The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-01

much that those working above joked
at those below to the effect that they
were going to be swallowed up in the
earth. In a few hours we did get down
into the earth; but it was by a flight Of
seven steps, at the bottom of which we
stood upon the floor of an irregular quad
rangular room, about twenty-five feet DE
low the surface which We had broken up.
In the west wall Of the room there Were
two rather understood lions heads of
bronze, through the wide-open mouths of
which water had once flowed Beneath
them were the round holes in the pave
ment In which pitchers were placed for
filling. Above them there projected for
ward the edge Of the native ledge with
which we had became familiar two years
years ago in the fountain Peirene at the
other end Of the Propylaea. There was
no doubt, there could be no doubt, that
here we were at an ancient Greek level,
and that the fountain which we have
is an ancient Greek fountain, not de-
stroyed like Glauke nor remodeled sew
eral times like Peirene, but remaining alb
solutely intact an absolutely unique eX-
ample. I was 50 staggered by it that I
couds hardly believe in our good luck.
Mr. Kabbadias, the Ephor General of
Antiquities, came out from Athens and
upbraided me for not being enthusiastic
enough over my luck. And when he
wrote about it in the papers, visitors
came from Athens and elsewhere, so that
we had to have a guard mounted to see
that the lions heads were not stolen.
Two cabinet members came separately
yesterday afternoon. Today. casts of the
heads are being made.
Although it is certain that the founda-
ton itself is Greek, the balustrade at the
top of the steps is Roman in the sense
that it was placed there when Corinth
was refounded by julius Caesar. But it
is Greek in that it was taken from tenn
pies which Mummius destroyed when
they had all their parts fresh upon
them, and convey us 10 a lively impress
sion of the distribution of color on
Doric temple. Pausanius never saw the
building from whence they come for
when he visited the place they had ceased
to exist for more than three hundred
years. And as he was too much engaged
in recording sacred things to mention this
balustrade made OF their remains, beau
tiful though it must have been. He does
indeed. I think, mention this fountain
without noticing the balustrade especially;
for this is in the agora. and ne mentions
a single fountain there, one on which
stood a bronze statue of Poseidon with
dolphin at his feet ejecting water from
It's mouth AS we found base on the
above mentioned platform (Which, by the
way. forms the covering to the room in
front OF the wall with the lions heads,
1t seems natural TO connect this with the
statue OF Poseidon. even if We fail to see
how the water was brought 10 so high
a level.
I must refrain from charging on other
events Of the campaign, but ought not to
leave unmentioned a most exquisite
votive relief found in the last days of
the work. with seven small figures not
more than eight inches high. The pure
spirit of Greek art breathes through it.
and it is felt as sensibly from it as from
Parthenon frieze or from the Attic tomb
stones OF the best period.
RUFUS B. RICHARDSON.