. St. Nicholas [serial] . TRUCKING THE PEDESTAL OF THE OBELISK. reaching to the base of the great stone. They thenIn the early .part of this century came other erected eight enormous spars, pivoted at theworkmen, from France. They first thought of bottom, and all fastened to the top of the monolithtaking one of the two obelisks at Alexandria, but by heavy ropes. Then, from the top of the spars tofinding a taller and better pair at Luxor, they de- the ground, were hung other ropes and chains,cided to take one of these to Paris, that the people passed through blocks, secured to the ground, and.
. St. Nicholas [serial] . TRUCKING THE PEDESTAL OF THE OBELISK. reaching to the base of the great stone. They thenIn the early .part of this century came other erected eight enormous spars, pivoted at theworkmen, from France. They first thought of bottom, and all fastened to the top of the monolithtaking one of the two obelisks at Alexandria, but by heavy ropes. Then, from the top of the spars tofinding a taller and better pair at Luxor, they de- the ground, were hung other ropes and chains,cided to take one of these to Paris, that the people passed through blocks, secured to the ground, and. THE OBELISK CROSSING THE HUDSON RIVER RAILROAD. in that great city might see and admire the skill of then to powerful capstans. These spars leaned the old Egyptian stone-masons. away from the stone slightly, or about at an angle Let us see how they did the work. After clear- of seventy-five degrees. Then, at some distance ing away the deep sand about the obelisk, they built away on the other side, were placed a number of 3H THE TRUE STORY OF THE OBELISK. [February, capstans, firmly anchored in the sands, and fromthese, ropes were taken to the top of the was now firmly held between the two sets ofropes, and, to lower it, hundreds of men took holdof the bars of the capstans—a part of them to pullthe stone over, and the others to hold it back. Asit slowly tipped and bowed itself toward theground, the great spars lifted till they stood up-right, then leaned over above the stone. The baseof the monolith easily rolled up the sloping pier,and the center struck the edge of the up
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasse, bookyear1873
