Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-07-31
the wonLD.s 1osr rnEAsvnE.
History and Description of the Famou
Landmark of Venice.

THE WORLDS LOST m EAsURE.
History and Description OF the Famous
Landmark of Venice.
New York Times.
Dominating as it did, all the sur
rounding buildings in the famous
Square of st. Mark, the Campanile,
which was demolished July 18th,
was the most conspicuous of all the
landmarks of Venice. 1t rose sheer
above the highest pinnacles of the
famous church, and had stood there,
visible from considerable distance
from the city, of little over a
thousand years.
In the early days of the Republic
men stood on the tower to watch for
Homecoming vessels, and the news of
many victory was signalled to the
anxious citizens in this way. But the
tower was also used for the purpose
which its name signifies. According to
some authorities, four bells we're rung
for various purposes. One sounded at
dawn to call the laborers, another
opened the official bureaus, third
called the councils and the fourth
tolled out the requiem of persons who
were to be executed. Calico made
many observations from the tower.
The Campanile was begun by the
Doge Pietro Tribune in the year 1888.
In 1929 it was restored; nearly a
century later it was provided with its
stone top, and in 1917 the figure of the
angel was placed at the summit.
At the foot of the Campanile was
the Loggetta, or Loggia, built by
the famous sculptor and architect
Jacopo Sansovino, in 1910, as a
meeting place for the mobiles of
Venice. 1t was richly adorned
with ,.reliefs, and had bronze statues
of Minerva, Apollo, Mercury and
a God of Peace, all by Sansovino.
The bronze doors OF the yestihule were
regarded as masterpieces. The Loggia
was not long used for its original pur-'
pose. 1t became a waitingroom for the
commanders of the. guards during the
sessions of the Great Council. Recently
it had been used for auctions and lot
terry drawings.
The Campanile was built of brick.
1t was 325 feet high and AZ feet square,
on stone base, simply decorated with
slight pilasters. The upper part was an
open lantern with a pyramidl roof,
and on the apex was the line colossal
statue of an angel, formed of plates of
gilt bronze on a wooden core.
The Campanile was built on a foun-
dation Of 10-foot piles of white poplar,
close driven into the stiff clay. Above
was double layer of oak planks. and
above them rough footings of trachyte
and other volcanic stones. Other build
ings in Venice have foundations of the
same kind, but many arc built on
another plan, without piles but with
wider footings.
There was no staircase in the tower,
the ascent being made by winding
inclined plane of 80 bends, ending in
few steps The entrance to the tower
was by a small door on the west side.
Visitors to Venice usually chose the
sunset hour for ascending the tower,
when, from the summit, wonderful
view of the city and its surroundings
could be obtained. Indeed, to ascend
the tower was the only way to under
stand the intricate plan Of thetcity,
which from the the top of tho Cam
panile was spread out like map, with
all It's spires and churches and distant
islands, while beyond could be seen
the snowy Alps. Tho tower was always
open, but visitors we're not allowed to
enter it alone. A single traveller had to
engage bystander to enter with him.
AT the top, even in modern times, was
always stationed Waterman, but not
for the same purpose for which a senti-
mel stood there in the days of Venice Is
greatness. The Waterman of modern
Gays carried a telescope, but it was
not to scan the horizon for vessels
bringing news of victory, but to look
for fires in the city and to give notice
of them.
1t may be supposed that there will
be searching inquiry into the cause
of the fall of the tower. Venice spends
a large sum annually in keeping her
famous monuments in order, and a
number Of officials have nothing to do
but to examine the historic buildings
of the. city and report on their condi-
ton. Every trace of decay is supposed
to be observed, and money is available
for immediate repairs if they are neces-
sary. Among the officials employed by
Venice are some of the leading archae-
ologists of Italy.
The last previous great calamity
which Venice suffered by the destruo-
tion OF an artistic treasure was in 1867,
when fire in the Chapel of the Rosary
of the Church of SIS. Giovanni and
Faolo burned one of Titian's chief
masterpieces, the great picture Of st.
Peter Martyr. OF all the famous
Venetian's works this was the most
daring in design of action, while it was
regarded as being quite the equal of
anything else he produced in other re-
speots. However, this disaster, great
as it was, was hardly as grave as the
loss of the Campanile, for an excellent
copy of the st. Peter Martyr by Cardi
da Cigoli is in existence, and has been
placed over the Altar of the Rosary
whore the original once stood.