The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-08
ST. MARKS CAMPANILE.
N othing 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 Com
mendatore Boni, discouraged by the diff
ficulties thrown in his path, retired 10
carry on his more congenial work among
the excavations of the Forum; and now
Commentators Beltrami has followed
his example Against Signor Boni's ad-
vice the authorities left the great base
of the tower standing instead of I'M
building it all down to the level OF the
pile heads, and they insisted that S1gnor
Beltrami should build the new Cam
panile upon this old base. As every
stone and block of this base is rounded
and slippery and damaged with age,
there is absolutely nothing for the new
building to hold grip of. and 1t would
be impossible to bind them together. 1t
would only keep in place by its own
weight, and having nothing to rivet it
down to the foundations, it would topple
over at the first shake of earthquake
Besides this, the very consistence of the
old plaster is such as to prevent the new
part from uniting with it. Plaster IN
early Venetian times was simply mix
ture of lime and sand. and the contln-
ual oozing up into the foundations OF
water, with the rise and fall OF the t1desA
has in the course of so many centuries
washed all away-both lime and sand
cause there was nowhere for them to go
to, as all was held in place by the sur
rounding mud and earth.
1t IS true that no defect in the foun-
dation caused the fall. but to build up
new tower on them as they are would
be a very serious mistake; and it was
this that Signor 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
health - and
finally to resign altogether. The in
triguing party has cleared the ground,
but it is remarkable that no one ap-
pears ready to undertake the work,
now that the condition of things is Wis
ible to all. We were down in the great
trench round the base this morning.
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 Off
cial said today, confusion worse con-
founded"
Meantime. in the digging round the
spot many things of interest have come
to light. All along the side Of the
trench toward Sansovino's library a
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 nos
pital. built by the sanity old Doge Or
seolo, about 976. The level of these
foundations is considerably higher than
those of the CamDanile. showing that
these were of a much earlier date. and
that in Doge Orseolo's time the soil had
already risen. This also goes to prove
the truth of the idea that the Cam
panile had existed as a watch tower
long before it was used as the bell
tower of st. Marks. One of Doge Or
seolo's stones now rests in our hall
Another interesting discovery. at the
northwest corner of the excavation. at
still greater depth, were stakes and
wattlework which had once lined a
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 wattlework was
the original from which so many beau
tiful designs were taken for decora lions
of vases and for carving in marble in
the eighth and ninth centuries. and
which. indeed. are found. I believe in
all parts of the globe This waffle
work. together with other interesting
objects found, is being carefully pre-
served in the ducal palace.-Londor
| Globe.