Egyptian Obelisks - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 edition. Excerpt: ...entire month was passed in hoping for a slightly increased rise. Plans were then made of camels to lighten the draught. Plate xxxiv gives an idea of these. The frames of the "Luxor" not being strong enough to stand the upward pressure from these caissons, it was decided that stout timbers should be passed across from one to the other, and the cables taken from them round the obelisk instead of round the vessel. The weight would be thus diminished by the amount of buoyancy in the camels, the draught diminished in proportion, and no strain put on the timbers of the transport. The bad season had been reached, however, and the pilots asserted that this combination of vessels could not put to sea until the spring. The assurances of these men seem to have been given great weight, and their advice followed rather unquestioningly. The "Luxor" was laid up off Rosetta for the winter, and would probably have remained there that length of time but for a fortunate accident. A bark, loaded with oranges, had sunk near the mouth, and while raising her it was discovered that a pass had formed. Orders were immediately given to prepare for sea, and on the 1st of January, at eleven in the evening, after touching once or twice on the bar, the ' Luxor" entered the Mediterranean and proceeded to Alexandria in tow of the steamer "Sphinx." Delayed there again by bad weather, the anchor was finally weighed on the 1st of April, and after a stormy passage compelling the captain to seek shelter at Rhodes, Marmara, Milo, Navarino, Zantes, and Corfu, the obelisk reached the port of Toulon during the night of the 10th of May, 1833. A month's quarantine awaited the poor fellows there, after which M. LeBas, having completed the task...