Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-11-11
The End of the Steamer That
Brought Cleopatrd's Needle

ports of debris Of various sorts thai
clutters the ocean lanes, there, ap
pears in the photographic Bulletin, q
brief paragraph reciting that the Goa
barge DessOugh had been abandoned
at sea on October 81, near the winter
quarter shoals, with a cargo OF btu
men and five feet Of water In her
hold.
1t may be that by this time she has
fOundered. There are equal chances
that she may be wallowing and fail
ing on the long road to nowhere, a
career of glorious memory, which the
New York Eve9ing.s Post tells most
entertaingly.
The Dessoug was well known in
New Haven and always attracted
visitors while she lay alongside coal
pocket at Belle Dock When she
first began to bring coal to New Aav-
en- the fact was chronicled that she
was a craft with a history and then
public interest in her commenced.
Time was when Dessoiig was name
on every ones lips. says the Post.
That was when she was steaming for
New York from Africa, % years ago,
with the obelisk known as Cleopatra $
Needle. now standing in Central park
The eyes OF a nation awaited her arriv-
al. and when she ploughed in through
the Narrows and came to anchor OIL
Quarantine, On July 20, 1880, the oc-
casion was one of general rejoicing.
In the 10 days she was open for in
spection more than nine thousand
persons boarded her. : One day there
we're 100 visitors.
Even aside from the main fact that
she he'd an Egyptian Obelisk there
was every circumstance about the yes
sci to engage fancy and inspire I'M
agination. She was ship without a
country. No nation claimed her;
she had right to no flag. Above all,
the dashing Gorringe commanded her
-Gorringe of the ''tin-clad gunboac
Cricket, who, IS years before, had
taken his vessel through fight en-
the Red river, in which 80 shells SLIT
ed through, her flimsy sides, bringing
death or injury to 81 of her crew OF
50 within five minutes.
But Lieut. -Comdr. Henry Honey
church Gorringe had given back al
most, If not quite, as good as he. re-
ceived, working shoulder to shoulder
with his negro gunners; and, more,
he had saved his vessel, had taken
her safely past that deadly battery OF
20 guns on the Pleasant Hill bluf1s.
All this was fresh in mind in the
days when the Dessoug arrived IN
this port But Gorringe had achieved
fresh laurels by that time. Every
one knew the obstacles placed in his
way by Jealous foreign reside nts OF
Alexandria, to prevent removal Of the
obelisk; every one remembered how
he had surmounted them. and then
turned all his extraordinary powers OF
resource and Initiative upon the prob
lem OF transporting the great mono
18th across the Atlantic.
It was a difficult problem; many re-
sgarded it as insoluble. But Gorrfnge
did not. He maintained his nerve and
his courage under all disappointments
ard annoyances. and finally got the
Dessoug. How he got her will come
later; suffice for the present to say
he ran up the stars and stripes with:
cut warrant of law. hauled down the
Egyptian ensign, metaphortcaily II
not literally damned the port regula-
tons of the Seven Seas, and steamed
for the United States with II odd hum
bred tons Of dead weight lying along
his vessels backbone.
GorYinge sleeps under a miniature
town. in New York state now. and the
observation-disclosures knows where she
is; but those whose memories 60 back
to that summer Of 1880 can still feel
the thrill Of q certain bright July
I..orning, when Gorringe and the Des-
soug arrived here right side up with
Gre. and the world said: We'll. he
cid it. after an .-,-.-.. .
For II win Be remembered, It wss
nearly 100 years before England re-
moved the obeiisk which Egypt gare
her; and France allowed almost as
much time to elapse before she car
ried the LUXOR Obelisk away. And 50,
when the United States was similar
IL fa:orej. the Egyptians had no idea
they would have to Dart with the fam
Gus "Needle'-in their own lifetime, at!
least. probably not In fhst OF their
children. But hey did. Gcrrfnse
went over to Egypt in October. 1879.
and nine months later the obeiisk was
being hurled through the streets OF
Manhattan to Central Park.
In large measure the story Of Cor
rinse. the obelisk. and the Dessoug
sre 50 interSinel that all must play
a frequent part n q narrative con-
cerEing any one Of them. Passing,
however, the engineering dffhculties
involved in raising the stone from its
pedestal. inturning It to horizontal!
position. and lowering II preparatory
to launching into the waters Of the
hay. all Of which were successfully
solved by 0orringe and his abe as
sisi,ant. Lieutsaant, now Rear Ad-
miraI Seaton Schroeder. OF the battle
ship feet, the Dessoug comes into
view.