The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-27
THE FALLEN cAMPANiLE.
Nothing Done Vet Toward Rebuild
 ina Venice's Great Tower.

From the London Globe.
 The party intrigues which have been vigorously carried on ever since the camp anile fell by the supporters of those who then were turned out of office have once more succeeded. First Commentators Bonl, discouraged by the difficulties thrown in his path, retired to carry on his more congenial work among the eXcaVa- tions of the forum, and now Commenda- tore Beltrami has followed his example. Against Signor Bonis advice the authori~ ties left the great base of the tower standing instead of unbuilding it all down to the level of the pile heads. and they insisted that Signor Beltrami should build the new campanile upon this old base As every stone and block or thls base is rounded and slippery and dam aged with age, there is absolutely nothlng for the new building to hold grip or and it would be impossible to bind this ma terial It would only keep in place by It's own weight. and. having nothing to rivet it down to the foundations it would topple oyer at the first shake of earth quake. Besides this, the very conscience of the old plaster is such as To prevent the new part from uniting with It. Plas- ter in early Venetian times was simply a mixture of lime and sand and the con- tiued oozing up into the foundations or 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 was nowhere for them to go, as all was held in place by the surrounding mud and earth.
 It is true that no defect in the founda- tlons caused the fall but to build up new tower on them as they are would be a very serious mistake. and 1t was this which Sgnor Beltrami, when he came to full knowledge of the condition of things below ground, refused to do and which caused him first to go to the country 'for his health and now finally to resign alto- gether. 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 vis- ible to all. We were down in the great trench round the base the other day, and from the excavation dug into it's 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 worse confounded
 Meantime in the digging round the spot many things of interest have come to light. All along the side of the trench to- ward Sansovno's library a thick wall of foundation stones has been laid bare. WHICH, lIOil llitiT poSitiOH diib AfVii i'i' torical records, turn out to be those of an ospizio. hospital, built by the saintly old Doge Orseolo about 976 The level Of these foundations is considerably higher than those of the campanile. showing that these were of a much earlier date and that in Doge Orseolos time the soil had already risen This also goes to prove the truth of the idea that the campanie had existed as a watchtower long before 1t was used as the bell tower of St. Mark s. One of Doge Orseolo's stones now rests in our hall.
 Another interesting discovery. at the northwest corner of the excavation. at still greater depth, were stakes and wat tie work which Snad once lined canal bank In the time of the first lagoon in- habitants, before the invasion of the Huns sent the dwellers on the mainland to seek safety among these watery wastes. Their wattle work was the original from which so many beautiful designs were ta- ken for decorations of vases and for cary ing In marble in the eigth and ninth cen turies and which indeed are found be- leve. in all parts of the globe. This wat tie work, together with other interesting objects found is being carefully pre- served in the ducal palace