Note 210 — Chapter III · (continued 2)

According to the calculations of Letronne, the Great Pyramid must have been 482 feet high when it was complete. In the time of Diodorus it was slightly over 480 feet; in that of Abd-ul-Latif it measured 477 feet 3 inches. In 1795 it was only 456 feet and a few inches, so that it lost about 24 feet in the course of eighteen centuries. This lowering of the summit was mainly caused by the destruction and removal of the outer casing. Since it disappeared the Arabs have been in the habit of loosening the stones on the top and launching them down the sides for the amusement of travellers; the smooth casing alone could prevent such outrage as this. The common idea that the Pyramid of Cheops is the highest building in the world is erroneous. Even if we take its height when complete, it is surpassed by at least two modern buildings, as may be seen by the following table of the most lofty buildings now existing:—

Feet.

Spires of Cologne Cathedral 533

Flèche of the Cathedral at Rouen 500

Spire of St. Nicholas, Hamburg 480

Dome of St. Peter's, Rome 476

Spire of Strasbourg Cathedral 473

Pyramid of Cheops 456

Spire of St. Stephen's, Vienna 450

Spire of St. Martin's, Landshut 443

Spire of the Cathedral of Freiburg, Breisgau 417

Spire of Antwerp Cathedral, not including the cross 411

Spire of Salisbury Cathedral 404

Dome of Cathedral at Florence 396

Dome of St. Paul's, London 371

Flèche of Milan Cathedral 363

Tower of Magdeburg Cathedral 344

Victoria Tower, Westminster 336

Rathhaus Tower, Berlin 293

Spire of Trinity Church, New York 287

Pantheon, Paris 266

Towers of Nôtre Dame, Paris 226