would have
difficulty i'll bringing them to bear, de-
spite the progress of modern artillery,
but the DrOjectile would have no more
effect on the tower than grain of lead
thrown against the web of spider
some bars of iron will be broken and
quickly repaired, and that will be all.
The foregoing cheerful ideas of NJ. de
NansOuty are suggestive of an anecdote
about the Duke of Wellington. The
latter was saiu to hate being pestered
by inventors, but, nevertheless, one
wormed his way into the dukes
presence while he was busy writ ng and
said he had invented and brought with
him suit of armor which was ball
proof. PUT it on,' said the duke, as
he resumed his writing. When the in
yentOr had doomed his armOr the duke
Instructed an officer in the room to
order file of soldiers into the court
yard. and, said he: Tell them to load
with ball." He once more resumed his
writing, and when he looked up again
the inventor had disappeared, armor
and all. Ii ever an enemy should be
firing with heavy guns at the EiffeI
tower, it is to be hoped that M. Max de
Nansouty will be placed in charge of
the signaling department at the top of
the edifice.
Considerable speculation has been
INDUCED in regarding the solidity of
lightning, etc. The peculiar and prac-
teal construction and form of it's base
inSures its solidity beyond all question
of doubt. The foundation of each of the
four divisions of the base are built four
stories under ground and are of solid
masonry. The most violent tempest
ever know i'll Paris or its vicinity pro-
duced pressure of less than 500 pounds
to the square yard, and the
tower is calculated to resist wind
to the extent of 600 pounds
to the square yard, or in
other words to survive tornado twice
as violent as any known in the neigh
borhood. A great many people, proba-
bly, belonging TO that large class which
hide under a bed during a thunder
storm, have expressed the opinion that
the tower would be an unsafe place on
account of danger fromIightning. Fort
unately, however, the inventor foreSaw
the objection which such people would
be sure to raise, and by an ingenious
system of construction the tower has
been made its own protector, so that
accident from lightning is an absolute
impossibility.
That the tower will be made the scene
of fatal tragedies. however, is more
than probable. To people of certain
temperament, and there are many such
III France, it will offer irresistible temp
tationS for self-destruction. When a
Frenchman decides to kill himself be-
cause his girl has gone back on him. he
is apt to choose some striking method of
suicide,