New-York tribune., 1902-08-28
THE STONES OF VENICE.
THEIR SAFETY CERTAIN DESPITE THE
COLLAPSE OF THE CAMPANILE.

THEIR SAFETY CERTAIN DESPITE THE
COLLAPSE OF THE CAMPANILE.
Venetian correspondence Of The London Globe
A vast number of sensational statements are
appearing in all the papers, and suppose, IN an
countries-certainly in EnSland-about Venice
In Peril" THE Foundations Of All Venice Civ
ing Way" and the like. and all are l am happy
20 sav aouaIly false. l say this with confidence,
as / do SO on the highest authority-that OF
Commentators Boni. who, as is known, Is IN
charge here Of all public buildings, until trust
worthy men can be found and new pubic oTnces
be reformed. The Campanile fell because II was
too old and neglected TO stand the surgical oP-
GRAFTON performed upon it But its foundations
are Commentators Boni says, unless something
extraordinary has happened during the lest
eight years. as firm and as strong as ever ne
* in a nosition to know this. for he himself IN
1894 COR thereabouts) examined them lhol-
oughly at the expense of a generous American
Indeed he says that when it comes to the time
for rebuilding the Carnpanile he feels sure that
he will have TO replace no part Of the present
foundations but only to extend them At pres
ent they cover two hundred square metres OF
ground and he will probably increase this 10
four hundred. That is to say, that whereas
now they are only about yard wider each
wav than the base Of the Campanie. they viii
then be about three. When he examined them
he found the piles. which are OF white poplar
as sound as the day they were driven IN on
these niles there are TWO platforms OF sound
massive oak placed trsnsversely, and on these
rise seven courses of splendid stones of porphy-
nc composition and of Istrian marbles Five or
these are below the ground. and two form the
base Of the tower above the pavement
What 1 say of the Campanile holds good, am
glad 70 saw of all the other buildings in Venice
Through age and ignorant neglect many OF them
are in bad order, but the foundations OF all
stand firm The presence Of Commentators
Boni is being utilized 10 obtain advice that can
be depended upon. and he and the architectural
government commission are gradually inspect
ing every tower and building OF Importance IN
the city. Some Of the Companies, such as those
of San Stefano and San Barnaha, are pro
roI1nced in a dangerous condition; indeed, the
;rha hita MS of the houses under San Stefano's
tower have been turned out to seek safer homes
q not unwise precaution. seeing that its summit
overhangs its base 10y a yard and three-quar-
ters The authorities have resolved 70 behead
II down TO the level Of the older part of the
tower, thus reducing il a whole third in height
The spies" bits Of glass fastened across the
cracks 10 detect any movement have already
fallen away. fact that shows the damage con-
tinues.
In the case Of the Procuratie Vecchie the COM
mission finds that general overhauling IS
necessary. The great square plasters were
calculated TO bear thirty kilograms 10 the cubic
centimetre. but the putting up from time 10
time of internal dividing walls. the adding Of
staircases. the raising Of extra floors and the
heaping up of heavy goods notably OF glass, as,
for instance. in the twenty shoWroon1s Of Testo-
lini in the great halls once inhabited by the
noble Procurators of St. Mark, but now reduced
10 offices. storeroons and shops. are straining
too much the bearing power Of pilasters and
foundations. The commission, therefore. rec
onlmends the tightening of the buildings and
their return 10 their primitive use as dwelling
houses.
The clearing away Of the debris of the tower
continues TO be carried with the utmost care
and crcumspection under the direction Of Lieu
tenant Finzi. Of the Engineers. and of Ensign
Fusco. Of the 18th Foot The energy and zeal
Of officers and men are admirable. Not an inch
IF bronze decoration or OF marble carving escapes
their vigilant eyes, and they work heartily all
day under the blazing The municipality
has voted extra pay of half franc day to
the men and five francs a day 10 the above
named officers but these latter have generously
made this sum over to the rebuilding fund-an-
other instance out of many OF the fine spirit
that aniTnates the Italian army.
The materials, they removed, are de-
posted according TO their kind in different
roorln OF the DoCe's Palace. and the marbles
and ne carvings Of the Loggia are placed In
The arcades around the court. where Signor de
Lucin arranges them according to the draw
ings ne took of them two years ago. In one
corner OF the court is a huge heap of iron, in
another the zinc roofing while in the middle is
2 wilderness of broken beams and splinters Of
wood. The great stones Of the Celia, or Bell
Loggia. which Signor Torres identified by means
u his microscope from a photograph are car
San Giorgio Maggiore; and the bricks are de-
posted on the little island OF La GraZic, a little
further off in the Lagoon where many prifni-
I've picnic has been held. The rest Of the mate
rial. the shapeless bits with which the thick
ness Of the old walls filed up, and the
rrunDled-to-dust mortar. is carried away five
miles out to IN great movable bottorned
barges f"bette'D, and is sunk in the Adriatic.
thus giving even the rubbish of the famous
Estch tower Of the old Queen Of the Adrfatic
hitting grave pretty little ceremony occurred
when the first loads carried to their burial.
Commentators Boni. Cav. Malamani, Profes-
Sor Alessandri, of the Academia, and a few
others accompanied the barges and took with
them one OF the large old SIS A. D. bricks, upon
which was inscribed the date of the fall Into
was fastened a bough Of laurel tied with rib