Year: 1879

INVITING FOREIGN COMMERCE. TO ITALY-CAR.


RYING OUT THE BEQUEsT OF THE DUKE OF


GALLIERA.


italy is making earnest endeavors toward the de-
velopment of her internal and foreign commerce.
She intends to make Genoa Of the finest Of Medi.
ports. Until very recently the harbor Of
that city Of the most inconvenient and
unsafe. The entrance was obstructed by dan
gerous rocks, and the harbor itself was exposed
to the fury Of all the southern gales and afforded
for only few ships. such drew little water
There were no docks worthy Of the name. 1t seems
almost incredible that Genoa could for long have
been the "Queen of the Mediterranean" and yet
have offered such meagre accommodations to sea
farers. To this deficiency must be attributed the
commercial decay Of the city and the consequent
growth of Marsees into the present centre of trade
for that quarter Of the globe. The sole redeeming
feature Of the port for many years was the magnA-
cent terrace OF white marble which surrounds hay
ing been built two ago by the Doris family
when Genoa was in the heyday of its prosperity.
and which now affords q most beautiful promenade.
The necessity OF improvement forced upon
the authorities by the most killing of arguments.
financial decadence. But to accomplish anything
toward bettering the maritime relations Of Genos.
large funds were necessary. which the city could
hardly raise. representative Of Of tho princey
families OF Genoa at last to the aid his ma
tive town. The Duke Della Galliera. who is with
the exception Of Prince Torlonia probably the
richest man in Italy. bequeathed two years ago in
his will several million dollars to the city of Genoa.
with the understanding that this sum should be de-
voted to the improvement Of tho harbor. The city
gladly accepted the gift and the condition, and
measures were at and most strenuously put
into effect to carry out the design of the Duke.


THE PROGRESS OF THE WORKS.


According to studies previously made new arti-
fetal harbor Of immense capacity is now spreading
its into the sea, and will undoubtedly rival the
best in Europe. The works have been undertaken by
the Venetian Society of Architects, at the head of
which are the Messrs Fambr and Breda members
of the italian Parliament The technical direction
has been intrused to Signor Foglani. probably the
most competent harbor engineer in Italy. With
forward that in two years these works,
though by no means near completion. havo
detailed notice. Fourteen hundred workmen, 1sO
horses. 256 oxen, $50 and powerful steam en-
gines are daily at work. Ninety barges and floats
and rs many tugboats are employed to carry stones
and immense derricks. capable of adjusting q wegh
of Ga tons. used to deposit these in their places
The labor performed In the quarry is perhaps the
most important in the whole undertaking. This
consists of hewing out blocks of granite weighing On
an average 20 tons each TO attain this purpose two
long galleries have been bored beneath each of the
three quarries. which lie among the neighborng
mountains. so that the huge masses Of rock





pillars being blown apart by dynamite. the masses.
losing support. fall into position convenient for
transportation on rollers sot in motion by Is pairs
OF oxen 1t is worth while to briefly describe the
mode in which the stones are deposited in the float
and thence into the sea; The blocks are swung
with such nice adjustment that the equilibrium
Of the float Is under control of four men
steamtugs to the point Of deposition and the by


push disturb the balance and the stone falls into
its place. This last operation req uires but second
which s one OF frightful peril to the men, who are
once and again submerged by the mighty recoils of
the float The workman who directs this part is a
singular man. He is about forty years of age has
complexion nearly that of negro, is rather UNDER
sized aud stout and sings and smokes without inter-
with the most awful dangers. On the shore near by
existed an old vessel wholly unseaworthy. This he
turret cabins into his dwelling where he lives with
his family.


The scattered fragments of stone are utilized in n
curious waythey used to form artificial blocks.
They reduced to uniform size by a crushing
machine. and. being mixed with hydraulic cement
taken from San Psolo at Rome aud from sestri. are
placed in boxes OF IA cubic metres capacity,
whence after three months they are released and are
then "a tons in weight and of a hardness that
deles chisel or chemical The wall built of these
natural and artificial stones on the western side
Of the harbor Is compact for depth Of six metres
below the water for length OF 400 metres while on
the eastern side 1t has already reached length of
GOO metres. not much less than half mile. Tho
portion above water has already attained length of
1000 metrcs During tho first year 400 oil u tons
OF STONE Werc uepOsteu TO FORM the main retain-
ing walls ON the west. During the second year the
number OF tons were sl3. According to the
tract the Society of Architects compelled under


penalty of s2o.0O0 year, to lay during the first
year 350O00 TONS and during tho second 4l 600 TONS
premium Of $4,000 was to be paid to the society
should they. on the contrary, exceed these figures;
and this as we have shown, the contractors have
justly earned To give idea or the activity which
rcgis in tho port OF Genoa II may be said that 2s 2sl
artificial blocks OF tho weight above stated have been
cast since the opening of the works, 1,1OO OF
which have been employed to build the bridge
of San Lazzaro, extending into the sea and
connecting the shore with the farthest lighthouse
500 In another bridge of similar size on the opposite
side. The amount OF money already expended
reaches about 5000 900. .000f, not penny OF which
seems to have been diverted into wrong channels.
The municipal and governmental commissions
which have inspected the works have been unani-
nous in their praises of tho conscientious manner
in which the society has performed its share. These
improvements have not merely commercial sgnifi-
cameo. At the entrance of tho harbor porto
Nuovo) are contemplated military defences which
will render the approach to Genoa almost as difficult
that to the impregnable naval ports Of wilhelms-
haven and Kronstadt. But for us the new harbor