The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle: Part 5

I love everything to do with Egypt — the pyramids, the Sphinx, mummies.

I’m going to pester my parents so they’ll take me to see Cleopatra’s Needle when it arrives.

A few years ago, Mr. Edison invented an amazing machine called a phonograph. It’s a about the size of a bread box, and it can record sounds and play them back just like they sounded in the first place. Isn’t that incredible?

They’re going to place Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park behind the new Metropolitan Museum of Art! Right now, there’s nothing but farms and vacant lots out there. It’s in the middle of nowhere.

They’re going to place Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park behind the new Metropolitan Museum of Art! Right now, there’s nothing but farms and vacant lots out there. It’s in the middle of nowhere.

They’re going to put Cleopatra’s Needle in a part of Central Park called Graywacke Knoll, which is close to the east side of the park.

We all wanted to catch the first glimpse of Cleopatra’s Needle as it poked its pointy top out of The Dessoug.

Do you want to know what they put inside the time capsule? I made a list....
—Some 1880 coins
—Webster’s dictionary
—The complete works of William Shakespeare
—The Bible, in various languages
—A copy of the Declaration of Independence
—A New York City directory and map
—The 1870 census
—Some presidential medals

Do you want to know what they put inside the time capsule? I made a list....
—Some 1880 coins
—Webster’s dictionary
—The complete works of William Shakespeare
—The Bible, in various languages
—A copy of the Declaration of Independence
—A New York City directory and map
—The 1870 census
—Some presidential medals

“You must allow me to compensate you for your idea,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

I’ve heard that some souvenir hunters were caught hanging around near Cleopatra’s Needle late at night with hammers and chisels.

Mr. Gorringe has one team of workers that starts at six o’clock in the morning, and another team replaces them at dinnertime. And Mr. Gorringe is supervising both teams all the time. I don’t know when he sleeps or where he gets so much energy.

The poor workmen look exhausted, and I’ve heard that some of them have come down with rheumatism.

They’re building a railroad trestle! It’s made out of thick timber. It should be finished any day now.

I just spotted Mr. Gorringe. He looks very handsome in his black overcoat and top hat. Wait! He’s coming over here!
“It would be my honor, Rebecca, to have you and your family view the proceedings from the grandstand,” he just told me. “After all, we wouldn’t be here today if not for you.”

Mr. Gorringe led us to a grandstand on the north side of Cleopatra’s Needle. We have the best seat in the house! There are a bunch of important looking dignitaries dressed up in fine clothes. Oooh, the Marine Band just marched over from Fifth Avenue. They’re playing The Obelisk Waltz.

• In 1881, the summer after Cleopatra’s Needle was raised in Central Park, the mummy of Thutmosis III was found in a secret burial chamber in a cave high up on a cliff in Egypt.

Today, the pink color is gone, the surface is rough, and some of the hieroglyphs are hard to see. Over the years, efforts have been made to clean and preserve the obelisk. It’s been treated with wax, oils, detergent, and lasers. There’s been talk of moving it indoors, building a glass dome over it, or even returning it to Egypt.

In 1932, people predicted that Cleopatra’s Needle was going to crumble just before a solar eclipse.
Despite it all, the obelisk is still there. It looks like it could fall over pretty easily, but it’s been calculated that it would take a wind force of seventy-eight tons to knock it over. A typical hurricane is fifteen tons of wind force.

In 1932, people predicted that Cleopatra’s Needle was going to crumble just before a solar eclipse.
Despite it all, the obelisk is still there. It looks like it could fall over pretty easily, but it’s been calculated that it would take a wind force of seventy-eight tons to knock it over. A typical hurricane is fifteen tons of wind force.