The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-05
TO-DAY We cELEaRATe.
EfffeI Tower 10 Now the "Nerve-
Center OF France

Center ct France
Eiffel Tower. the great thousand
foot iron structure, which was one of
the wonders OF the Paris exposition
OF 1883, and has since been the worlds
foremost wireless telegraph station
and useful landmark for French
airmen. will be 26 years~old today, as
1t was dedicated and opened on April
5, 1889. The genius OF Gustave Eiffel,
the distinguished French engineer,
who planned and constructed the
worlds highest tower, is now fully
recognized, for the structure has be-
come in war the newcomer OF
France" Its radio station, capable Of
Ringing messages across the Atlantic,
is now in charge of the military au-
thorities, and 1t enables the French
capitol to keep in close touch with
England and Russia, as we'll as the
French front. The Importance of
Einel Tower from a military view
point is fully recognized by the Ger
mans, who have tried in vain to
wreck its wireless plant with bombs
thrown by airmen. The tower is
now protected by special guns de-
signed to bring down airmen. and the
German flyers have not been able
to get near the famous tower.
When Eiffel Tower first reared its
heights into the sky it was denounced
by many prominent Frenchmen as an
eyesore. Distinguished artists joined
in petition against it, among them
Gounod. de Lisle. Bonnat, Coppee, de
Maupassant and lie Conte.
The tower, constructed OF iron
lattice-worlI, is extraordinarily light
for it's bulk. For many years after
1t was erected the belief was pre-
ai1nrf iT Do ri hot he
not withstand a gale, and that some
day 1t would come tumbling down.
This baseless fear ruined the Champs
de Mars district for building purposes,
and it is only within the last few
years that the people have forgotten
their fears, and the Champs dc Mars
has recovered from its "hoodoo."
Many people now live in the shadow
OF the tower.
Three sets of elevators give access
to the summit of Eiffel Tower, from
which the view of the city and the
surrounding country is remarkable
The tower cost over million dollars,
of which the French government con-
tributed $292.000. The fees taken in
during exposition year repaid the out
lay, and Eiffel Tower has since been
a source of profit to the stockholders
in the limited liabality company which
controls it. In the last year before
1t was taken over for military pur-
poses the tower gave profit of about
$4,000.
Aside from it's uses as a wireless
station, Eiffel Towers Importance
from a meteorological viewpoint can
scarcely be over estimated. The
tower enables the weather snaps"
to study the decrease of temperature
at different heights, to observe the
variation of the winds, and to dis
cover the quantity of rain that falls
at different heights and the density
of the clouds.
The great Partisan tower may soon
lose it pre-eminence as the Hottest
structure in the world, as Buenos
Ayres is planning a similar tower that
will be nearly 200 feet higher. The
Woolworth building in New York,
with an extreme height of S65 feet,
stands second to Eiffel Tower in
height. Next in order are the Metro
politan tower. New York, 700 feet;
the Singer building. New York, 612
feet; the Municipal building, New
York, $50 feet, and the Mole Antonel-
Llama, Turin, Italy, $50 feet.