The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1898-11-23
LEANING TowER OF Pisa.
one Cannot Help Being Nervous II Lock-
ing Fran, It's Top.

one Cannot Help Being Nervous II Lock-
ing Fran It's Top.
In st. Nicholas, john Ward writes of
ssThe Bell Towers CT tsaiy Nr n-Ed
says OF the most famous of them all
Pisa seems ike a Sleeping city, as she
lies SO quietly and silently along the
two borders OF the river Arno. She fell
asleep several hundred years ago, after
she had struggled vaiiantiy for her in
dependence and had Won renoEn daring
the farce contests between the GGeiphs
(partisans OF the pope) and the Ghibels
lines fpartisans of the enperorl- Thoueh
Pisa has long since forgotten the days
of her greatness, the world cannot fyr-
Get them when IL looks upon that won
drously beautiful group CT four marble
white buildings standing apart II the
sacred eorner-the cathedral. the hap,
tistery, the campo santo tor burial
crouutD. and. what interests Us most OF
all, the remarkable campaniie, so well
known as the ''leaning tower. :" This
famous tower was built IN ll74 Its
construction is peculiar. There IS In the
center a hollow brick tube or cy2nder;
around this plain round tower thesarehl-
eects built eight stories OF open galleries,
with beautiful, slender columns CT
white marble supporting semicircular
arches. The general effect IS one OF
great delieacy and lightness, 8 lalTyiike
tower OF wonderful grace. The summit
is I79 feet from the ground. As you al
know. the tower leans Is feet ont CT
the perpendicular and locks as II 1t
would surely fall over at any m9meus,
bat. as the center Of gravity IS still
within its base. it is as safe as II Is
were erect. The foundations were preb-
ably inperfectly bulls at the start, for
the tower began to lean before It was
! half finished, and We can see where at
one point the builders tried to bring 1t
back as much as possible 80 the 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 It's foundations
sinking in the grcundl 1t requires very
steady nerves 10 carry Us TO the top, and
we find ourselves clingiDg to the wall
when we are on the leaning side.
This is what Charles Dickens says
about the tower in his Pictures From
Italy:'' ssIn the course Of the ascent &c
the top the inclination is not very ap-
parent. but ut the summit it becomes
SO and gives enc the sensation Of being
| in a shin that has heeled over through
the action OF an ebb tide. The effect
upon the low side. so TO speak, looking
| over from the gallery and seeing the
shaft recede to It's base, is very star
Ting. and I saw nervous traveller hole
on to the tower iaYolUntariiy attel
glancing down as if he had some ldei
CT proppins it Up. "
When we reach the summit, we mus
not forget that this was where the g-ea
astroDomer Calico watched the stars
experimental ca the fall of bodies an;
studied the law CT grayitation- Here
too, il the upper sto-y, hang the 81
bells, the largest Of which weighs NOR
than u, coo pounds. The bell founder
Of Pisa had a vide reputation FOR Cast
ing bells Of beautiful tone. sonorou
and harmonious They levished CT
them all their art and their talent.
The Pasquareccia the Paschai bell)
the most famous CT tie Fisaa bslis, Ia
one which was tGlled when criminal
were taken to execution, Is crnalnense
: with a figure Of the Virgin and the de
vices Of Pisa AID has rich, full tone