Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-02-03
s9elisfeslauepns &tadiua.
THE EGYPTIAN OBELISK.

The obelisk was placed on its pedestal in
the Central Park, New York, on Saturday, in
the presence of FIVE thousand spectators. Its
history is as follows:
Thotmes III. erected the obelisk. at the en-
trance of the Temple of the Sun, in Heliopo.
lis, more than three thousand five hundred
years ago. Two centuries later Rameses IL.
employed the reporters of his times to carve
his greatness on the stone, and twenty three
years before Christ, Augustus Cesar moved it
to Alexandria and set it up at the C@sarium,
a palace that has gone to ruin, and in our
times is merely one of the walls of marble
yard. In that yard, near the station of the
railroad to Cairo, Mr.. w. H. Hurlburt found
it when the Suez Canal was opened. He per-
suaded the Khediye of Egypt to present it to
the city of New York, through the govern
ment of the United States, and contract was
nearly perfected with John Dixon, who had
transported the mate Of this obelisk to Lon.
don, to bring it to New York for $751; 900, but
the negotiations fell through, and Lieutenant
Commander Gorringe, then commanding the
Gettysburg, having taken careful observations
in the Mediterranean, expressed his willing
ness to do che work. Thereupon the Secreta'
ry of the Navy assigned him to the State De
partment Secretary Evarts permitted him
to take the contract, and detailed him to ~
to Egypt The cost of transferring the stone
from hemisphere to hemisphere, has been
much in excess of $4,000. The Commander
shipped the trunnions, on which the obelisk
swung, on Saturday, from Trenton, N. j., to
Egypt, anG took the stone down. He sailed
with it, for New York, on the 18th Of June
last, and arrived on the Goth of July, the
length of passage being due to broken shaft
His steamer, the Dessoug, was drawn up on
the Marine Railway, on Staten Island, and
the obelisk was run out of her forecastle and
placed on pontoons, which we're towed up New
York Harbor on the afternoon Of the 1Eth ot
September last. The stone was carried acros;
the Hudson River Railroad track at Ninety
sixth street, without stopping train. 1t was
Pat perpendicular over its pedestal on the
ninety eighth day after its landing on Manhat
tan Island.
The following figures were given to the
press for the FIRST time Saturday: Height O.
the obelisk from base to tip, 50 feet 3 inches
base of the obelisk, square through its axis,
| leeC or lucHeS ; NJ CHe COp, leeL IuCNe'
square; weight, 2l94 tons main body of thu
obelisk. 81 feet inches in length; pyramid
on, 7 feet inches in length. No two sides o
the obelsk are equal in width. If you cut i
through in sections you will find it trape
zium.
The height of the pedestal is feet inches
at the base it is feet inches square, and a
the top feet inch square. The weight o
the pedestal is 49 tons.
The height of the foundation is 4 feet II
inches; height of the bottom step, foot 81
inches; width, foot inches. Height o
the middle step, l foot 7 inches; width, foo
% inches. Height of top step, l foot 9!
inches. The base is II feet 8 inches square a
the bottom and IL feet 81 inches at the top
Its weight is S72 tons.
Total height of the tip of the obelisk from
the monticle on which the base stands, 80 fee
II inches. Height from the eastern drive tt
the foundation, IL feet inch. Elevation o
the site Of the obelisk above mean higf
water, 101 feet inches; to the top Of thu
obelsk, l94 feet inches. Weight of the oh
elisk and It's pedestal and foundation, 7l2,OO(
pounds