The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle: Part 4

I spend my days watching boats in the harbor to see if one of them might be able to take me somewhere, anywhere. But I have no money to pay for a fare. I will need to sneak aboard a boat.

The Dessoug is the biggest steamer in the harbor & it has been sitting in the water ever since I got here. It is not in great shape. I can see that it is filthy & there is damage on the starboard side near the waterline. I thought that perhaps it had been abandoned.

I observed a group of laborers with screwdrivers & other tools removing some of the plates on the hull of The Dessoug. I counted over 30 plates they took off, each one a few feet tall & wide. They took off thousands of rivets. They made a big hole in the side of the ship.

I observed a group of laborers with screwdrivers & other tools removing some of the plates on the hull of The Dessoug. I counted over 30 plates they took off, each one a few feet tall & wide. They took off thousands of rivets. They made a big hole in the side of the ship.

Today as I was sitting here watching the ship, I saw a large group of men. There must have been 100 of them or more....They were using ropes & brute force to pull the obelisk along the dock until it was very close to The Dessoug.

When the obelisk was almost touching The Dessoug, half of us were ordered to go around to the top of the obelisk & push it into the ship. I was using all my might. The men around me were grunting & sweating from the... exertion. After hours of this, we pushed the obelisk into the cargo hold of The Dessoug.

I am aboard The Dessoug! I have nothing more than the clothes on my back, but I do not care. I am where I want to be — on a boat that will...be heading for The United States of America. I am so happy...I will just have to hope they do not check the cargo hold for stowaways before we push off.

It must have been around two o’clock in the afternoon when steam whistles were blown & we shoved off. I felt the boat creak, scrape against something, & then rock gently on the water. An engine rumbled to life, & then the propeller. I heard whistles & cheering, or maybe it was jeering, until it faded away into the distance.

The men who pulled me out of the hold were angry. I was afraid they were going to throw me overboard....From what I understand, they were so angry because they have a very limited amount of food & water, & they don’t want to share it with me.

If you are stuck in open water for days, your food & water supplies will dwindle to nothing.

When we had returned to full speed, Commander Gorringe smiled at me. Maybe he will let me stay alive for a while....I resolved to make myself as useful as possible so he will allow me to live & get to New York City.

I have been working hard too, shoveling coal, swabbing the deck, & doing other chores.

Astonishingly (that is a big word) Commander Gorringe found a spare crankshaft in storage.

“Be calm,” Commander Gorringe told us as the ship pulled alongside ours. “Do not do anything to provoke them.”

An officer climbed out on the deck of the other ship.
“Are you in distress?” he hollered threw a megaphone. “Do you need assistance?”

An officer climbed out on the deck of the other ship.
“Are you in distress?” he hollered threw a megaphone. “Do you need assistance?”

Commander Gorringe accepted some loaves of bread & tried to pay for them, but the Austrian officer refused to accept any money. He explained that it was maritime law to help a ship in distress. We all thanked him & his crew, & waved as they went on their way.

I also learned that Commander Gorringe’s first name is Henry. The men say he was born in Barbados, which is an island just north of South America. He went to sea when he was 14 years old. He was caught in a storm & shipwrecked in India.

Yesterday, he pulled me aside & when he shook my hand, he slipped an American five dollar bill into it. He said he wanted to show his appreciation for plugging the leak in the boiler & replacing the broken crankshaft. He said I was indispensible, whatever that means. Commander Gorringe is a good man.

The first thing I am going to do when we get to New York City is buy myself a big stake dinner with this five dollar bill. I will use whatever is left of the money to get some new clothes so I will look presentable when I apply for work in America.

The waterspout looked like it was going to hit us dead on.
“Grab onto something!” shouted Commander Gorringe.
Then, at the last instant, the waterspout veered off in a different direction.
The storm is over. The sky calmed down. Nobody was hurt.

Finally! After 39 days at sea, early this morning we reached New York City! It is a busy, bustling port, much bigger than Alexandria. It is bigger than any city I have ever seen.

Now he would need a strong team of men to help him tow the obelisk up the river, bring it ashore, drag it halfway across the island of Manhattan, & stand it up in Central Park. & he needs a smart young man like me to help.

He said it might take the rest of the year to finish. The pay would be 9 dollars a week plus room & board. That is pretty good wages.

I don’t know where my future will take me, but I am glad I got the chance to come to America & I am glad I was able to write about it & keep it in my memory forever. I am anxious to eat a stake dinner, & lots of hot dogs.