Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Chicago, USA

An official from USA


US-190383

On the card here, you can see the historic Water tower of Chicago. It was built in 1869 and is 47m. tall. Inside, there was a 42m. stand pipe to hold the water. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area. The tower gained prominence after the Great Fire in Chicago in 1871. While some incorrectly believe that the tower was the only building to survive the fire, a few other buildings in the burned district survived along with the tower. But the water tower was the only public building in the burned zone to survive, and is the only one of the surviving structures still standing. In the years since the fire, the tower has become a symbol of old Chicago and of the city's recovery from the fire. Oscar Wilde stated that the Water Tower looked like "a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it."


off-topic....if you hadnt read anything from Oscar Wilde by now, i recommend that you do so.....and start with The Picture of Dorian Gray. Its a book i can read over and over again....

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