The St. Johns herald., 1896-01-25
THE TOWER OF BABEL.
To Be Reproduced in Miniature
 for the Atlanta Fair.
i Feature of the Coming Exposition That VIII Bc Interesting and Instructive to Visitors oI All Ages
 aad Ceilings.

The Smithsonian Institution is pre- uaring d miniature model of the Tower Of Babel for the exposition of Atlanta. It will be in all respects, so far as pos siblc, faithful reproduction of the famous original. The latter was the rrcatcst of the many magnificent tenn plcs of Dabylon, being one hundred and forty feet high That does not seem much compared with the Washington monument. but people in those days were not accustomed to tall structures, and the aucicnt capital of Assyria was situated in the midst of a vast plain, where there were no natural elevations to serve for comparison. The model in question, says the Washington Star, will be five feet eight inches square on the first story. When i5 is stated that the first st&ry of the actual Tower of Babel was scvcnty-two feet square, a notion will be given of the proportion. The original building was constructed in diminishing stories, each one being o smaller souare than that beneath. This was common style of architect urc in Assyria. and from it evolved the Egyptian pyramid. The stories for the model are square wooden frames of dlf- ferent sizes, so made that they may be superposcd one upon another. These frames, after being put together Will be faced on the outside with veneer of plaster of paris, which will initiate the sun-dried bricks of which the tower was composed.
 The building of the model is under the charge of Dr. Palmer. The work however, is superintcndcd by Dr. Cyrus Adler. who has made an exhaustive study of the historic Tower of Babel. Mechanically speaking, the most ditfi- cult part of the job is the casting of the plaster of paris that is to initiate the bricks. Every brick on the exterior ot the structure is represented and this IS accomplished by making single mold in which the little bricks are laborl- ouslv indicated. From this mold many casts are made, and so the whole sur face is covered. The Babylonians had no stone, and so they were obliged to employ for all their buildings such sum- dried bricks. They did not under stand tho use of moids for the purpose. Naturally, structures of such material soon crumbled and did not last very long.
 The Tower of Babel stood upon an elevated platform of earth six hundred feet square. This was surnounted and retained by a wall of bricks ten feet high. Both platform and wall will be represented in the model, which will be quite an imposing affair when finished. The stories will be painted in different colors, to initiate the orig incI bull .incr. according to descriptions givc1 of is in Assyrian literature. Tho first story was black, in honor o1 Saturn; the second story of orange, fol Jupiter; the third story red, for Mars the fourth story covered with plates O. gold, for tho sun; the fifth story white for Venus; the sixth story dark blue for Mercury, and the seventh story covered with plates of silver, ln honol i of the moon.
 The old Babylonians were worship CTS of the sun, and l-ncw lot abou astronomy. The Tower of Babel wal an observatory from which the priest gazcd upon tho stars in the heavens drawing portcnts from them, pro sulnably for sale at so much a portent The model will have no windows for is rot known whether or not the orig inal edilce possessed any. Nobody, a. yet, has been able to discover how tht houses of the Assyrians were lighted It may be that all the light required for this mighty temple was admitted from the top, which was presumably open to the sky. The stairs were or the outside, and not on the inside O the building. They also will be shown In fact, no detail will be omitted tha may help to give notion of the exac appearance of this wonderful edifce O