THE PARISIAN " TOWER OF BABEL."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1802, 29 March 1888, Page 3

THE PARISIAN " TOWER OF BABEL."

Oar Pari3 correspondent, writing on January 31at, Bays : — That stupendous construction, tha Eiffel Tower, baa now reached a height of about 150 feet, and is growing rapidly, is not only a sucoeaß for the enterprising but 1b also daily attracting more and more of the public's attention. Among the numerous objects of Interest which are thus far encumbering the Ohamp-deMnra m an embryonic state of development, this gigantic inasß of iron shafts is naturally the mQBt prominent, and Invites the comments of the pasaere by. There is no doubt that many persona—and among them naoßt emphatically tha owners of the adjacent houeo3 — view its progress with an evil eye, and make more than light of the skill of the engineer. The very fact, however, ihat the tower seta the tongues of the spectators and gosalpa a-wagging is proof that it is an object of more than common interest — oue that Btrikos people Boffi clentiy to call forth all sorts of talk and all manner of rumours. Barely a fortnight ago a rumour was current that nearly 200 workmen engaged m the construction, had already been killed by falling from the staging, and the lower claeßeo more particularly animadverted upon the fact that the femo of tha engineer of the towerone of th^ ?lorlea of the coming Exhibition — wa3 built up en the flosh and bones of the poor laboring man. It h, porhaps, needless to cay that there waß not an iota of truth m the silly rumour. The matter wns o'.osely investigated, and it wob proved to the Gatiafacilon of the municipal authorities that, save a few trifling accide'ata, neither life cor limb of ihe workmen had stffered. This time it was bruised about that the stonework of the foundations of the tower hed settled, owing to infiltrations of water ; that the propß supporting tim heavy Iron boema m process c,f beir.g hoisted into p'aco had given vr.'.y ; end (hat a portion of the tower structure v/ai listing over, etc. So pereiutontly was tho- otc-ry repeated that the Minister of Public Works doenud -it iraperaiivo, together with MM. Eiffel, Alphaud, and Borgcr, to viait the grounds m order to either verify the fneb o? conttadfet tho rumoi'. Ths hitter haa been done, and it 13 to ha hoped that henceforth there will be a*i ond to nonaeneiosl canards of this kind. The towor stands firmly planted, work on it Is being rapidly pushed on, and there ia no doubt that, when completed m due time, the work will redound to* tho credit of the engineer whose name it beats.