Sept 1878 - a some what historic date.
Also the date Cleopatra's Needle, which has nothing to do with her by 1400yrs, was finally erected, after being gifted to the crown by the local Sultan to celebrate...amongst others, Wellingtons victory at Waterloo in 1815. Though why they waited 63years is anybody's guess.
The Needle arrived in England after a horrendous journey by sea in 1878.
The British public subscribed £15,000 to bring it over from Alexandria in Egypt, and waited eagerly for the ‘needle’ to arrive.
A specially designed cigar-shaped container ship, called the Cleopatra...(hence the name Cleopatra's Needle maybe) was used to convey this priceless treasure. It was built by the Dixon brothers and when finished was an iron cylinder, 93 feet long, 15 feet wide, and was divided into ten watertight compartments. A cabin, bilge keels, bridge and rudder were riveted on and to everyone’s delight …she floated!
But on October 14th 1877 in treacherous waters off the west coast of France in the Bay of Biscay disaster stuck… the Cleopatra was in danger of sinking.
The steam-ship towing her, the Olga, sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatra’s crew, but the boat was swamped and the volunteers drowned. The names of the men who died are commemorated on one of the plaques to be seen today at the base of the Needle – William Askin, Michael Burns, James Gardiner, William Donald, Joseph Benton and William Patan.
Eventually the Olga drew alongside and rescued Cleopatra’s five crewmen and their skipper, and cut the towrope, leaving the vessel adrift in the Bay of Biscay.
In Britain the nation held its breath… would the Cleopatra remain buoyant – if not they had wasted a lot of money.
Five days later a ship spotted the Cleopatra floating peacefully and undamaged off the northern coast of Spain, and towed her to the nearest port, Ferrol.
Following her narrow escape, another steam-ship, the Anglia, was sent to tow the Cleopatra home.
Under the needle there is a Victorian time capsule, said to contain, along with the obligatory picture of Herself
The following;
Photographs of 12 English Beauties of the day.
A box of hairpins.
A box of cigars.
Several tobacco pipes.
A baby's bottle.
Some children's toys.
A shilling razor.
A hydraulic jack and some samples of the cable used in the erection.
A 3 inch bronze model of the monument.
A complete set of British coins.
A rupee.
A written history of the strange tale of the transport of the monument.
Plans on vellum.
A translation of the inscriptions.
Copies of the bible in several languages.
A copy of Whitaker's Almanack.
A Bradshaw Railway Guide, a map of London.
Copies of 10 daily newspapers.
Also the date Cleopatra's Needle, which has nothing to do with her by 1400yrs, was finally erected, after being gifted to the crown by the local Sultan to celebrate...amongst others, Wellingtons victory at Waterloo in 1815. Though why they waited 63years is anybody's guess.
The Needle arrived in England after a horrendous journey by sea in 1878.
The British public subscribed £15,000 to bring it over from Alexandria in Egypt, and waited eagerly for the ‘needle’ to arrive.
A specially designed cigar-shaped container ship, called the Cleopatra...(hence the name Cleopatra's Needle maybe) was used to convey this priceless treasure. It was built by the Dixon brothers and when finished was an iron cylinder, 93 feet long, 15 feet wide, and was divided into ten watertight compartments. A cabin, bilge keels, bridge and rudder were riveted on and to everyone’s delight …she floated!
But on October 14th 1877 in treacherous waters off the west coast of France in the Bay of Biscay disaster stuck… the Cleopatra was in danger of sinking.
The steam-ship towing her, the Olga, sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatra’s crew, but the boat was swamped and the volunteers drowned. The names of the men who died are commemorated on one of the plaques to be seen today at the base of the Needle – William Askin, Michael Burns, James Gardiner, William Donald, Joseph Benton and William Patan.
Eventually the Olga drew alongside and rescued Cleopatra’s five crewmen and their skipper, and cut the towrope, leaving the vessel adrift in the Bay of Biscay.
In Britain the nation held its breath… would the Cleopatra remain buoyant – if not they had wasted a lot of money.
Five days later a ship spotted the Cleopatra floating peacefully and undamaged off the northern coast of Spain, and towed her to the nearest port, Ferrol.
Following her narrow escape, another steam-ship, the Anglia, was sent to tow the Cleopatra home.
Under the needle there is a Victorian time capsule, said to contain, along with the obligatory picture of Herself
The following;
Photographs of 12 English Beauties of the day.
A box of hairpins.
A box of cigars.
Several tobacco pipes.
A baby's bottle.
Some children's toys.
A shilling razor.
A hydraulic jack and some samples of the cable used in the erection.
A 3 inch bronze model of the monument.
A complete set of British coins.
A rupee.
A written history of the strange tale of the transport of the monument.
Plans on vellum.
A translation of the inscriptions.
Copies of the bible in several languages.
A copy of Whitaker's Almanack.
A Bradshaw Railway Guide, a map of London.
Copies of 10 daily newspapers.
