The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-14
BABEL OF TONGUES
AMONG THE BUILDERS
WOrkmen of Many Nations Are
Doing a Big Job at
St. Louis.
BY Rohertus Love.

ings section of the worlds fair grounds
at St. Louis.
Workmen of more than half a dozen
nationalities are now engaged in con-
struction work on foreign government
buildings. They have not come to
America to be naturalized and remain
here. They have come for the especial
purpose of assisting in the construction
of their national buildings. and when
that work is done they will return to
their homes. These men are simply
away from home in a job. 1t is a job
that brings them across the seas and
places them amongst unfamiliar people
and surroundings, and undoubtedly the
job was much sought after by the vari-
Gus artisans who were lucky enough to
get such employment.
If a tower of Babel were to be built
as a feature for the worlds fair pike it
would be easy to find the workmen
right here on the grounds to do the
job. There would be sufficient confu-
sion of tongues before the completion
of the tower to leave 1t in the shape
that is known to history.
The contractor of the tower of Babel
would need only to go up the hillside
to get Japanese workmen of wonderful
skill-carpenters and joiners whose
work evokes ordinations of wonder
from Americans; big Russian metal
workers and wood workers, with voices
as gruff as the boreal blasts that blow
along the Siberian wilds; hardy Bel
CLAN mechanics who talk French as 1t
is spoken on the housetops Of modern
Bruxelles; German, English and Span
1sh-tongued men, the latter from Brazil
With an admixture of the pure Chinese
and a savoring of the Swedish lingo,
this confusion of tongues would be like
unto that of Bible times-and both the
Swedes and the Chinese are here on the
ground.
A great deal Of the work on the re-
production of the Castle of Charlotten-
burg, the German national building,
was done by Germans from Germany,
who still belong to Germany. The Ger
man language was heard in and on
that big building at all times. In its
fatherland fervidity of expression; and
when at last the castle on the hill was
completed and there was a characters
TIC German celebration thereof, with the
breaking Of a bottle of wine on the
rafters, as at the launching of a ship,
there were speeches in German by Ger
man contractors and also enc by a Ger
manrcarpenter. Emperor William him.
SELF supervised the plans for this build
ing; though he was not present at the
launching, 1t may not be necessary to
state.
Just In front of the administration
building, little to the right. as One
races the main features of the EXPOSE
ton, there is going up an odd-Iool1ing
structure which attracts much atten-
uon. Its immensely of size Is the SUBJ
5ect of much moment At first. when
only long section Of steel arches COW
cred With curved lumber had been put
up, people nkened the structure to an
immense railroad tunnel above ground.
Then another long section of covered
arches was put up, and between these
TWO a section running tranSverseIv
Now on top of this middle section is
being built big dome-like tower. also
OF steel construction
A man walking along there a few
on TINS building call to each other in
French.
All! this is the French building"
ne explained to his companion. who
thanked him for the information.
The man, who understood French.
then engaged one of the workmen in
conversation and found that he was
Belgian from Brussels. This structure
OF steel arches and Orders Is Belgiunn's
national building. The steel work was
rolled and put together in sections at
Brussels. Workmen from that citv
came over to set up the building. They
are sturdy fellows, capable of with
standing rigorous climate The I'M
usually cold weather Of the latter part
OF January and early February found
the Belgians hard at work on their
building, and for only two or three
days, when the wind was strong and
the snow was deep, did they retire from
their tall tower One cannot but won
der how 1t happens that some of these
men are not blown from their lofty
perches. but they seem to cling to the
cold steel with the tenacity of flies to a
ceiling. ~ I"
Just east Of the Belgians there are
some workmen from another far quar-
ter OF the earth. They are constructing
a queer looking house It's corntce
corners turn up like the tip tilted nose
OF a pretty school girl, and there are
curves enough in its roof to supply
contemporary chorus girl with quail
ncations for the first row. This is the
chinese pavilion, pagoda structure
winch shows unmistakable signs of be-
ing a most delightful attractive build
ing. Its architecture is purely Chinese
and therein 1t Is different from any
other building on the grounds
the entire exposition had been
built in the Chinese STYLE" remarked
q Well Travelled man recently at would
nave been even more beautiful than
it is"
But tastes differ in architecture as
In other arts. and so the Chinese build
Ing is in class by itself The China
men brought from China to do certain
parts Of the work, partly because no
one else on earth possibly could do il
with such close adherence to the min
ute detail required supply their full
share Of the tower of Babel at tha
worlds fair grounds.
The Russian workmen, who have inst
begun their building, are distinguisha-
bic from all others on the grounds NV
the cut of their trousers. There is
enough surplus material in the trOuser
legs of these big Russians to make a
pair of breeches for an American. The
bagginess of their breeches is abnormal
But this does not retard their move
ments, as they hustle about in the
snow, laying foundation for their ma
tional building. The cold weather has
no terrors for these hale and hardy
men from the land of rigorous climates
Away off on a hill, with Great Brit
aims building almost in the zone of fire
If the Russo Japanese affair should be
settled at the Worlds fair by a con-
test at craftsmanship between the
Russes and Japs on the grounds is
the site of the several buildings be-
Ing erected by men from the kingdom
of the chrysanthemum Little Jams
each wearing the long coat ornanoanfa5