Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-08-16
LOVELY VENICE
GR. JOHN C. GETTEGS SENDS THE "REGIST-
ER" AHAPPY DESCRIPTION
Of Some Of tho Many Beautiful Scenes About This
Ancient City-Ihs Bridge Of Sigas aud
the Cells for the Condemned.

sps.ial Corraspondeacsof tts Register.
VENICE, August I've arrived in
ancient Venice two dsyS ago, and ia the
picturesque g0ndOiaS bave tloated up
and down the Grand CaneLand through
many winding way, looking upon the
architectural display Of buildings, whose
glory has departed, but beauty StlA is
here, where 1.-The spriukled isles, lily on
Ilv. o'erlace the Ses." Magnificent pal
aces. adorned. exteriorly by sculptures OF
most eminent artists, line these canals.
They are now timc-Stained and falling
TO decay Venice, we are told, Is on 50
islands, and has lt7 canals, the Graud
Canal being two miles i0ng. winding In
serpentine fashion through the city.
This is the objective point of visitors,
and people OF all nations and countries
arc here 10 be seen. At the time
OF our arrival great gon-
dola race had just closed,
and we had an opportunity 20 see
gondOiiers in their ga.a-day costumes;
blue, white, green, with orange and
golden sashes, and their Orienta. caps,
swarty features, and dark curling locks,
1.-the and graceful figures, they pre-
scented an appearance, picturesque 10
the extreme, as they stood erect upon
their beautiful boats and with long
graceful sweep OF the oar sent them
rapidly through the water. The grand
Canal has been called by some one the
greatest street in the world, 10 must
certainly be the Strangest thOrOughiare
of an the earth, I'm going TO our hotel,
s'The Beau Rlvage, we passed under
The Rialto bridge, and also under the
POnte dCi S0SDiri or what we call the
Bridge OF Signs, and what Howell calls
a "pathetic swiudle.' This bridge led
from the criminal courts ia the palace
TO the criminal prisons on the other side
of the canal, and il IS here that Byron
stood at midnight, with "a palace and
a prison on either hand" We went
down into the prisons which are dis
NAL and awful in every detail, here we
saw the cell of the condemned where
they remained but few hours before
execution. 10 contained stone for q
pillow and that was an; here the con
demned man might lay his
head and sleep upon the
granite floor If sleep then
could come 20 him. Tn the dark and
narrow passage leading 10 this cell was
a scant-barred window through which
the poor prisoner had seen the last OF
the light of earth. The guide informed
US that there are now I'M these prisons
about 800 prisoners but none Ia tho
condemned cells" For nearly 100
years Venice was governed by the
DOdges and was the ruler OF the
Adriat.c Ruskin called 10, as viewed
by moonlight, $50 golden city paved
with emerald" It's long and wonderful
history is written in the sculptures and
paintings that adOrn It's walls, wrought
bv the master hands of Titan, TintO-
retti, Paul VerOuese and CanOva. This
is still one of the most religious cities Of
Italy, and in these grand churches,
prayer never ceases night or day. In
The square of ST. Mark $, surrOuu ded by
the Church of st. Mark, the DOdges
Palace, the Kings Palace and Campo
mite: the beauty and fashion of the city
congWgate at night 90 promenade, TO
see and 20 be seen. Here, on the even
ing OF our arrival, we walked along
among the varied thr0ng and listened
20 the soft and pleasant sound OF the
Venetian dialect. The scene was very
strange and attractive 90 us, being sur
rounded by more architectural beauty
than we had ever seen liz any other
city. The sailors with their large
earrings, the darE-eyed 1.-the
some girls with their queenly
step, the strange music, and the court
e0us aud Joyous bearing of all the vast
thrOng made @ charming picture. We
visited St. Marks Church in the morn
ing and wandered through the vast
rooms of the DOdges Palace, and gazed
upon the glorious pictures OF the mas
ters until our eyes could see pictures
when closed 40 night. There is one fea-
ture about these paintings that seems
astonishing; they are as fresh aud
bright to-day as il Paul Ner0neSe or
TntOScttO had painted them on yeSter-
day. This is accounted for By the fact
that this is the only city ia the world
where there is no dust, and here the
paintings of the old masters are fresher
and brighter than In other cities.
We also visited the Church of ''The
Frari, " which may be called tho Pan
the0n OF Venice, as many Of her gifted
sons are here buried, while some OF
their best works 0d0rR the church.
Hero rest Titan and Cau0ya under
tOmbs worthy OF their genius.
We saw in the library OF the DOdCes
Palace the Golden Book in which is
recorded tho coats Of arms and the
pedigrees of the D0dEes, and looked
upon an autograph letter Of Calico and
the writing of Dante. But we
must hasten to q close and
leave this city, where dying
glory smiles over the far times, when
many subject land looked 90 the
winged lions marble piles where Venice
sat in state.