Fountains source of pleasure

Press, 18 February 1986, Page 10

Fountains source of pleasure

Fountains, either natural springs or artificial, are something that throughout history have been a great source of pleasure. A fountain is a jet or stream of water that either springs naturally from the ground or artificially from a structure, as the result of pressure. In a natural fountain this pressure comes from the weight of a great amount of water, collected in a reservoir some distance

away. In artificially created fountains pumps supply the pressure. There are really only two kinds of fountains — those that rise and those that fall. As far as historians know, the first architectural fountain was in Greece, a people fascinated with springs and water. In historic times, springs were enclosed to preserve their purity. The first covered spring of

which there is a record was the “Callirrhoe of Athens,” which was made into a fountain with nine outlets by Pisistratus and his sons around 500 B.C. The water fell from the mouths of nine bronze lion masks. Rome, a city of many fountains, had by A.D. 410 1212 public fountains and 926 public baths, fed by 11 man-made aqueducts. Never before had a city known such a display of water — and never since has this abundance of water-been exceeded. Only six aqueducts serve modern Rome, six fountains concluding the aqueducts’ journey to the capital. A Greek legend tells of Arethusa, a beautiful nymph who was once changed into a fountain. When the river god Alpheus fell in love with her, she fled, seeking sanctuary with the Goddess. Artemis while Alpheus pursued her in the form of a swift torrent Artemis transformed Arethusa into a fountain at Ortygia and Alpheus, not to be cheated of his love, directed his course under the sea, surfacing on Ortygia, his waters joining with those of the fountain of Arethusa. Many famous fountains are natural. In Vaucluse, in the south of France, a

tremendous volume of ; water shoots into the air ■ every minute from a cir- ; cular pool surrounded by lofty cliffs. An American fountain, the Tyler Davidson, in ■ Cincinnatti, Ohio, is con- • J sidered by some as one of . the finest artificial foun- • tains in the world. I It was cast in Munich, > Germany, at a cost of ' $200,000. One of Christchurch’s ! fountains — a source of pleasure to everyone who visits or lives in the city — is outside the Town Hall.