New-York tribune., 1912-07-14
ALL VENICE IS HAPPY
It Hears Once More the Bells Of
the Campanile.
SILENT FOR TEN YEARS
The Tower That Stood for Centu.
ries and Suddenly Crumbled
is Now Rebuilt.

May you live as long as the Campanile"
had been for hundreds Of years birthday
greeting not only for the citizens OF venice.
but also for the peasants OF the venetian
province III sior Beppo," as he was then
affectionately called, and now better known
as His Holiness Plus x, used to encourage
his patients when on sick Visit with
well. but the Campanile is standing yet,
and you must try to do the same"
It vas a terrible shock to ''Sior Beppo."
and every one within forty miles OF Ven-
ice, when, on July H. 1902, without mo.
! ments warning, the Campanile suddenly
collapsed, like an aged telescope, and all to
be seen Of the proud landmark was nion-
ument Of dust and fragments. "Sior Beppo
was in his study quite close to st. Marks
Square, and heard the clash and dying
/ groan Of his beloved bells. He Immediately
went out to the square, without waiting for
his hat, and when he saw the ruin ne ex-
claimed: But It must rise again.!
In this remark came out the true Vene-
tian. No other state can unfold its history
without at the same time enumerating the
captains and councillors who have made II.
Florence shouts TO you OF the Medict.
Genoa OF the Dorias, Rome of the C@sars,
but Venice, through her history OF triumph
and decay, gladness and tears, leaves no
predominant name on the sheet. Byron, IN
searching for tragedy in the home OF
romance and daring, could only find the
tale Of disgraced Doge and his son.
THE TOKEN OF A GLORIOUS PAST.
The children Of Venice were taught to
live and work for Venice. AS often as not.
when they got to the highest honor the re-
public could give them, they found that
their feet and hands and initiative were
tied by the Council OF Ten. And II they
were great captains like Carlo zeno, tho
! idol Of the people, they were not allowed
! on one excuse or another, to accept the
/ highest honors, to prevent their ambitions
overwhelming the good OF the fatheriand'
So "Sior Beppo," born though he was IN
Riesi in the province OF Venice. was but
voIclng the wish of all the Venetians from
far and wide.
Within forty-eight hours OF the catas-
| trophe the town council of Venice nao
decided that the Campanile should be re-
built exactly as IT was before. While the
whole world regretted that the character
istlc but unbeautiful tower and the ar
tistic Loggia OF Sansoyino had disap-
peared in dusty heap, the Venetians feit
that an integral part of their daily iife
had crumbled away. The tower was 10
them a token OF the glorious past.
Begun in the ninth century after Christ.
| II WAS completed in the sixteenth, when
Venice was at the zenith OF her power,
the indisputable master Of the Mediterra-
mean, the conqueror of Genoa, the SOW
ereign lord of Padua, the colonizer OF the
| Adriatic, the governor Of Cyprus and the
challenger of the Osmanli power
THE FAMOUS BELLS.
For hundreds OF years the peasants for
miles around had regarded the Campanile
as an hourglass for them. Through all
the lows and sorrows Of the republic the
bells had rung out to tell them the
news-a Doge dead or a new one elected;
a Pope passed away or successor ere
ated; a great condottieri or an admiral
returned in triumph-it was all the same
| 10 them. They knew which bell was ring
ing and the news It conveyed, for there
were five bells, and each one had duty
laid down by the law Of the Council.
II was no wonder, then. that on that
fateful summer day in 1892 when the
bells were no longer heard the peasants
left the fields and the shop hands their
tools and hurried into Venice to see what
had silenced their monitors. When they
saw the pile of ruins and the Maran-
COMA" the only bell preserved. on top OF
II they sat down and cried, and then
hurried TO "Sior Beppo" at his palace ana
asked him to bless them, for they thought
with the destruction OF their bells. that
the end Of the world had come
The old Campanile as mentioned had nve
bells. and each one had special sisnincahce
10 the people. "Marangona" was the DIX
he'll which rang out early in the morning 70
call the carpenters (marangones ngurD
IN work at the arsenal. "Trotiera' was
little clanky bell which was rung ohiy
when the Council of Forty was sum-
moned in a hurry. On such occasions
tnev would ride over the bridges at break
neck speed, and the bell would warn
passers-by TO beware. "Pregada" rang for
yasners. the Mona" for midday and In
teryals. and the "Renghiera" announced to
the world that malefactor or traitor was
being executed. Besides these was sixth
hell the Bell OF Candia," rung on Aseeh-
sion Day. When the Campanile fell thers
was blank in life for the Venetians'
THE LoGGlA sANsoVINo.
Unfortunately, the Loggia OF Sansovino'
which was erected at the base OF the tower,
was utterly destroyed at the same Tune
This loggia was built by Jacopo Sansovino
10 replace a similar edifce which had been
DESTROYED by lightning in 1890 In the
olden DAYS II was used for the provator' OF
cartains OF the guard, who from there con-
IL, ,bo ouard on such occasions as when
the council was sitting. In the interior
ION, was q terra Gotta Madonna. which,
when the fall took place. was smashed into
sixteen hundred pieces. THESE pieces were
collected after great labor and trouble ana
put together again, so that tomorrow,
AnrIl 25. the masterpiece Of Sansovino VIII
once again be seen.
In rebuilding the tower the original
foundations have not been removed 1housn
they have been very greatly strenstheheu'
Legend had always said that the founua
tions Of the tower went down as far unoer.
meath the soil as the tower itsei ros'
above. But, as a matter OF fact, the foun'
dations only went down about seventy iee.,
whereas the height. including the goiaen
angel on top, is 352 feet. There Is "o
doubt that the downfall OF the tower wa
caused by faulty construction.
THE NEW TOWER STRONGER
II WAS found that the main base to carry
the weight was composed OF large pi'
collected from the old Roman city {.
Aauilleia. strengthened by cemeh,
nbi,e lime from Istria. The foundations
have now been much enlarged IN orues
allow Of wider distribution OF weignt ."
l@tA