The San Francisco call., 1906-07-01
FAMOUS CATHEDRAL
At COLOGNE IN 4
DANGEROUS STATE
Great Pieces Of the Massive
Structure Fall to the
Ground.
Six Hundred Years Taken to
Construct the Big
Edifice.
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

COLOGNE, June s0.-Cologne cathe-
dral, the glory of the famous Rhenlsh
city, is in a really dangerous state
Recently several pieces Of carved stone
fell 10 the street and passersby had
many narrow escapes. The central por-
tai Of the cathedral was Immediately
closed Since then great blocks OF
masonry have fallen away and more
serious damage is feared.
a committee of architects was sum
moned and scaffoIding erected. From
this the architects made an exhaustive
examination and discovered that the
masonry of both the chief entrance
and the south entrance Is loose and
mas crumbled 10 such an extent that
the two portals. were in danger OF
falling. Should this have occurred the
damage might have been enormous The
facades have. been shored UP and the
work Of restoration will be at once be-
gun.
Rain is believed to have FASTENED the
crumb1ing. but the architects blame the
German Romanesque builders OF the
thirteenth century. for the columns are
found not 10 be Solid pillars. but
pilasters or piers. OF these at least
4e0 blocks are found TO be loose
Cologne Cathedral is almost as well
known in the United States as in Eu-
rope II took over 500 years to COM
plete, largely because of the neglect
and apathy of the church authorities
in the three centuries preceding the
nineteenth. The cathedral is acknowlv
edged TO be the finest piece of Gothic
architecture IN the world There have
been modern. critics. who. while con-
ceding its beauty and terming IL
noble and Impressive example, still de-
clare it -disappoints because the. COM
pass had been too much for the crea-
tive genius.
The cathedral stands on the site Of
previous structure built in st4, but
burned down in the twelfth century.
II 1915 the present cathedral was be-.
gun The choir was finished in 1922.
the nave in 1890 and the south tower
in 1447- Then came centuries OF neglect
In 1895 the French army used the
cathedral TO stose hay in and; also
stripped the leadet roof in order 10
make bullets.
In 1923 an attempt was made to
renovate and complete the structure.
but little work was done until 1872,
when the work was seriously taken
in hand The Anal touches were given
in 1880 and on October Is of that year
the completion was celebrated by a
service at which the Kaiser William I
was present. The building has cost
over $40, 100000. The cathedral is 440
1eeI long ana the famous spires the
highest in the world. are SIS feet The
central portal is 80 feet high and 81
feet wide and the south portal 80 feet
high and IS feet wide These are the
two portions at present in imminent
danger. In shape the cathedral is a
cruciform basiliea- There are two
choirs, the eastern dedicated 10 ST.
Peter, the western 10 st. Mary. Sur
rounding the choirs are eight cbapels-
A feature of great beauty is an ex~
ternal gallery around the apse-
The reputed bones of the legendary
three Kings of the East are preserved
in a golden shrine in enc of the chapels.
which are used as the cathedral's treas
ure vaults. The chapeIs- also contain
the tonbs Of several Of the Arch
bishops
The narrow. crooked streets. contain
ing houses of the fifteenth and six
teenth centuries, have been obliterated
from the neighborhood of the cathe-
draI which now stands revealing all
its beauty in the center OF a fine. open
space.
Some year OF two ago il was .humor-
ously stated in the German press that J..
Pferponf Morgan was negotiating for
the purchase of the Cologne Cathedral
desiring TO remove il bodily TO. the
United States TO take the place of the
Anglican Cathedral of. St John the
Divine: now slowly building IN New
York City.