Evening star., 1921-10-16
EIFFEL TOWER TAKES BIG TOLL IN DEATH
EACH YEAR FROM PAINTERS AND VISITORS

he told them. II have slept up here|
through bombing Gotha raids in the|
late war. / have sat. here readingI
poetry In the midst of terrific storms
| When the tower was touched once al
minute and the shaft was swingins|
four yards in the hurricane"
The distinguished American engi-
neers. come to pay tribute o. honor
70 what is still the greatest job of
IT'S kind in the world, agreed with
M. Eirei that there is nothing tanEi-
Bile In the "whisperings"-I think we
could all agree to the word-but that
the tower sticks high into the sky.
| for sure" Several of them took good
care not to hang their heads over the
edge. And none were asked to climb
the spiral stairs TO the tip-top. where
NJ Einel plays tag.
| X y X
| NIAGARA Falls are high. They
could fall from the towers first
platform. The loftiest masonry con-
structions in the world-American
skyscrapers-could not reach even
the intermediate platform, halfway
up the shaft. 6i7 feet from the
ground. The third platform dixie the
brim Of haD is Gil feet high.
Niagara, with suspension bridge
100 feet above 1t, could fall between
\
scraper. leaving space to spare. And
the towers true top is "A feet higher.
The ground inclosed by its four
legs is three acres. Restaurant.
theater and cafes of the first plat
| form seat 800 people, and their sex
| terror galleries" hold 400 more. Tho
second platform accommodates 1000
| persons. the intermediate and third.
1000 more. Add 5000 adults mount
ing and descending stairs and eieva-
tors and the total "saturation" Of
| the tower becomes 1900 people-thc
population of no mean city.
"Saturation" has, probably. never
been reached. but 1t is remarked in
] Paris that the towers shareholders.
, after getting not cent throughout
| the war. touched IA per cent last
year and expect a II per cent divi-
dend shortly.
! For this prosperity they have to
| thank the wireless and that other,
queerest of all "whisperings." which
! l said that ] would mention in good
| time.
| Now that II is such an important
wireless station, the tower gets free
| advertising all over the world and a
large proportion of visitors who conc
to Paris for the first time feel bound
! to make the ascent.
A queer legend of the towers frSr
days has helped to boost the divi-
i dends. Not atmospheric electricity
alone, they say. but its commingling
with obscure earth currents WORKS
on hearts and souls with unimag IN
able force.
| These telluric currents (no one
| knows word of their true nature
! but supposed to be earth magnetism,
slow and powerfully twist and soften
| the harsh flood of atmosphere elec,
| tricity which urges: Jump: ana
deafen fair ears to its horrid man
| date.
THE lure of the tower exists" says
the grand old French astronomer. III
| is the most dangerous vertigo IN the
world. Up there. in the immensity of
sunlight air and silence the soul
sings for joy of the great movement
, onward. onward.
"She feels the rotation of the earth
upon it's axis, the swing of our glob"
progress of our solar system through
space toward the constellation Of the
Tyre"
Stirred to jump by atmosphere
electricity otis strong enough to
make each atom of the vast iron
structure tingle-tangle"D how shall
girl keep her head where brave men
yearn to spread their arms and swim =:
Except that overwhelming counter
to a soft confusion. though no boob,
around about. have nerve TO test II?
She is saved (from jumping) just by
thinkin' of IL.
| All these things were known in 1889.
Then. in October. 1890, they Were
quite forgotten. by joint effort of the
press and public.
! Good things ought not come so
easy" was the general consensus.