Identifier: stnicholasserial251dodg (find matches)
Title: St. Nicholas (serial)
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Dodge, Mary Mapes, 1830-1905
Subjects: Children's literature
Publisher: (New York : Scribner & Co.)
Contributing Library: Information and Library Science Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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e. Thesummit is 179 feet from the ground. As youall know, the tower leans thirteen feet out ofthe perpendicular, and looks as if it would surelyVol. XXV.—63. fall over at any moment; but, as the center ofgravity is still within its base, it is as safe as ifit were erect. The foundations were probablyimperfectly built at the start, for the tower be-gan to lean before it was half finished; and wecan see where at one point the builders tried tobring it back as much as possible to the verticalline by making the columns on the low sidehigher than the others. The walls, too, arestrengthened with iron bars. Fancy the con-sternation of the architects when they saw theirbeautiful tower leaning over, and its foundations 498 THE BELL-TOWERS OF ITALY. I. April, sinking in the ground! It requires very steadynerves to carry us to the top, and we find our-selves clinging to the wall when we are on theleaning side. This is what Charles Dickens says about thetower in his Pictures from Italy : In the
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GIOTTO S CAMPANILE, OR BELL-TOWER, IN FLORENCE. course of the ascent to the top the inclinationis not very apparent; but at the summit it be-comes so, and gives one the sensation of beingin a ship that has heeled over through the actionof an ebb-tide. The effect upon the low side,so to speak, looking over from the gallery, andseeing the shaft recede to its base, is very startling; and I saw a nervous traveler hold onto the Tower involuntarily, after glancing down,as if he had some idea of propping it up. When we reach the summit we must not for-get that this was where the great astronomerGalileo watched the stars, experimented on thefall of bodies, and studied the lawof gravitation. Here, too, in theupper story, hang the six bells, thelargest of which weighs more than12,000 pounds. The bell-foundersof Pisa had a wide reputation forcasting bells of beautiful tone,sonorous and harmonious. Theylavished on them all their art andtheir talent. The Pasquareccia (the Paschalbell), the most fa

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