Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-04
LOCAL NEWS.
Another Sudden Death,

Yesterday afternoon about o'clock the at tention of Officer Laughlin was called to a man sitting on the sidewalk near the corner to the police office and proved to be George M. Ransom, aged about forty years He was placed on one of the wooden benches and soon after expired. Dr. Bartlett was quickly summoned, but his services were of no avail Coroner Daley was notified and summoned a jury, who returned a verdict that the deceased came to his death from exhaustion induced by the excessive use of Intoxicating glliquors The deceased was a scroll sawyer and had re- | gently worked at B. Shoninger & Co.'S. The Removal of CIeopatra's Needle.
 The New London Telegram has received a letter from Henry E. Davis, of Noank, who accompanied the party which has gone to Alexandria, Egypt for the purpose of re- moving Cleopatra's Needle to New York MT. Davis acts in the capacity of superin- tendent of construction. Writing from Alex andria under date of May II, MT. Davis says that the original plan was to move the obe- fisk through the city of Alexandria on atruck which was brought from America for that purpose. The authorities, however, would
 
 the sewers It was then determined to build float and lower the Needle into it. This plan was successfully carried out, and the float was launched on the 3Oth of March last It was simply box, 83 feet long, 9 feet wide and eight feet deep, very strongly constructed. At the date of Mr. Davis letter the obelsk was in the dry dock and the float had been demolished. The ship in which the obelisk will be brought to New York was expected to go into dock in few days. An opening will be made in the bows sufficiently large to admit of the introduction of the Needle, which will be run in on cannon balls, and the opening will then be closed up. It was then expected that the ship would be in dock about six weeks, and that only few days additional time would be required to complete all the preparations for her departure. After the obelisk was launched the ways were recon structed and barge hauled out on which were placed the pedestal and foundation stones. The pedestal was on board the ship at the date of Mir. Davis letter It weighed forty-four tons and was hoisted and lowered by means of derricks. MT. Davis enclosed a rough sketch of the obelisk as it was found on the arrival of the party, which shows that the earth had sunk since it's erection and also that the sands of the desert had covered it up some fifteen feet by actual measurement.
 
 Needle, about which there has been so much controversy, MT. Davis writes as follows:
 The masonic emblems, about which there has been so much controversy through the papers, are, without doubt genuine. You will see that the foundation is composed of three steps, the mystic number in masonry, and inside of these steps was found the square which is of granite the same the Obelisk also the perfect ashler and the rough ashler, they are granite; the lamb skin is of the whitest of marble; the square and perfect ashler are polished the trowel is perfect in shape although rather rusty, the steps are limestone that has evidently been subjected to volcanic action at some period of the world as they are very hard and take fine polish MT. s. A. Zola, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Egypt, says there is no doubt of their being purely masonic, and he is con- sidered the best authority in Egypt.
 MT. Davis enclosed with his letter num- Der of photographs taken at various stages of the work of removal which give a very accu- rate idea of the methods employed