The daily gazette., 1880-07-21
CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE.
ARRIVAL AT QUARANTINE OF TIE FA-
NOUS sALExANDRIAN oBELIsK.

NOUS ALExANDRIAN OBELIsK.
The steamer Dessouk, under COM
mand of Lieutenant Commander Hem
ry ii. Gorringe, U. 8. N, came into
this harbor late last night. She was
first sighted off Fire Island at a quar-
ter past seven O'Clock and reached
Quarantine some five hours later. She
has brought to New York the now ia
nous Obslisk that Is TO be erected pro-
badly in Central Park, and for The i'm
mediate acquisition of which the city
is indebted TO the generosity of Mr..
William ii. Vanderbilt. 1t is one of
the tive needles of Cleopatra thai
stood for centuries on the shores of tie
Levant near the city of Alexandria
and ,at for centuries before guarded
the door, of the Temple of the Setting
Sun at Heliopolis. Its mate, which
had fallen from its pedestal in Alexan-
dria, was granted 70 England in 1919,
and o, y receiv' l there in 1873,
through the efforts aud personal sacri-
fees of Professor Erasmus Wilson,
The present obelisk, so say the Greek
and Latin inscriptions on It's base, was
br' 1t by Engineer Pontia, at the order
OF Barbarus, Prefect Of Egypt, in the
eigh.n year Of Augustus Caesars reign,
or twenty-five years before the begin
ming OF the Christian era. 1t wes re-
moved from Heliopolis to Alexandria
during fbe reign of Tiberius, but was
erl Jneously believed 10 have been re-
moved in the time of Cleopat, a, end
bence it was called Cleopalra's Needle.
There is little in the history of this re''c
With which the readers of the Herald
have not been acquainted. 1t is by far
the most p 'lless teasue Of The kind
that ever came to tho New World from
the OLD. The remarkable emble ! =
found engraved upon the stones at the
base of the monolhh have stirred the
Masonic fraternity all over the world
and aie likely 70 excite the attention Of
tue Masous Of America for many days
to come.
The programme for rrshipping and
erecting it here has rot been compile d,
but Masors in all pats of the country
have expr" ssed q desire 10 share in the
performs nee. 1t is sP' ID that the unst D.
pirg will be accomplished by the same
mes1s employed in placing 1t Oh board
The Des uk. The steemer will be f IT
lowered on dry dock and then the obe-
lisk will be slid VI IN two floats, one un-
der either end. The machinery made in
Trenton last fall and used at Alexandria
for lowering the column will be employ
ed again for its rc-ereCtion. 1t mainly
consists of two great trunnions that are
employed for srspend',g the weight Of
the needle.
THE OPPOSITION TO ITS REMOVAL.
Lieutenant Commander GoriDge sail
ed from New York on his mission to
Egypt on August 26, 1879. The obelisk
was fol mally ceded to himself aud Lieu
tenant Schroeder by the Governor Of
Alexandria ON October %, and the work
of removal began the same day. During
the accomplishment of this task the citi-
zens of Alexandria manifested consider
able opposition, and the creditors of the
Egyp ptian government threatened 10 seize
the Needle. Com mander GorTii e flung
the American hag from his Treasure on
the 30th of October, and on the 4th and
9th days of December, when 1t was be-
ing lowered, the Russian sailors in that
polt came generously forward to his as
| sistance.
The Dessouk is vessel of 1,061 tons
and carries about 1000 tons. She was
built in England and bought by the
Egy ptian government while yet on the
stool :. She was purchased from Eey pt
for her present use by Commodore Cor
rlnge, and she left Alexandria on the 18th
of June and Gibraltar on the 25th.
Though several days overdue no anxiety
was felt for her safety, as she was re-
ported to be strong vessel though a
slow one.-Herald.