The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-07-21
THE oBEL1sK
Arrives nj New York-DetaIIed Account
of the yoyage-cause OF the
DetentIon.

NEW YORK, July 90.-A World reporter
boarded the Dessouk at 9 o'clock this
morning and interviewed Commander
Garridge as to the 0belisk and his trip.
The Commander said that they left Alex
andria June 18th and Gibraltar on the
25th. The weather continued fine, and
nothing particular occurred until the 9Th
Of July, at s o'clock in the morning. We
were going along at eight and one-half
knots with smooth water, when all at once
the engine stopped and we found the after
crank shaft broken short off. OF course we
made sail and began to dismantle the
shaft and take the engine to pieces. We
worked night and day until the 18th. On
the evening Of the 18th we were ready to
start again, having put in new shalt.
There Is story connected with this
shalt. When bought the vessel in Alex.
andria purchased her with everything
on board and belonging to her, and
aiterward I found that this spar shaft be.
longed to her, and was in the stores, and
l had the greatest fight you ever heard Of
for two months, before I could get them
to give me the shaft, but got ii at last and
1t saved us from very long passage. On the
day after l broke the shalt we were spoken
BY the Austrian bark, Neltuno, OF Per-
sapno, and requested the captain to de-
liver for me at any point, the following
telegram:
To hs honorable Secretary Of he Mary:
The steamer Dessouk, with the obelisk,
broke the crane shalt July 9th, latitude 80,
longitude AZ. A spar shaft is being fitted.
Probably detention Of 10 days until re-.
pairs are completed. win try 10 keep be-
tween parallels 81 and $3.50" Lieut.. Gar
ringer, Of the Austrian bark was to go to
Constantinople, but he promised 10 stop at
Gibraltar to send this dispatch. BY the
skill and energy OF commander Garridge,
he has been enabled to reach New York
before the bark has reached Gibraltar, and
be will accordingly telegraph at once to
Mr.. Sprague, our consul at Gibraltar, not
to forward the dispatch. This broken
| shalt, lieutenant COMMANDER 1Arrluge
continued, has delayed US for about eight
days. There Is one thing tina. you can say
that the obelisk has arrived, and that
there is not square inch broken of 1t.
| / shall deliver It Just as l received 1t. It
| Is seventy feet long, eight feet square and
Ave feet three inches at the top. 1t weighs
two hundred tons. The pedestal forty
three tons, the steps or foundation, with.
ont the pedestal, seventy.iour tons. The
machinery for lowering II weighs
sixty tons. While I was at
Gibraltar Lord Napier, Of Magdals,
the Governor. General OF Gibraltar came
on board with all oi his staff and large
number oi ladies, and went down In the
hold and examined critically the 0belisk
and the manner Of itsstowage. They ex.
pressed themselves much pleased with all
they saw. Lord Ripon, on his way to lu
dla, came on board at Alexandria and In
spected the 0belisk. There were also many
engineers who came from great distance
to see It, and to observe the manner OF ii
shipment. Two Austrian engineers can't
all the way from Trieste. l shall take ]
out just exactly as put Il in, that Is, pu
the vessel on the dry deck first.