Tour en fer de 300 mètres de hauteur : destinée à l'exposition de 1889 by Eiffel et al.
Tour en fer de 300 mètres de hauteur by Eiffel, Koechlin, Nouguier, and Sauvestre is a technical engineering proposal written in the late 19th century. The book presents a plan for a 300‑meter iron tower for a Paris exposition, outlining its structural concept, architectural form, materials, construction approach, and anticipated uses. The text explains how studies of tall iron viaduct piers led to a new principle: shaping four corner uprights so that
wind loads are carried within them, reducing the need for heavy vertical bracing. It describes a pyramidal tower with four splayed, square‑section legs, a broad first platform with galleries for public amenities, a glazed summit for panoramic views and scientific observations, and a monumental lower arch. Robust wind and stability calculations, modest predicted deflections, straightforward foundations, and anchoring demonstrate feasibility. Purpose‑built elevators ensure safe, steady ascent, and electric lighting would cast a wide luminous field. The proposal details costs, construction time, possible reduced‑height variants, and even relocation logistics. It argues decisively for iron or steel over masonry, citing the limits of mortars and the drawbacks of massive stone structures for precise measurements. Finally, it highlights scientific applications—meteorology, astronomy and spectroscopy, physics experiments, and optical telegraphy—and frames the tower as both a major attraction and a lasting symbol of modern engineering and the industrial age. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Read or download for free
For an overview of the different reading options, see our Reading Guide
| Reading Options | Url | Size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read now! | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.html.images | 45 kB | |||
| EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.epub3.images | 372 kB | |||
| EPUB (older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.epub.images | 371 kB | |||
| EPUB (no images, older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.epub.noimages | 90 kB | |||
| Kindle | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.kf8.images | 405 kB | |||
| older Kindles | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.kindle.images | 395 kB | |||
| Plain Text UTF-8 | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77865.txt.utf-8 | 31 kB | |||
| Download HTML (zip) | https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77865/pg77865-h.zip | 1.5 MB | |||
| There may be more files related to this item. | |||||
Similar Books
About this eBook
| Author | Eiffel, Gustave, 1832-1923 |
|---|---|
| Author | Koechlin, Maurice, 1856-1946 |
| Author | Nouguier, É. (Émile), 1840-1897 |
| Author | Sauvestre, Stephen, 1847-1919 |
| Title | Tour en fer de 300 mètres de hauteur : destinée à l'exposition de 1889 |
| Original Publication | Paris: E. Capiomont & V. Renault, 1885. |
| Credits | Claudine Corbasson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica)) |
| Language | French |
| LoC Class | TH: Technology: Building construction |
| Subject | Tour Eiffel (Paris, France) |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 77865 |
| Release Date | Feb 5, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 192 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |