The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-10-26
CIeOpatra's Needle,

This celebrated obelisk, which for thirty
five hundred years has lain half buried
in the sand at Alexandria, is now on its
way to England, where it will be erected
in one of the London parks. 1t was given
to the British government years ago by
Mehemet Ali of Egypt, but the govern
ment never made any effort to remove it,
Recently q wealthy Englishman, Erasmus
Wilson, generously offered to pay the cost
of its transportation, and his offer was
accepted. The expense must have been
very great. Its weight is estimated at 600,-
900 pounds. The New York Tribune de-
scribes the method of its removal to Eng
land as follows:
"The method by which Cleopatra's Nee
die has just been floated is novel and in
genous. A hollow iron cylinder with
wedgeshaped ends now incloses it. The
cylinder was built up and riveted together
around the stone-the iron thus used weigh
ing sixty tons. The air spaces of the cy-
Under were so calculated as to be sufficient
to float the whole. Two months were occu-
pied in this part of the work, which in
cluded digging away the sand beneath the
stone, pushing the stone with hydraulic
jacks till it was parallel with the waters
edge, and constructing sloping road of
broken rock down to the water. The di-
mansions of the stone are probably similar
to those of the companion obelisk, of which
the shaft is 81 feet long, tapering in width
from feet 2 inches to feet inches
The iron cylinder is 90 feet long, and 10
feet in diameter. All around this iron box,
wood planking was fitted and strapped
fast, and then the whole continuance was
rolled sideways down to the water To
make it roll, ropes were passed around it,
and wound upon winches fixed on vessels
in the water. Other ropes also passed
around it, which unwound slowly from
winches on shore behind the stone, pre-
venting it from rolling too fast. When the
strain was first put on to start it, the YES
sells moved instead, dragging their anchors;
steam tugs were substituted, and when
they put on full steam to go ahead, the
great cylinder rolled. Its movement was
so slow as scarcely to be perceptible, and
the greater part of two days was occupied
in reaching the water. Then disap-
pointment awaited the toilers the cylinder
filled with water, and a powerful pump
could not empty the air spaces. Divers at
first failed to find the leak, but at last one
in submarine armor discovered it. Not
withstanding the casing of planks, q stone
had broken hole eighteen inches across,
into the cylinder, and the stone was wedg-
ed in the hole. So the cylinder had to be
rolled back till the hole was uppermost;
the hole was then patched, the cylinder
pumped out, another downward roll was
effected, and the strange craft was afoat.
1t draws from eight to ten feet of water,
and has displacement of $50 tons bilge
pieces, or wings, have been attached to
prevent rolling. 1t will be towed slow
ly on its long voyage and though ungain-
ly, it is not unseaworthy."
The companion obelisk to Ceopatra's
Needle, which is now standing at Alexan-
dria, has been given by the Khedive to
the city of New York, as announced by
the New York World A wealthy New
Yorker, whose name is for the present
withheld has offered to pay for its remov-
al to this country, and in the course of the
next year this relic of antiquity, will
probably be brought to New York.
These celebrated stones, it is believed,
were quarried out entire, and brought 800
miles over land to Alexandria, the force
required to transport them being 100000
men.