DRAINING THE COLISEUM

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · January 15, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 3

DRAINING THE COLISEUM.

In consequence of the excavations which have been in progress in the Coliseum at Rome, water has collected in it very rapidly, and has had to be pumped out at an expense so great that in 1875 the government decided that pumping must be discontinued; since that time the water has collected, and, being stagnant, has added materially to the unhealthiness of the quarter. It was arranged that one of the sewers which the municipal government is building should be given such a grade that its bed at the point nearest the Coliseum should be below the level of the intended excavations, so as to drain them also. While arranging for the outlet of this sewer, the engineer in charge thought that he could determine near the Arch of Constantine which one of the several remains of sewers which his excavations brought to light, had formerly drained the Coliseum, and obtained the authorization of Commendatore Fiorelli, who has charge of the excavations, to explore it. To the surprise of all, the sewer, which was large enough for men to work in upright, proved to be in good repair, and so little choked up that to clear it was not a costly work; and, moreover, it turned out to be the very drain it was supposed to be, so that in a short time a way was opened, and the Coliseum drained itself with a great rush of waters. In the sewer were found the skeletons of horses, dogs, bears, and other wild beasts, various bronze utensils and other articles, and the head of a marble statue of some young Cæsar.—Selected.