CEDAR RAPIDS

cedar rapids, a city of linn county, iowa, u.s.a., on the cedar river, in the east central part of the state. pop. (1890) 18,020; (1900) 25,656, of whom 4478 were foreign-born, an unusually large and influential part being bohemians; (1910 census) 32,811. it is served by the chicago, milwaukee & saint paul, the chicago & north-western, the chicago, rock island & pacific (which has repair shops here), and the illinois central railways, and by interurban electric lines. the city has an air of substantial prosperity; its principal streets are from 80 ft. to 120 ft. wide, paved with brick and asphalt, and well shaded. prominent among its buildings are the federal building, the auditorium, the public library and the masonic library, which contains one of the best collections of masonic literature in the world. the city has two well-equipped hospitals, a home for aged women, a home for the friendless, and four parks. the grounds of the cedar rapids country club comprise 180 acres. cedar rapids is in a rich agricultural country. the name of the city was suggested from the rapids in the river, which afford abundant water power and have enabled the city to take first rank in iowa (1905) as a manufacturing centre. from 1900 to 1905 there was an increase in the value of its manufactured products from $11,135,435 to $16,279,706, or 46.2%. more than one-fourth of the value of its manufactures is in quaker oats and other food preparations; among those of less importance are lumber and planing-mill products, foundry and machine-shop products, furniture, patent medicines, pumps, carriages and waggons, packed meats and agricultural implements. cedar rapids has also a large grain trade and a large jobbing business, especially in dry goods, millinery, groceries, paper and drugs. at cedar rapids are coe college (co-educational; presbyterian), which grew out of the cedar rapids collegiate institute (1851), was named in honour of daniel coe, a benefactor, and was chartered under its present name and opened in 1881; the interstate correspondence schools, and the cedar rapids business college. the first settlers came in 1838; but the city's early growth was slow, and it was not incorporated until 1856. it has been governed by commission since 1908. cefalu (anc. _cephaloedium_), a seaport and episcopal see of the province of palermo, sicily, 42 m. e. of palermo by rail. pop. (1901) 13,273. the ancient town (of sicel origin, probably, despite its greek name) takes its name from the headland ([greek: kephale], head) upon which it stood (1233 ft.); its fortifications extended to the shore, on the side where the modern town now is, in the form of two long walls protecting the port. there are remains of a wall of massive rectangular blocks of stone at the modern porta garibaldi on the south. it does not appear in history before 396 b.c., and seems to have owed its importance mainly to its naturally strong position. the only ancient remains on the mountain are those of a small building in good polygonal work (a style of construction very rare in sicily), consisting of a passage on each side of which a chamber opens. the doorways are of finely-cut stone, and of greek type, and the date, though uncertain, cannot, from the careful jointing of the blocks, be very early. on the summit of the promontory are extensive remains of a saracenic castle. the new town was founded at the foot of the mountain, by the shore, by roger ii. in 1131, and the cathedral was begun in the same year. the exterior is well preserved, and is largely decorated with interlacing pointed arches; the windows also are pointed. on each side of the facade is a massive tower of four storeys. the round-headed norman portal is worthy of note. the interior was restored in 1559, though the pointed arches of the nave, borne by ancient granite columns, are still visible: and the only mosaics preserved are those of the apse and the last bay of the choir: they are remarkably fine specimens of the art of the period (1148) and, though restored in 1859-1862, have suffered much less than those at palermo and monreale from the process. the figure of the saviour is especially fine. the groined vaulting of the roof is visible in the choir and the right transept, while the rest of the church has a wooden roof. fine cloisters, coeval with the cathedral, adjoin it. (see g. hubbard in _journal of the r.i.b.a._ xv. 333 sqq., 1908.) the harbour is comparatively small. (t. as.)