The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-11-09
our WASHINGTON LETTER.

WAsHINaToN d. G.. NOVEMBER 3rd.
Mr.. EDITOR:-Oue of the most remark
able stories that has been told for long
| time comes out in connection with some
fresco work that is to be done within the
| next few weeks in the Capitol. 1t is
nothing less than a claim that the art of
ancient frescoing, as practiced by Raph
ael, Michel Angelo and Leonardo de-
| Vince, has been re discovered and will be
| used in the decoration of the Capitol
building. The artist III question is Max
Friederang, Of New York, who was EN-
ployed during the life Of Leo XIII, in
retouching many of the frescoes in the
Vatican, including those of the famous
Sistiue Chapel, where the work had been
partially destroyed by cannon shots dur
ing the Napoleonic invasion.
The story is as interesting as romance,
and is to the effect that the artists en-
| ployed on the work were unable to match
| either the colors or the treatment in the
original pictures. Pope Leo finally de-
|
but Friederang begged him to allow au
| investigation IF the Vatican Library in
the hope that among the old manuscripts
IF Raphael and of Michel Angelo there
might be some clue to the secret of their
work. The search was acc, rdinaly ma e,
and ultimately there was found an ola
diary of Michel Angelo, which showed
that four hundred years ago he and the
other artists engaged on the Vatican
frescoes were in precisely the same guam
Diary as the modern painters. Michel
| Angelo told in this record how in digging
into the Coliseum for building material.
the workmen had broken into an old
crypt which had been the studio of some
forgotten artist. In this studio they
found among other things number If
ancient amphorae filled with a clear jelly
like substance, which all of the artists
present declared was simply the medium
used in mixing the frescce colors. They
said it was like the media they used made
from lime, but that it had been seasoned
through age. Some of it was tried on
the Vati can frescoes and worked perfect
ly. But Michel Angelo did not believe
that it was the same stuff they had beeL
using and after Analysing the material,
discovered that it was sillicate paint
and gave the receipt by which it coul ! be
made. This recipe Friederang recovered,
and with it he had been able to produce
frescoes not only of unusual coloring but
which have been subjected to all sorts OF
tests without being destroyed as modern
frescoes would be.
Some samples of the work were sub
mtted to the authorities of the Capitol,
and the result was SO satisfactory that
the artist has been engaged to do con
siderable amount of mural decoration,
which will be finished by the time Con.
gress meets, and will in all probability
Z lead to appropriations for the further
decoration of the interior of the Capitol.
1t is one of those romantic stories
which very seldom come to light in real
life. but is interesting nough to warrant
a record in contemporary print.
News has been received by Reclamation
service of the Geologic al Survey that en-
gineers have at last succeede d in closing
the break in the banks of the Colorado
River, which for more than a year past
has been flowing northward into the Sal
ton Sink and threatened to form an inter
national lake on the borders of Mexico
bigger than any other body of fresh wat
er in the United States, except Lake Su
perior. 1t is tribute to the size Of this
country that millions of people in the
United States do not realiza that such a
catastrophe has been impen ding. But it
has, and the accid ent was entirely owing
to the peculiar formation of the country
| near the southern end of the Colorado
river.
North and west If Yume in southe n
California lies the Salten Sink, the low
est section of which is 4sO feet bel ow sea
level, deeper than the Dead Sea. Several
| years ago an irrigation company under
took to dig ditch from the waters of the
Colorado into this low lying valley,
which, as had been said, is bigger than
the whole area of Lake Michigan. The
ditch was dug anu the company prosper
ed, but something over year ago phe
nomOual food in the Colorado washed
out the head gates of this irrigation can,
al, and the Colorado, finding channel
already cut for itself, promptly turned
into the ditoh and carved itself new
course over a mile wide down hill to the
northward and into the depths of the
ancient Salton Sea. Every effort was
made to get the river back int its proper
channel, but the river would OF be turn
ed. During the past year and half, it
has been running directly north ward and
i'ing up this immense basin 1t has al
ready drowned ous the salt work s, which
were in the bed OF the old inland Sc a, and
has flooded farm lands to the value Of
several million dollars