Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-09-24
THE FALLEN CAMPANlLE.
Nothing Done Yet Toward Rebuild
ing venice's Great Tower.

Nothing Done Yet Toward Rebuild
ing venice's Great Tower.
The party intrigues which have been
vigorously carried on ever since the
campanile fell by the supporters Of
those who then were turned out Of
office have once more succeeded. First
Commentators Boni, discouraged by
the difficulties thrown in his path, re.
tired to carry on his more congenial
work among the excavations of the
forum, and now Commenda tore Bel
traml has followed his example.
Against Signor Bonis advice the au-
thorities left the great base of the
tower standing instead of unbuilding
1t all down to the level Of the pile
heads, and they insisted that Signor
Beltrami should build the new cam
panilc upon this old buse AS every
stone and block of this base is round
ed and slippery and damaged with age,
there is absolutely nothing for the
new building to hold grip Of. and It
would be impossible to bind this ma
teral. 1t would only keep in place
by its own weight, and, having moth
ing to rivet it down TO the foundations,
it would topple over at the first shake
of earthquake. Besides this, the very
consstoncc of the old plaster is such
as to prevent the new part from unit
| ing with it. Plaster in early Venetian
times was simply mixture Of lime
and sand, and the continued oozing up
into the foundations of water with the
rise and fall OF the tides has in the
course of so many centuries washed all
away. both lime and sand. and the
stones only stood in place because
there wa nowhere for them to 20,
as all was held in place by the sur
rounding mud and earth.
1t Is true that no defect in the
| foundations caused the fall, but to
! build up new tower on them as they
are would be a very serious mistake,
and it was this which Signor Bcltrami,
when he came to full knowledge of the
condition of things below ground, re-
| fused to do and which caused him first
TO 90 to the country for his health
and now finally to resign altogether.
The intriguing party has cleared the
| ground, but 1t Is remarkable that no
one appears ready to undertake the
work now that the condition of things
| is visible to all We were down in the
great trench round the base the other
day, and from the excavation dug into
its mass was issuing a flowing stream
of water All work has been stopped,
and everything in the matter IS, as an
official said to me, confusion woxse
COMPOUNDED"
Meantime in the digging round the
spot many things of interest have come
to light. All along the side of tho
trench toward Sansovino's library q
thick wall of foundation stones has
been laid bare, which, from their posi-
ton and from historical records, turn
out to be those of an ospizio or hospi
tai, built by the sanity old Doge or
seolo about 916. The level of these
foundations is considerably higher thar
those of the campanile, showing thai
these were of a much earlier date ant
that in Doge Orseolo's time the sol
had already risen. This also gees Il
prove the truth of the idea that the
campanile had existed as watch
tower long before it was used as the
bell tower of st. Marks. One of Dogt
| Orseolo's stones now rests in our hail.
Another interesting discovery, at the
northwest corner of the excavation. a
a still greater depth, We're stakes Gnt
waffle work which had once lined {
canal bank in the time of the first la
COON inhabitants, before the invasion
of the Huns sent the jewellers on the
mainland to seek safety among these
watery wastes. Their waffle work wa:
the original from which so many beau
tiful designs were taken for decora
tons Of vases and for carving in mar
BILE in the eighth and ninth centuries
and which indeed are found. | believe
in all parts Of the globe. This wattl,
work, together with other interesting
objects found, Is being carefully pre-
served in the ducal palace.-LondoI
Globe.