The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-08-06
An I.leraatIsaai view or tL. o.~,,.k

An isteraatisaai View or the Obell.k.
fnoan the Financial Chronicle. July "A.
The much-talked-of obelisk has arriy-
ed from Alexandria, and this country
will soon possess a relic, duly set up,
whose age and associations may really
cause curiosity TO yield 10 awe and
humility. How 1t was quarried, moved
and erected, this huge block Of stone.
20 feet long and $50 IONS in weigh.
more than 5000 years ago, IL \ marvel;
a marvel like TO that Of the pyramids
and Of many ruins. II one were 10
study this really monumental stone for
an afternoon, and were then to hear
anew the famous lecture on '.The Lost
Arts" he might feel for the time that
progress Is not always an uninterrupted
forward movement and that the invent
ions and discoveries Of which we mod
erns boast ourselves are. perhaps, in
part, only recoyeries OF what this hoary
old world OF ours had once, but let slip.
However, we have possession Of the
stone and 1t will become one in the list
OF permanent metropolitan sight"
England also has her obelisk. The
contract between the methods adopted
by representatives, Of the two nations in
getting home their treasure is a notable
one, and curiously illustrates n differ
ence in the national habits. The Eng
lish, thinking the stone could most
readily be transported II 1t were a squar-
ed timber, proceed TO make il as nearly
that rs possible by boxing it mp; then IL
was started, 10 float through the Med
~iterranean in tow OF a steamer. 1t was
a queer undertaking, not without bold
ness, OF course, and when the cable In
formed us that the steamer had aban-
doned its burden in the Bay OF Blscay
hardly was surprised ut so natural a
failure; but the surprise came when the
abandoned stone, having refused to be
wrecked, was taken In tow by another
steamer and trlumphantly bought to
London, giving rise TO an unprecedent-
ed case OF claim for salvage. The. af.
fair challenged admiration for boidness,
but the boldness was entirely in the
line Of old methods. Now appear the
Americans on the scene, and they be-
come original as well as bold, and apply
to the novel problems method equally
novel. Working their stone along a
temporary way down TO the water until
they had 1t on a sort Of pontoon on
which it was compar atively manage
able, the next step in its transportation
is To get II on the ship. This they do
by getting IL In the ship. Raising the
ship by means Of n dry-lock until the
where the column Is TO rest Is at
the same level with the column as IL lies
on the pontoon, they proceed 10 cut n
hole into the steamers bow, then shove
the block IN board by means OF n tenn
porary railway, reducing friction by the
familiar device Of using cannon balls.
They are in the ship now with the stone,
and the latter will be again landed by
simply reversing the process; once on
shore, the transporting and e~levating
are matters Of detail, and the work Is
all done.
The suggestion Of interest is that this
difference OF procedure illustrates the
boldness OF method In this country. In
our agriculture, factories of all sorts,
government, finances, and every depart
ment OF activity, Americans adopt
more accurately devise-methods which
violate custom, but have the advantage
of being direct adaptations of meal to
end. II the typical American makes
pins, he sees no reason why machinery
should not stick the pins on the paper
as well as do all the rest, and he forth
with produces machinery to do 1t; he Is
not satisfied with driving nails with a
hammer, but invents n 'nail-gun'nto
set them into the wood at a single
stroke. His disregard for existing met
hods il utter, and yet it is not disre-
spect Tin the positive sensel so much rs
1t is the absence of respect. He entire
ly fails TO perceive, and positively re-
fuses to admit, that anything is entitled
to consideration merely because It ex-
lists; it must exist for something. He
Is half inclined. however, to believe
that whatever is, is wrong. prima facie;
but, al least. nothing that is counts in
his estimation rs worth retaining IL