Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-12-11
ANCIENT ENGINEERS.
-rHsls ssATs or SKILL WHICH MOD
eRNs CANNOT EQUAL.

rho Engineering of Old Times = Present
Obstacles to the More Advanced Men
OF our Day VI. Einsl's and NJ. Bar
thoidI's Conclusions About the Colossus
The bumptiousness Of the modern engi-
neer gives little offense, because it is honest
and guileless.
Ii is waste of time TO ask him how the
powders of Stonehenge were conveyed to
their resting place, how the walls OF Fie-
sole or Mycene were built; these marvels
represent the power which lies In the brute
force OF mnltitudcs, and there's an end OF
the question. Engineering now is an art
and n science. with which the rude work
OF the savages has no sort Of connection.
One must not inquire why he takes 1t for
granted that Stonehenge. for example, was
built by savages, where the brute multi
tude came from, how they subsisted on
Salisbury Plain, or why it is necessary TO
assume that they were unacquainted with
mechanics.
All that is chose jugee- beyond dispute.
n you cite records OF antiquity which tell
OF works he cannot rival that fact alone is
proof that the record is a lie; for how can
1t possibly be that mere Greeks aud Romans
should have been able to do what the build
ers OF the FL fel tower and the Forth bridge
cannot accomplish We had an amusing
instance of this feeling lately. The in
genious NJ. Eiffel and the artistic NJ. Bar
tholdi have been gravely bordering the
Colossus of Rhodes-measuring it and
weighing IL as per description; and they
conclude that the thing was simply impos-
sible.
THE COLOSSEUM
IL could not have been set up, to begin
with, and when set up il could not have
stood he pressure of the wind. This is
demonstrated 10y all the rules of modern
science and he who does not admit the
demonstration must be prepared to show
that two and two do not make four. Those
antique personages who professed to have
seen the Colossus were victims of an ocular
delusiou or fat story tellers, aud that
greater number who mention il incident
ally, a. we might mention the ruins of the
Colosseum, were credulous gOssips. The
fact Is that Messrs. Eiffel and Bartholdi
argue in he fashion usual with engineers.
Not all OF them would pretend that they
know any law ~ nature which applies in
such a case. Bat very few would listen
patiently II il were urged that the ancients
knew some laws with which they were I'M
acquainted
So IL appears. however, To the disiuter.
ested student, and we can bring forward
evidence enough. RI it be true that the
Colossus of Rhodes Is really proved 'im-
possible according To the best modern
authorities, this is n good illustration to
begin with, for it's existence Is as well au-
thenticsted as the temple ut Delphi and
the statue of Olympian ZeUis, or the Tower
Of l0ufar, far. hot
has never seen it. By some means it was
sst up. and by adaptation of some natural
laws Il WAS made 70 stand until an earth
quake overthrow It. One Is embarrassed
By the number and variety of illustrations
70 the same effect which crowd upon the
mind
Since the Colosseum has been mentioned
we may choose examples Of the class. Is
NJ. Eitfel prepared TO put an awning over
Trafalgar square when the sun shines, and
romove IL promptly without the aid Of a
central support OF steam engines or even
chains, The area OF the Colosseum is GER
tainly not less. This may seem a trifinp
matter 70 the thoughtless because they
have never considered it. Roman engineers
covered In that vast expanse with some
woolen material, and they worked the
ponderous sheet so easily and smoothly
that II WAS drawn and withdrawn as the
sky changed. The bulk OF It must have
weighed hundreds OF tons, all depending
by ropes from the circumference. But the
ancients thought so little Of this feat that
they have left as only one trivial detail of
the method.
ALEXASDER's GIGANTIC TENT.
So Julius CBsar stretched an awning
above the Forum Romanum and great part
OF the Via Sacra in the space OF u single
night. Have any of our modern engineers
pondered the contemporary descriptions of
Alexander's durbar tent before Babylont
That, again, appears TO have had no CEN
trail support. 1t was upheld, says Ply
larchus, by eight pillars OF solid gold. or
che glorious plenishing within we have not
70 speak, since our theme il mechanics
Around the throne and the great courtiers
stood 800 Macedonian guards; in q circle
beyond them 500 Persian guards; beyond
these again 1000 archers. To tx tent
which held 1900 soldiers on duty with
arms and accoutrements surrounding, in
successive circles, the most gorgeous ORR
entail court that ever was, with hundreds
OF satraps, councillors, generals, eunuchs
and slaves, would perplex n mechaniciau
Of the Nineteenth century.
He will reply that the story is false
must be. because he could not match it.
Happily the awning OF the Colosseum
stands beyond dispute, and Alexander's
tent Is small matter compared with that.
But we undertook to deal with the engin-
eerfng of the ancients in connection with
the theatre, having CHANGED on that class
of illustration. Pliny tells how Metellus
Scaurus. Edile, built wondrous edifice.
htrh aefrrad HE rlt-o1
jealousy 1t may be worth while in pass
tng-since we are all so much interested in
the theatre nowadays and think SO much
OF our new ones Ito tell what sort OF
building that was which Curio set himself
to-outdo. II had 800 marble columns. each
IS feet high and IS feet apart. Above a 600
bronze statues stood among them. The
stage had three foors as was ususl--the
lowest paved and fitted with marble, the
second with glass, thes bird gilded, boards
and all. 1t held sc, 900 people
such was the wonder which Curio IA.
solved TO beat, and feeling himself unable
70 vie In outlay he summoned the enRin-
GERS OF the period to design something
which would fetch" the public. They
built two enormous theatres OF wood. zach
70 contain an audience of 25.0OO, " Itch
stood back to back
Whsn the spectators assembled In the
FORENOON Curio was chaffed, no doubt. on
the issue Of his attempt to excel Scaurus,
But the audience returned In the after
noon, for these entertainments were de-
voted TO the names OF Curio's father and
lasted month. In the place OF two thea.
tres back to back they found an amphi- |
theatre holding $1,000 persons, wherein |
giHdiators and wild beasts commended until |
de'yy eve. The two great buildings had |
been swung round and united; and day by |
day for the month following this colossal |
trick was repeated.-St James Gazette.