PILASTER 



4673 



PILGRIMS 



exploring expedition in 1819. At the present 

 time the ascent can be made either on horse- 

 back or on the cdg-railway, nine miles long, 

 which runs to the summit. The peak i 

 ated six miles west of Colorado Springs and 

 sixty-five miles south of Denver. On a clear 

 day the view from its summit over the great 

 plains and mountains, with their beautiful lakes 

 and rivers, is enchanting. See PIKE, ZEBULON 



MONTOOMl 



PILASTER, pi In*' ttr, a square pillar pro- 

 jerting from a wall or pier from one-fourth to 

 one-third its width and finished with a base and 

 capital like a col- 

 umn. The pilas- 

 ter originated in 

 architec- 



t u r e a n d was 

 adopted by the 

 Romans, who 



[mefl nave 



it the tapering 

 form of a col- 

 umn. Pilasters 



(1 for orna- 



md also for 

 supporting an 



arch or a corn 

 rpt f. -i 



The finest pilas- 



tere are found in 



The Italian Kon- 



aiSFa of architecTu: 



-ubhead Tfn Rcnaissano ami Ajttr. 

 PILATE, pi'layt, Povnrs. the Roman gov- 

 r of Judea, Samaria and a part of Idumea 

 .< time of the cnicifixion of Christ. Offi- 

 nally In- was known as procurator. Pila' 



'\v-mmdrd man, was not fitted to be a 



ruler over Jews and Gentiles alike, for he was 



r able to understand the national pride 



and the intensity of religious feelings of the 



Jews. When the J- 1 <1 Christ's death 



h insisted on a trial, and in spite of the cha- 



of fal-- ' m<i claim- of kingship, Pi- 



: ill* 'I To find ,Ie-u- politically harmful, and 



leased him. had he not feared to 



lose bin <>'. account of Tin- trial i- uivm 



.\ II 



Of the last years of Pilate's hie it is only 

 known that he was called to Rome to defend 

 himself against charges of cruelty. Some i 

 .- d that he di. d in ' 

 hi- body was thrown into the Til- B 

 :i. Tradition disposes of .in- in a 



lake n. at I/; hilt tin- 



l u< nd -. em \ ty dnnbtfiil. 

 293 



PILASTERS 



The letter locates pilas- 

 ters The bul idlng shown is 



lf tll( ' <)l(1 rit - v 



N.-w Y-.i-k 'ity. 



PIL' CHARD, a species of fish found in Euro- 

 pean waters, belonging to the family of her- 

 rings. These fish frequent the coasts of Great 

 Britain all the year round. They grow to a 

 length of about ten inches, and are bluish-green 

 on the back, silvery-white on the sides. Un- 

 like the herrings, which come near land to 

 spawn, the pilchard lays its eggs far out from 

 shore. It is found in great abundance off the 

 Channel coast of England, the Cornwall fish- 

 eries being the most celebrated in that section. 

 The Mediterranean Sea is also an important 

 fishing ground. Schools of pilchards are taken 

 in nets in vast quantities, 10,000 hogsheads, 

 holding about 3,000 each, often being a single 

 day's catch. When salted and cured these fish 

 form an important article of food, especially to 

 the people of the Mediterranean countries. 

 Many fish called sardines are really young pil- 

 chards preserved in oil. 



PILCOMAYO, peelkomah'yo, a shallow 

 river of South America, rising on the eastern 

 slope of the Bolivian Andes, from which it 

 flows through rich forests until it joins the 

 Paraguay River nearly opposite Asuncion. 

 Formed by the union of several small streams, 

 its course for many miles is narrow and wind- 

 ing, and full of rapids and cascades, but when 

 it reaches the flat country, after dropping about 

 5,000 feet, it spreads into broad lagoons. It 

 Hows southeastward, forming part of the bound- 

 ary line between Paraguay and Argentine Re- 

 public, although much dispute as to boundary 

 lines has been <: M-e it enters the 



Paraguay River by three mouths, the twoouter 

 ones being twenty-four miles apart. As tin 

 average depth of the Pilcomayo is not over 

 four feet, it is too shallow for navigation, 

 by flat-bottomed boats. 



PILE, a stake sharpened at one end, driven 

 into soft ground to support buildings, or used in 

 the con-t ruction of bridges, piers and wharves. 

 Tree trunks of considerable size are most com- 

 monly used. The top of the log is prot< 

 by an iron band so as to keep the log from 

 shattering under heavy blows, and the bottom 

 is often shod with cast iron to enable it to 

 pen. trate compact soil. A battering-ram, usu- 

 ally driven by steam power, is used for driving 

 the pile into portion Cast-iron or steel pi].- 

 Mitly substituted for Wood. Cof- 



i ama are temporary enclosures in water 

 \\hich consist of rows of piles driven closo to- 

 r. See COFFERDAM. 



PIL'GRIMS, the name piven the htt! 

 of hi), i- - \\ho founded Plymouth 



