Chapter III: Part 3

VICTORIA BRIDGE, MONTREAL, CANADA. Montreal is situated on the south side of the island of the same name, at the confluence of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence Rivers. To connect it with the mainland the Victoria Bridge was thrown across the St. Lawrence. Work was begun in 1854. In 1860 the bridge was formally opened by the Prince of Wales during his tour through Canada and the United States. This is one of the greatest triumphs of engineering and architectural skill. The total length is nearly two miles, or, to be exact, nine thousand one hundred and ninety-four feet. It rests upon twenty-four piers and two abutments of solid masonry. The central span is three hundred and thirty feet long.

THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D. C. A stately and magnificent building devoted to both branches of Congress--the Senate and the House of Representatives--as well as to the United States Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. It stands upon an eminence commanding a beautiful view of the city, and itself forms the most impressive feature in the landscape. The centre building of freestone is flanked by two wings, mainly of marble, and crowned by an iron dome, painted white. From the ground to the top of the nineteen-foot Statue of Liberty, which surmounts the dome, is three hundred and seven and a half feet; the diameter of the dome is one hundred and thirty-five and a half feet. Thus only four domes in Europe can surpass it: St. Peter’s at Rome, St. Paul’s in London, St. Isaac’s in St. Petersburg, and the Invalides in Paris. The building covers an area of about three and a half acres. Its total cost has been over $13,000,000. The corner-stone was laid by Washington in 1792. The marble extensions were begun in 1851.

THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D. C. As the official residence of the President of the United States, this mansion has a unique interest. It is not in itself, however, a pretentious or imposing structure. Yet it has some elegance in its very democratic simplicity. Built of freestone, like the original Capitol, and painted white like that, its color has given it its name. The model which the architect had in view was the Palace of the Duke of Leinster in London, and he has followed his prototype very closely. The corner-stone was laid in 1792; the building was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800; it was burned by the British in 1814, and restored and re-occupied in 1818. Since that time there have been staccato clamors for a more magnificent entourage for the chief executive officer of the United States, but nothing further has been accomplished.

INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA. This plain, but substantial brick building, which stands on Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, is ever memorable as the birthplace of the American republic. Here the General Assembly of Pennsylvania gave way to the Continental Congress. Here George Washington was elected commander of the American forces (June, 1775). And here, on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress. Four days later it was read from before the building to an excited and exultant multitude. The halls have been restored as far as possible to their original condition; the east room, where the Declaration was signed, is ornamented with portraits of the signers and the west room is a museum of revolutionary and other relics. The famous Liberty Bell, which was rung as a signal to the people that the Declaration had been adopted, is now suspended under the tower in full view of the public. The building dates from 1729–34.

THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE, between New York City and Brooklyn, more familiarly known as the Brooklyn Bridge, is a massive suspension bridge, the largest in the world, which connects New York with Brooklyn. Its colossal towers and ponderous cables loom up conspicuously before the stranger who approaches New York from the riverside. Begun in 1870, it was opened for traffic May 24th, 1883, at a total cost of $15,000,000. The whole length of the bridge is five thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine feet. From high water mark to the floor of the bridge is one hundred and thirty-five feet. The central span (itself measuring one thousand five hundred and ninety-five and a half feet) is suspended to four cables of steel wire, each fifteen and three-quarter inches in diameter. The width of the structure is eighty-five feet, which includes a promenade for foot passengers, two roadways for vehicles, and two railway tracks on which run passenger cars propelled by a stationary engine from the Brooklyn side.

Transcriber’s Notes

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed.

A few very simple typographical errors were corrected.

This book always uses “Canon,” never “Canyon.” It contains several likely typographical errors or misspellings, most of which have not been changed by the Transcribers. Some are noted below.

Page 42: “mertons” was printed that way.

Page 72: “Propylacum” was printed that way.

Page 120: “Andulasia” was printed that way.

Page 162: “Michel Angelo” was printed that way.

Page 178: “sea of Marmora” was printed that way.