Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-09
TOWER Or PISA.
One Cannot Help Being Nervous In Look
Eng From Its Top


Eng From Its Top
In st. Nicholas, John Ward writes of
''The Bell Towers of Italy" Mr.. Ward
SAYS of the most famous of them all:
Pisa seems like sleeping city, as she
lies 50 quietly and silently along the
two borders of tine river ATno. She fell
asleep several hundred years ago. after
she had struggled vaiiantly for her in
dependence and had won renown during
the fierce contests between the GueIphs
(partisans Of the pope) and the Ghibel-
lines (partisans Of the EMPEROR Though
Pisa has long since forgotten the days
Of her greatness, the world cannot for
get them when IL looks upon that won
drously beautiful group OF four marble
white buildings standing apart in the
sacred cOTner-the cathedral. the bap-
tistery, the campo santo Cor burial
grOrnd), and, what interests Us most Of
all, the remarkable campanile, so well
known as the leaning tower" This
famous tower was built in 1174. It's
construction is peculiar. There is in the
center a hollow brick tube CT cylinder;
around this plain round tower the archi-
tects built eight stories Of open galleries,
with beautiful, slender columns Of
white marble supporting semicircular
arches. The general effect is one of
great delicacy and lightness, q fairylike
tower of wonderful grace. The summit
is I79 feet from the ground. As you all
know, the tower leans - feet out of
the perpendicular and looks as if it
would surely fall over at any moment,
but, as the center Of gravity is still
within its base, it Is a. safe as If IL
were erect. The foundations were prob
ably imperfectly built at the start, for
the tower began to lean before it was
half finished, and we can see where az
one point the builders tried to bring It
back as much as possible TO tho vertical
line by making the columns on the low
side higher than the others. The walls,
too, are strengthened with iron bars.
Fancy the CONSERVATION Of the archi-
tects when they saw their beautiful
tower leaning over and its foundations
sinking IN the groundI II requires very
steady nerves to carry us to tine top, and
we find ourselves clinging to the wall
when we are on the leaning side.
This is what Charles Dickens says
about the tower in his Pictures From
I.aly:" I'm the course of the ascent to
-::5-,op the inclination is not very APP
parent, but at the summit it becomes
Sd anu gives Olt llI5 s+uEAlisu VI btlLB
IL a ship that has heeled over through
the action of an cbb tide. The effect
upon the low side, 80 to speak, looking
over from the gallery and seeing the
shaft recede to its base, is very star
Ting, and l saw nervous traveller hold |
on to the tower involCu5Irily after |
CHANGING down. as Il he had some idea |
of propping it mp.
When we reach the summit, we must !
not forget tina: this was whe.o tho greet |
astronomer Calico watched the stars, |
experimental on tho fall Of bodies and |
studied the law Of gravitatiou. Here, |
too, III the upper story, hang tho six |
bells, the largest Of which weighs more /
than IL, 900 pounds. The bell founders
of Pisa had wiie reputation for cast
ing bells Of beautiful tone, sonorous |
and harmonious. They lavished ON
them all their art and their talent.
The Pasquareccia (the Paschal bell), |
the most famous OF the Pisan bells, the |
one which was tolled when criminals |
were taken to execution, Is Crnamented |
with figure Of tine Virgin and the de- |
vices of Pisa and has Il rich, full tone.