POMPEY'S PILLAR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1718, 31 March 1888, Page 1

POMPEY'S PILLAR.

This massive, grand, and beautiful column has for centuries attracted to its base trayellers, historians, and antiquaries of the* highest order. Its magnetic charm is undiminished, as in its solitary majesty it retains the polish of its shaft and the sharpness of its Corinthian capital. It has defied the gnawing tooth of time, escaped the vandalism of superstitious ignorance, withstood the shock of war, and bids fair to look down upon lakes and seas, deserts and cities, through twenty centuries more. Its measurements, as given by Murray, are —the total height, 98ft 9in; the shaft, 73ft; the circumference, 20ft Bin; and the diameter at the top of the capital, 16ft 6in. The shaft, which is monolithic, is a hard and beautiful red granite. Conjectures and traditions compete for the solution of the problem as to in whose memory or in whose honor the pillar was set up. Though Pompey's name is associated with it, it is denied that he had any connection with the monument, and now it is generally accepted that the column records the capture of Alexandria by Diocletian in ad. 297. Until 1733 it was deemed inaccessible, when some English captains performed the daring feat. The author of this incident says:—" These jolly sons of Nepture had been pushing about the caa on board one of the ships in the harbor until a strange freak entered one of their brains. The boat was ordered, and with proper implements for the attempt, these enterprising heroes pushed ashore to drink a bowl of punch on the top of Pompey's Pillar." After the failure of many contrivances " a man was despatched to the city for a paper kite. The inhabit' ants were by this time apprised of what was going on, and flocked in crowds, to be witnesses of the boldness if the English The kite was bought, and flown so directly over the pillar, that when it fell on the other side the string lodged upon the capital ; the chief obstacle was now overcome. A 2in rope was tied to one end of the string, and drawn over the pillar by the end to which the kite was affixed. By this rope a seaman ascended to the top, and in less than an hour a kind of shroud was constructed, by which the whole company went up and drank their punch, amid the shouts of the multitude. To the eye below the capital of the pillar does not look capable of holding more than one man upon it; but our seamen found it could contain no less than eight persons very conveniently. It is astonishing no accident happened to these madcaps. . The only detriment which the pillar received was the loss of one of the volutes, which came down with a thundering sound, and was carried to England by one of theae captains as a present to a lady, who commissioned him for a piece of the pillar. The discovery which they made arnply compensated for this mischief j as without their evidence the world would not have known to this hour that there was originally a statue on the pillar, one foot and ankle of which is still remaining." Prom. "■ JS T ine Months on the Wile,"