Arizona republican., 1912-07-29
ROMAN BATH
 ITS WONDERS
Some Newly Discovered Facts Resulting from a Scientific Investigation of the Ancient Thermae with Capacity for 16,OOO.

ROME, July 2S.-It always has been in the minds of the powers that be that something more should be made of the series of ancient remains which have the Baths of Caracalla as their center, and at last this dream is in the process of realization. Americans re turning to Rome in the autumn will scarcely recognize that part of ancient Rome which extends from the Coliseum and the Circus MaXimus to the fam ouS Thermae. or Baths The Thermao were the wonder of the world when built and are still so, and, while not so large as those of DioCletian. were more luxurious, accommodating 16,000 bath CTS cOntemporaneously.
 The government, carrying out a scheme originally due to the versatile mind or the late historian and states man. Ruggiero Bonghi and the ex- cabinet minister Guido Baccelli. has entrusted Senator Professor Rodolfo Lanciani the celebrated archaeologist. so well known to American readers, 70 bring to life what is known as the Archaeological Promenade which al ready covers 100 acres of land. Part Df this land required draining and wa. fruitful source of malaria, so that, in cidentallv, Professor I.anciani has improved the health of that por-iOn of the environs of the city. The whole forms a magnificent park, surrounding and setting forth the unique ruins from Roman times, the greatest care being taken to re-create what it must have been when the remains were glorious realities, so that besides the natural plants of the soil, there are only seven kinds of trees, the classic trees of the city of Rome. for example. the olive, laurel pine. cypress. ileX, oak and the poplar. of which 1O.5OO have already been blamed. nearly all doing well.
 In the center. and overshadOwing all stand the Baths. One does not need to be a profound student of Roman times to understand what it means to dis cover under one building (the Ther mae) one mile of underground pass ages. evidently for the use of slaves, as they leG to the different bath halls above. and were the vehicle through which the sOiled linen passed.
 It just as been ascertained that one of the wonders of this pile was the largest fiat roof in the world. support ed by copper beams. no longer in eX- istence but there are the walls, and their formation shows that the roof was flat without support from below.
 Another of the sensational discover ies is huge library the only one that is known to have existed in Rome Tn connection with the Baths. The niches
 tN la seen with the three steps which led up to the platform before them, and other signs which seem to point to the fact that there were reading desks at tached to the walls. This Caracalla library i3 almost a reproduction of the Romn library at Pergamo. but is much larger.
 The part of gray pOrphyry column also has been unearthed. which is al most as valuable as precious stones owing tu it's rarity It is almost as hard as the red pOrpnyry. but almost unknown There must have been coIonnaJc of them at the Baths, as the two standing in St. Peters, which are it's pride. came from the Thermae. The oualries for this rare stone have not long been known and have now been ident' fled as near the Mont Gems tunnel, at Frejus. but there is no more porphyry there
 In the middle of what once was the garden or the Baths, and will soon be so again, there lies on one side huge capital. four feet high. partly con sumed It is the facsimile of two eel ebrated capitals in the Church of San
 tI1l1 q church of Cardinal Gibbons,) the ori- gin of witch had been questioned, but which is thus settled beyond dispute
 The question has often been asked, What tremendous force could have so thoroughly demolished a building Of the strength of these baths. while oth- CTS not so strong, like the Pantheon, are almost perfect. Professor Lancianl would nol hazard decided opinion. but remarked that undoubtedly great