The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-12
INCOME FROM RUINS.
Owner of Old stonehenge Collects
Cash from Sightseers.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
Stonehenge, England's oldest and
most impressive relic, has been max
ing SO much trouble lately that every
body will be glad If the present pros
pect of selling it to the nation is re-
allied.
No doubt it was generally supposed
that the famous and mysterious monu-
ment was the property of the world at
large-so to speak, like Westminster
Abbey. But the site on which the sup
posed temple of the Druids stands is
the property of a rich and slightly OBJ
stinate baronet, Sir Edward Antrobus,
who, If he were so disposed, could tear
the whole thing down without inter-
ference from the law, Just as the owner
of the house in which Pope lived in
Twickenham razed the place out of
spite because her neighbors objected
strongly to some alterations she pro-
posed to make.
Sir Edward has been nightly stirred
up about this wonderful property for
more than year. He offered to sell
it, but put a price on it that was pro-
hibitive for any one except the tradi-
tional American millionaire who
was fancied to be about to step in
and carry Stonehenge bodily to the
United States and run it as a dime
museum.
Fenced in with Wire.
The rich American failing to mate
rialize, Sir Edward himself made a
short step. in the dime museum direc-
ton. On the last day of last year two
of the largest stones forming the an
cient temple of the sun blew down.
Ona nf them NJ the hInOx tnI,
has been known for centuries as the
leaning stone" the other was the
pillar stone"
Soon afterward Sir Edward took
counsel with three learned societies of
antiquarians, who advised him to have
the stones replaced in their positions,
and in the meantime to surround the
ancient monument with a barbed wire
fence, on the ground that the constant
tramping of tourists and sightseers
around the group of powders has al
most as bad an effect on them as the
marches of Joshua's army had on the
walls of Jericho. This Sir Edward did
at once, but found the job an extremely
costly one. and with, as he says. the
idea of recouping himself, the land
lord of Stonehenge for some time has
been charging visitors a shilling each
for admission into the Enclosure.
Public Angry.
The most important expression of
popular disapproval aroused by this ac-
tion of the Baronet has been q petition
to the Wiltshire County Council, the
local administrative body, which is
signed by several prominent antiquari-
ans and societies of high standing, pro-
testing vigorously against both fee and
fence, both of which measures have
been, they say, taken by Sir Edward
in violation OF the rights Of the public,
enjoyed since time immemorial.
other critics of Sir Edward depre-
cate not only his extremely unroman-
tic barbed wire fence, but the equally
unpoetic tollgate through which the
visitor to the temple of the sun now
enters, 10 say nothing of tho various
unsightly joists and supports which
still are grouped about the two pieces
OF stone which have been replaced.
They add that the whole place IS also
a mass of signs-chiehy concerning the
possibility of obtaining refreshments
nearby-which clash violently with
what little remains of the historic at
mosphere of the place.
Resulting Benefits.
Sir Edward responds that before the
existence of his fence the near neigh
borhood of the stone pile was crowded
at all times with carryalls, brakes and
photographers wagons, whereas now
the visitors first view OF the place
across the moor rs unobstructed. the
fence being invisible az a little dis
lance.
The work Of replacing the fallen
stones certainly has been done with
great care. and the incidental results
have been practically interesting. The
work has been under the direction Of
a celebrated architect while the ex-
cavations were made under the super
vision of Dr. Gowland. professor Of
mineralogy az the Royal College ~
Science. The leaning stone" which