The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
CAITGTLt'S STNKEN PALACES.
Attempt 10 Raise These playthings
OF The Degenerate Emperor.


RoME, Ian Il A company with n capital
Of 100000 has been organized for the pur-
pose of draining Lake Nemi. a small body
Of water occupying what was once the crater
Of q volcano in the Alban Ellis. upon the
estate Of Prince Orsini, about thirty-two
miles from Rome The object o! draining
tie lake l. 10 recover two enormous floating
gardens or house boats Of tho most eNtrs-
ordinary character, which were hullt and
used by the crazy Emperor Caligula about
forty years after Christ
The historian SuetoEms tells us that Cali
rula suuandcred in fantastic schemes during
a single year The sun OF ? 7or,o'n,on sest"rces
trquINAirrt 80 about ~sln.VN,Oo oil our
money! that had been lntt him 10y 1inerius,
and apecrihe- among other remarkable toys
constructed for his, amus"inrnt noaling
IroV-, rich sculpture, vessels OF gold ana
slvoi. >aii- Of puTpl" 'lk, bathrooms OF
nIahuster and bronze and other equally
novel and costly Features pon ihr-'
hodtIug gardens were Nin";aros ana lrult
trees They were not only places OF anI,l,e-
peror worShipped himself The floor, were
paved with glass mosaic, the window. ana
dopr frames were Of bronze, many OF the
decorations, were OF almost priceless NAIue'
aud the ordinary equipments were OF bedutl-
hi design ard costly Workmanship
These ilOdt,ig palaces were attached, 70
the shore by chains and bridges were stretched
across the water for the purposes OF com
muricG,ion Upon them occurred some OF
the most eNtraordinarN orgies that a human
being ever INDUCED In. In which, cruelty.
murder and the most revolving depravitr
wore mingled with music and sport
For some reason or another, prohnbly,
during the wars that followed the reign OF
CaliGula. these palaces were SUNK ana nov
lie In the mud a1l yards distant from each
other in Ave fathoin~ of water. one il 49,
feet from the bank and the other ABOUT 20,
.ect one measures So feet IN length and
80 feet in width and the smaller is i7o feet
long and 20 tret wide
The first attempt to raise them was made
impossible In lii9 Cardinal Irospero Colon
ma employed Leon Battsia .AlbertL the great
est engineer Of that prr,GH, my, nlS ime'hG 10
used Uonioon bridges. NindIeSse, aNn W
Hated bladders. la 1855 Francesca de Marchl
of Bologna. a great military engineer, MA"
another attempt, an account OF which i given
in hs work on Military Architecture he
was unable to do dnythinE. bGt Obtained
occurate measurement and other valuable
information concerning tie OBJECTS OF ms
search. \ diver who sl+'ni s%vvtai non'nS
richly wrought bronze. when hau peConl"
detached from the deCoratlons nothing
further was done until 49,, Whsh announcer
engineer succeeded In breaking on me pro"
of one Of the VC~~elsto it, p,rmat"ht injury
Five wears ago Sign"r n"ILhi, q ma',Tu
Orsini family to max" another attellnt ana
although h" wa nnsucor-el4' W. I,iTunp,sm-
inc hi, purpose. he ulnuaFed' WIN w gIhI-
bling irons, to rip up the palaces pE,tty RHl'r-
ally and has probably dn,t'un,t omt NM
beautiful decoration, Of bron3" ,nd marble
haforr he va stopped nv tho Munster 81
Pgblic instruction, who ma 'h,tg" nI an
nrr nov hidden away trcsoale cunns'llion
Gy tho Government, when ha- i~rn 'tyils 70
81 hold Of them. There has l""i n hll'r
,ortrnvarsv over the matter IN. thc, news
naprr, ana N ~p1mphlcts. aEd, tho Goysfn--
',tL,dI tbst viii IN iuro the hOnts Borghl
! has therefore organiz"d a coinpany ana T., !,
now offering tho shares ior III " 'auC,,gyn
TO- allow Inn TO GO, at the ship. and dredG"
Tho bottom for fragments that may naIe poc
came dcta ched Tho boats are MAJ oI
! c,dar. win a thick coating Of pltch ann
! covered with cloth. On the OUTSIDE 81 Mm'Vs
|tan.d Win conner nails The decks are
paved with sla.' i9o,' sSys OF b eSSlIi ootins into
,GH~pga "a No, confident OF the success OF
H. Scheme They think the boats are 700
far decaxed to hang together