Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-11-20
THE OBELISK.

Tbe idea or securing an obeIisk for
the city of New York grew out of the
newspaper reports of 1877 relative to
the work of transporting similar mon
ument from Alexandria to London. 1t
was then understood that the Khediye
had sigmfied a Willingness to give the
United States the remaining obelisk Of
Alexandria. Mr. Henry G Stebbins,
then Commissioner of the Department
of Public Parks, in the city of New
York, undertook to secure the necessary
funds for Transporting and erecting the
obehsk. Mr.. VIM. H. Vanderbilt was
asked to head the Subscription, but he
generously offered TO defray the whole
expense of the undertaking. The mat
ter was laid before the Department of
State and assistance was to be asked Of
the consul-general at Cairo, who was
the representative of the United States
at the court of the Khedive.
The consul-general was very much
surprised as he knew the khedive had
never made such an offer, but from that
time forward he made every effort in
his power to obtain an obelisk for the
United States. He made careful ex-
animation of the different ones and
finally concluded that CIeopatra's 5
Needle, at Alexandria, on the sea shore,
would be the most desirable and the
most easily removed. Egypt was full
of troubles at the time, and for some
time after, and there were number of
difficulties in the way of obtaining the
obelisk, but after almost wear and n
half of effort the consent of the Khedive
was finally obtained.
In the month of October, 1879, Lieu
tenant Commander Gorringe, who had
been granted a leave of absence to en-
able him to remove the obelisk to the
United States, arrived in Egypt The
heavy construction made on "a new plan
from designs by the commander, to aid
him IN the accomplishment of his work,
arrived soon afterwards, and on the 9Th
day of December, the huge shaft poised
on its. improvised trunnions like a
mammoth cannon, was turned to a hori-
zontal position.
The Cleopatra's Needle, as is well
known, is. a single shaft of red granite
from the quarries of Syne, now called
Assouan, at the first cataract of the Nile
seven hundred miles from the Medit-
terranean.- 1t is sixty-eight feet, ten
inches high, seven feet ten inches by
eight feet two inches at the base. and
tapers gradually upward to six feet one
inch by SIX feet three inches terminal
ing In a pyramidion seven feet high.
Its weight is about two hundred and
twenty tons. 1t stood upon the sea
shore at Alexandria, fifty feet from the
water line, with its base buried in sand
and earth, that had been accommodating
for centuries. Mr.. Gorringe has given
his opinion that, had 1t occupied
its former site, it would have been des-
troyed during the recent bombardment
of Alexandria.
On reaching New York, Mr.. Gorrinpe
dragged his ship up upon n marine
railway at Staten Island, and rolled the
obelisk out upon staging. Pontoon.
placed beneath, rose with the tide and
hoated 1t. Towed to Manhattan Island
these pontoons, on sinking, deposited
the mOnolith on landing stage From
the dock 1t made Its journey on a cradle
of rollers run on beams. A stationary
engine, fastened to the forward end Of
the cradle, wound on ITS drum a rope
which passed through pulley block
stationed some distance ahead The
engine thus pulled itself and its burden
up to the block, a process constantly
repeated until the site of Central Park
was reached. On Jan. 22nd 1881. the
ohelisk was erected on its pedestal by
the same means employed in Alexandria
to lay it on the ground. 1t stands di-
rectly opposite the Metropolitan Muse
um and is one of the great attractions of
the city, and of interest to all those who
visit the park
To the dismay of every one, when the
| obelfsk had been standing in the pres
ent position some time, 1t was noticed
that the surface wss slowly crumbling
and there was danger that the hero
glyphics on its surface, which were so
interesting to Egyptian scholars, would
entirely disappear. The wise men were
called into council, and it was at length
decided to cover the entire surface with
a coating which should be able to resist
| the influence of storms without hiding
| the figures upon the surface. This was
accordingly done, and since then there
has been no change in the obelisk. II
may stand another 5000 years in its pre-
sent position.
The European press of Egypt gave
great importance to the fact that the
London and Paris obelisks were both
given on account of service and tayors
rendered by the government of the
countries to which they were presented,
consideration for the gift of Cleopatra .
Needle to the city of New York.
The writer is indebted for informa-
ton on this subject to Z. L. Faiman's
account of the negotiations for the
obelisk.
1t is now placed beyond doubt In
the course OF the investigation regard