The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-24
VENICE GOING
TO FALL DOWN
The Famous Compatible Tumbles
to The Ground-City in
Peril.

VENICE, July 1.-THE Campanille
| detached bell tower of St Mark 5
church, ninety-eight meters high. col
lapsed at 1O:4O this morning and fell
with a great crash into the piazza
| The canlpaaiIle, which was entirely
detached from the cathedral. collapsed
where it stood and is now a heap of
ruins. The cathedral and Palace of
the Dornes are quite safe. but a corner
of the royal palace was damaged. Re
pairs on the Campanille were to have
commenced today. 1t is feared there
was some loss OF life The ruins are
surrounded by a Gordon of troops.
The first inttmation OF the danger
was the sudden appearance yesterday
of longitudinal crack in the corner
of the wall facing the clock tower and
the breaking of two windows. con-
cert which be- been arranged to be
held on the piazza yesterday was stop
ped by order of the Project, with the
object of preventing a concourse Of
people.
The ruins are piled up to a height
of 100 feet, and the Piazza di San Mar
co and the adjoining squares are COW
cred with debris and dust. Some dam
age was zone TO the Sanssovino Log
getta. or vestibule. on the east side OF
the campanille.
The carnpanilIe stood opposite the
church of the Cathedral of St. Marks. |
II was founded in SS8, restored in 1923. |
provided with a marble top in 1417, and
in 1857 was crowned with the figure of
an angel nearly sixteen feet high.
NEW YORK, July ia cable to the /
Sun from Venice says: Professor Wag- |
ner, city architect, is of the opinion that
practically the whole of Venice Is
doomed to destruction. He says that
the subsoil has deteriorated, and piles
and pillars are rotten and unable-to
stand the pressure on them Shrink
ages and sinking have been observed in
the subsoii for many years, although
an official commission lately declared
that there was no danger from these
causes.
Professor Wagner advocates the re-
storation of the ioggia Of Sansovino,
but not the tower. He says that if the
tower is rebuilt 1t should be In modern
style.
VENICE, Italy July 16.-Offers of
money 10 aid in rebuilding the Campo
nile continue to be received from
abroad. including offers from America,
but there is a disposition to make its
purely national affair
and TO rebuild the structure exactly as
Il was prior to the collapse without {
foreign assistance. The cost is esti- s
mated at 100000 lire.
The bronze gate of the loggetta of
Sans Sovino was found beneath the de-
1ris. twisted and with one of the lions s
broken. There is hope that the pictures
~ Tintoretto and others may be saved. 4,
Three fOurthS of the Piazza of San
Marco is covered with debris and traffic
s completely stopped.
NEW YORK, July 16.-Wfthin a bar
'icade surrounding the ruins of the I
workmen are sorting into !
separate heaps the marble statues. J
broken bronze bells. copper roofing,
of the caps of the col
INNS and iron bars, cables the Venice l
of the Herald.
Signor Kasi, Minister of Public
Works. and Signor CaIderon, Director G
# Fine Arts, have arrived from Rome
o conduct the inquiry into the causes
# the disaster. 1t is now thought the
ollapse was due to the east wall of
he tower having been damaged by
lightning in 1745. when the republic I
'uilt a new wall against it.
The two walls never Joined properly
nd the old wall began to settle in
ooV- 1HS Two were united Win iron Y
nd thus made stable. Against the !
asst wall was the Sansovino logetta. i
+hich greatly needed repair. as rain
Inferred where the wall joined the cam
anile to put steel supports. The old n
all instantly fell some inches lower
Ialf a million lire (s100,000) has already
cen subscribed for the rebuilding of
he tower. which viii be the work of
everal years.