Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-12-28
special Correspondence Of siazetteana sounl

Special Correspondence Of Gazetteand journal |
LONDON, Dec 13.-Some of the archi- |
tectural features of Norway are exceed
ingly distinctive and curious, when 1t is |
remembered that, contrasted with the |
age OF civilization in southern Europe |
the Morse are comparatively new comers
In this Arctic land. There are what
might be termed three zones of build |
ings and editices, each giving an almost
universally different example of struc-
tural style and material. In the remote
and desolate north all ancient structures
are of stone. In southern Norway oak
and beech have been utilized, In the
central districts everything has been,
and is still, built of pine.
If one has grown to believe that oak
represents all that is enduring and
almost everlasting among the nobler
woods serviceable TO man, his ideas
must be modified when he has come to
know the ancient plne-built structures
of central Norway. One gazes with
admiration and wonder when the
! strong, perfect beams in the old Sir
y Walter Raleigh house at Youghal,
2 Ireland, in the ancient houses OF the
gentry in other portions of that country,
and in almost awed admiration upon
the oaken stalls, screens and timbers of
English cathedrals, and particularly
those in the very ancient parish churches
like those of Stoke Poges, where Gray
wrote his "Elegy," OF Grasmere, and
OF Crossthwaite, at Keswick. These
have stood staunch and true for two,
three, four and perhaps five hundred
years. II is no uncommon thing III
Norway to find eagle nest farm build
ings, city warehouses, bonders' or large
farmers storehouses, as well as homes,
and curious old pier-houses beside the
flords, built wholly of pine, still well
preserved, which are quite as old; while
the strange, little old churches of
central Norway, also entirely con-
structed of pine, possess a surprising
number of their original timbers placed
where they stand to-day long before the
venerable minister OF York or the
nielowed cathedral of Salisbury as
sumed anything like their present forms.
In visiting an "eagle nest" farm above
the clouds beside the gloomy Naero
Ifiord | noticed that the Oldest portion
Of the farmers home-a long rambling
structure which seemed to have had
built upon it a new annex for each
generation or century-was by far the
stoutest, sturdiest and best. l ques-
IlOnGu buG US W lbS hRb. luG
family legendary memories and finally
the family records agreed that it must
have been built sometimeln the sixteenth
century, or perhaps $50 years ago. In
tho Thelemarken district are many
quaint old wooden mills which found
to be from 150 to $50 years old. In u
bonder's home visited in the Trondh-
iem country, the low, wide living-room,
around which had been added other
huge modern apartments and two-story
high halls, was over 400 years old, and
as perfect from decay in any of its tim
bers US the day it was built; and when
among the saeters of Romsdal and Gud-
bransdal heights, | even found saeter
huts, the habitations of the saeter girls
who tend the mountain herds in sum
mer, which had been built from 150 to
$50 years ago.
/ soon began to notice that if the
oldest portion of all these structures was
not the best, it was still, considering its
age, incomparably the best preserved;
and another curious fuct, that such por-
tion was invariably OF different con.
struction became apparent. The pine
timbers in these structural portions OF
greatest antiquity were invariably placed
on end, in the formation of walls, and
never lalu together horizontally. Illls
ancient method of building, l finally
learned, is what the Morse call 'reis
vark," that is, raised work, or "stood-uI
work" and in this peculiar method d
building lies the secret OF the astound
ing antiquity Of the famous woodel
churches OF Norway. Every portion il
constructed from Norwegian pine, 81
enduring beyond any historically known
oak that has wiIhstood the furies of Nor
wegian storms, the rigors of almos
Arctic winters and again the searching
heat of almost tropical summers, through
periods ranging from five to eight hun
dred years.
The appearance Of both these curiou
old churches and the older class of mill
and storehuuses would indicate almos
an Oriental origin. have been re
peatedly impressed with the quite start
ling similarity. Coming suddenly owe
some lonely mountain path upon
cultivated valley, where, as in til
lThelemarken and Hardanger districts
little innovation has found its way, til
various groups of farmhouses and out
buildings, dark and weather beaten, 0
here and there newly stained with
kind of red tar much used upon build
ings in Norway, have strongly sug
gested Oriental atiinities in color an