Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-16
Memorial Bridge Will Be a Feature
of the Exposition.
NAMED FOR The CAR OF RUSSIA
Most Artistic and Pleasing in the
Harmony of Details.
ELEG ANT DECORATIONS

marching down to oblivion together They
have done their turn on the exposition
stage the applause is over and a new act
is placarded. As playthings for children at
a seaside resort both wheel and tower may
still enjoy sort of protracted popularity,
but they must no longer look to be count
ed among the great things Of earth. On
the threshold of a new century we decline
to be amazed at what astonished US in
1850 and caused us TO hold our breath in
1893.
But. although the Eiffel tower is a back
number and one of the small cards, it is
still in evidence-9S4 feet in evidence-and
by all odds the loftiest height in Paris or
any other city. 1t cost mint OF money
to build, and the exposition directors could
not cart away the sky-piereing structure
as readily as they disposed of the other
remains of the last worlds fair. because
the COMPANY who furnished the money for
Its erection hold concession from the city
of Paris that still has dozen years to run
With another exposition on the taps the
stockholders believe they are likely to de-
rive still further dividends from their
plucky investment of a decade ago.
The Tower stfu stands.
So the tower will receive fresh coat of
paint. some changes will be made In It's
cafes and observatories, and the climbing
portion of humanity will once again have
chance to see how it seems to enjoy a
fifty-mie view from an altitude twice
high your own Washington monument.
But the exposition of 1900 is not to be
without its prime attraction.
Perish the thought
In 1889 it was tower.
In 1893 1t was a wheel.
In 1900 twill be bridge.
And from an architectural and decora-
tive standpoint this great memorial bridge
will readily rank first among the art
bridges of the world.
1t will not be a Bridge of Sighs.' nor
yet a bridge of any great siZe-only 800
feet long and 10 feet wide, but neverthc-
less twill receive the attention of the cam
and kodakS beyond the lot or most
bridges.
This is a bridge building epoch Your
own President Mckinley has a pet project
for a great memorial bridge across the Po-
tomac, from the nations capital to Airing
ton. where sleep the soldier dead Of your
republic. with arches and statues to COM
n1emorate the great names In your coun-
try's history. Our exposition bridge is in
tended TO reflect some of the triumphs and
giories of France. as well as to commence
rate a friendly alliance with one of the
greatest of the powers
High Art Bridge.
The Alexander III bridge, as it will be
known, will cost 81 100000, one-siXth of the
amount being used for general decoration.
The ceremonies attending the laying OF the
cornerstone, which was generally regarded
as the cornerstone of the exposition, rank
as historical event, and were the chief
function of the splendid pageant which at
tended the visit of the Car of all the Rus
sias and the czarina to the French republic
in 1896. Popular enthusiasm was un-
bounded. 1t lis doubtful whether the i'm
peraEs visitors chad eyer before witnessed
such scene. The voices of millions of
people were heard in grand chorus OF APP
plause, whic h gradually grew in volume
lad IF ont nt
All this due to the fact that the pres
ence of the regal visitors was generally
regarded as the seal of new Franco-Rus-
sian alliance. The most enchanting fetes
were given in honor of the car and his fair
wife. who were effusive in their declara-
lions that no other city on earth was ca
pable of outdoing Paris in lavish hospi-
tality. PariSiaRS alone are capable of pro-
ducing such scenes, for Paris is a city of
science and arte-a city of fetes and flowers;
a city where emotions are conta gious and
the entire people become imbued with a
spontaneous enthusiasm. But, although
Paris seemed to have reached the zenith of
exultation in 1896, the city is even now
looking forward to a still greater display
of popular eXuberance In 1900. when the
car again comes to the republic to crown
the exposition.
HOnOrs to the Car.
1t was the 1th day of October 1885,
that the corner stone of the Alexander III
bridge was laid. The late President Felix
Faure was present at the function. So
We're the presidents of the senate and
chamber of deputies. So were all the
ministers and diplomatic representatives
So We're the mayors of all the chief cities
OF france Besides these We're several
thousand distinguished guests officially in
Vited to the ceremonies, and perhaps a
million or more general spectators who
TOOK advantage of the civic holiday to add
by their presence and their voices to the
acclaim of the occasion.
You saw in your own American metropolis
some such outpouring the recent coca
sion when you welcomed home to the land
he had enriched with a new domain in the
east the hero of Manila.
ANA now. some facts about the Alexander
III bridge itself. First of all, II il built
" 81 steel, ana while steel bridge is not
the sort of framework that adapts itself
most happily to ornamentation because its
outlines must remain visible to the eve
heNeftheiess, the architects. and engineers
nave worked together so admirably that
the outcome lis series of designs the
harmony and details of which are most
aftistic and pleasing. AS stated before,
the entire length of the bridge is 36o feet
and the extreme width I32 feet II non
sists or fifteen cast-steel arches unon
which rests the steel foor-the first time in
inc engineering history OF France that steel
arches have been applied to this nurnose
The general style of the bridge is thai of
the Louis XIV period. The center road
way has breadth of sixty-six feet. with
I'M - -loot SIDEWALK on either side
AT each entrance to the bridge are two
white marble pylons. sixty-six feet high.
each sllrmounted at the top with Pegasus
and statue representing Fame About to
Take Her Flight" AT the foot of the nv
Ions four large statues will be placed
These were originally planned to represent
France and Russia in the time of Louis
XIV and France and Russia at the time
OF the alliance Tin 1886, but, after several
notifications, 1t was finally decided to have
these marbles typify France of the Renais-
sance. France of Louis XIV, France OF
the middle ages and modern France AS
the bridge was being built by Frenchmen
In France it was not thought desirable 10
make 1t too Russian, or even too Franco
Russian.
No Politics In This
Some writers, ever on the alert for DO
ittical sensations, sought to find in these
deviatons from the original idea the evil
dence of a sudden chill in the secret treaty
between the two powers, but it is far more
probable that the managers of the exposizl
ton deemed it advisable to follow out thu
program approved by parliament rather
than to be influenced and directed by
tickle public sentiment in the erection of a
french monument that is destined to en-