New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-12
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
RAISING TIE OBELlSK.
TIE HUGE STONE 10 d. IL ITS PLACE NEXT WEN
c-I,I-A-ci.,s IALElsED on.


TIE HUGE STONE 10 DE IL ITS PLACE NEXT VEIN
-KELIc-nUNrERs IMPOSED Or.
The ohrliSk will probably he placed in its peIma-
nrnc position Ivy the end OF neNt week, proNiuIhE
III, wOrkncn are not delayed by stormy Wca'her'
IL now lies in a horizontal position on trcStle
directly over the pedestal on which IL Is To stand
The wOl kmen were engaged yesterday morning III
removing the machinery hy which the oDeIsA was
drawn on the trcste, and i'll the afternoon they
were hosting into their proper places two run
Mons by means of which the OhcliSk will be swung
into its place. The trunnions will probably he III
position to day. They are heavy plates OF iron;
measuring six feet and six inches one wav ana eshi
feet the other and each one weighs abont TWO "nd
one. fourth tons. They VIII he piacGu Oh S'Vcl
towers which have been erected on eacl sue on u
y dcstal, and then clampcd 10 the mladio oi tuc
1}clisk Tho next work will he the raising of large
mates nf composition metal which bear the impress
Son of the hcroglyphics. They Will lie htted ABOUT
Inc lar1ey cnl oi the stone 10 prevent u from
now rests will then he Iemovcd ana ny Inni'oi
revolution the ubesl will he III It's naIpoS,tol.
The moving of tie oheSk has been III pIoE ,o,
since Spntrul,cr % 1850. when It WAS ken from
thc foot of West Ninety -SiXth-st. IL was diaWh up
that street 10 the Boulevard, then to Eighty-sNth;
ST. through the transverse road TO Iuth-aNc' ana
thsn In Ejrhty-fistst. From Fifth-ave and
Tighty-rSt st at the entrance 70 the metropolitan
Mn~eun of Art. . tIcstle go feet long was con
str,ctcJ 10 the place where the OGellSa now iIeS
over the pedestal 1t IS an inclined piano wno ~
I:>es rhrre-iouithS OF an inch To fn0i ana emu az
:: point fory-thfc feet above tI9 t t,ninns
through tie Park. The steel towers the trunni"nsi
On thn other pieces OF meta which are 10 ne u>tu
IT, ;nwcriny the al cilsk are the same that were
used in Alexandria wI.,n lne opciisH TS o} 'cHS
down 1t i, nearly fU: months since the o2ciiSA
wa. landed at Ninety SINth-St.. hut the Work naS
Lrcu yrry much imp; led by bad weather. when ne
r:.,i were cOnucllcd to cease wOrhinC. liaI we
,r,.. her been favorable tn" stone would pfonhpN
have been removed i'll a little more thah TWO
months . , :.o,, bis
" nolp attention 10 he work 0i moving ne onCil"N
since OctoueI. 1879, when he started lot AicA.ii-
Gria In August, 1879. re drew pans Wl t ei 10
I, 80, t4 n hoNN The mOnOtl WAS 10 ne IL
moved from its position in Alexandra 10 the Spot
where it Will rest at the end oi next week pIo""n ,
Tic original plan Mas necn ar ancrr TO- xxx.
nm lria Tie natives would not allow the stone 10
hc drawn through the city, and the plan haI TO 1e
Changed Instead Of hauling 1T a nan Inlie thc
Airy9n,iriauS compelled il TO he taken to sea
distance of seven miles In TINS cry the work ms
been conducted according to the plan conceived py
Lieutenant Commander GorTlnge over year aS"
Thr machinery was then chosen ANA even the mer
at Nincty-siXtl-st. was selected Tor the place OF
landing. A.. .....o,;o.
attending In" presentation of the Obelisk TO the
city but II viii he soon after the stone Is IN lis maj
place. The programme has not been 9eteilninfini
upon, hut it is Thought that secretary ENartS VIII
deliver the principal address.
There are many persons in the city who claim TO
have secured fragments OF the oocsH; Wh a L 1ncI
paid considerable sums of money for little pieces
of the stone, and have spent more i'll having them
suitably set By a jeweleT. According 10 the state
mcnts of those engaged in moving the Obellsk.
these persons have been deceived. Inc stone mas
been carefully guarded since 1t was Ianded. Not u
particle has been clipped Oft OF any part OF II eX-
ccpt the base, where few pieces were taken OH ~
a stonc.cut TO make the corners square. All
the clippings that were removed ny the sIohe-
cutter were carefully collected by Lieutenant Com
mander GOrringe and they are now IN his posses
sion. When the stone-cutter was at work some boys
gathered fragments OF the Connectlcut grante used
in the construction of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art and sold them readily at ~ piece. HE
granite is of the same color as the obellsk.