ALS in French, signed “G. Eiffel,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8.25, personal letterhead, July 31, 1885. Letter to Admiral Ernest Mouchez, director of the Paris Observatory. In full (translated): "I thank you for your letter relative to Admiral Serre’s tower, and I saw with pleasure that you remain true, hence this new project, to the one that we have presented. I think as you do that it cannot be submitted to a very serious discussion. It would be quite that it be otherwise surprising since Admiral Serre is simply changing the scale of a ship metallic mast; to demonstrate its degree of impossibility it would suffice to increase coefficient and to suppose that one could do a 3000 meter tower by taking a 50 coefficient instead of 5—There are lots of elements that are taking a preponderant part in a large construction while this part was insignificant in a small one: Cables, for example, that can be stretched rather easily with a length of 60 m. at low angle, and which with a length of 300 m take huge deflections and give considerable initial stress by their own weight effect. The wind stress on these cables is far from remaining negligible, and one is amazed, by calculation, to see what influence wind has even on these cables. Moreover, it is absolutely impossible even by theory to suppose an even acceptable stress distribution between these different cables. In all cases of wind pressures no stability is possible on cables of this type which must take several meters stress due to their length. The entire conception is also as impractical as possible and concurrence to our project do not seem to me quite redoubtable. I do not even believe that at this time it be quite useful to make refutation of it above all in the presence of low saving resulting from this project—If by any chance, it would become useful, I would be glad de be able to relay on your opinion. I am sending you the Civil Engineer’s No. in which the entire M. Serre’s project is outlined. You will see that to him it is simply a scale drawing change; It is also inefficient that if to make a battleship one would multiply by ten or twenty a steam-powered boat type. In practice things are not as simple, unfortunately." In fine condition.
During this period, Eiffel was working on preliminary plans for his iconic tower in anticipation of the 1889 Exposition Universelle. He had presented his idea to the Societe des Ingenieurs on March 30, 1885, discussing potential engineering problems and emphasizing the practical uses of the tower. In this lengthy, technical letter, Eiffel seems to evaluate the engineering obstacles for a much larger tower proposed by Admiral Serre. Though Eiffel's project made little progress for some time, the tower finally broke ground in January 1887. Today, his tower is perhaps the most iconic landmark in the world.
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