From a] [Photo.
FAREWELL TO ALEXANDRIA.
On the third day divers discovered that a hidden stone weighing half a ton had pierced the plates, and making a hole had allowed the water to rush in and fill the cylinder. It took some days to repair the damage made by the rock, but after that was done it was successfully floated and towed round to the harbour, where final arrangements were made for the sea voyage. A cabin house and rail were fixed on top, two bilge keels 40ft. long were riveted one on either side, a mast and rudder placed, and twenty tons of iron ballast were put in her. It was manned by a crew of five Maltese and an English captain. The time occupied from beginning to encase it until the completion was about three and a half months.
A suitable steamer of sufficient size and power was found in the ss. Olga, belonging to Messrs. Wm. Johnson and Co., of Liverpool. The craft, which was named the Cleopatra, was now ready for sea. It was designed not to travel faster than five or six knots an hour, as greater speed might be disastrous. The Olga, towing the Cleopatra, set sail from Alexandria on the 21st September, 1877.
For the first twenty days all was prosperous and uneventful, but on the morning of Sunday, the 14th October, when in the Bay of Biscay, a squall arose, which towards noon developed into a gale. The Cleopatra, however, stood the gale well, not shipping enough water to do any serious harm until about six o'clock on the evening of the same day, when a big sea caught her, turning her completely on her beam ends and carrying away her mast.
ON THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.
From a Photo. kindly lent by C. H. Mabey, Esq., Sculptor of Sphinxes and Pedestal.
A desperate effort was made to right her, but without success; a small boat was lowered, but to no purpose, and the captain of the Olga at this point, seeing the danger all were in, thought it wisest to disconnect the two vessels, and so the cylinder was cut adrift. A little later, the wind having fallen, the Cleopatra signalled for assistance, and the crew of the Olga, pitying the distress of their fellow-sailors, volunteered to put off in a boat and go to their rescue. The captain, thinking it would be a fruitless effort, advised them against it, saying: "A boat could not live in such a sea." The second officer, who had all along taken a keen interest in the welfare of the Cleopatra, replied: "We can't leave the poor fellows to drown; and now, lads, who will go with me?" He found five fine able-bodied men, in the prime of life, were willing to share the risk, and a boat was launched and put off; but before they could render any assistance a great wave washed them away, and they were thus drowned in endeavouring to save others.
After a time a line was thrown from the Olga over the Cleopatra, and by means of it a boat was hauled from the one vessel to the other, and the sailors on the Needle were saved. After spending some hours in searching for signs of the lost boat and the Cleopatra, the captain of the Olga set sail for Falmouth, with the sad news of the enforced abandonment in the Bay and the supposed loss of the Needle and men.
When the news was heard in England, Mr. Dixon was of opinion that the Needle would not sink when cast off, but would float, the only danger being that she might be destroyed on rocks. His surmising was correct in reference to it floating, for a telegram was received sixty days after the news of its loss saying that the ss. Fitzmaurice, bound for Valencia from Middlesbrough, had found and captured it ninety miles north of Ferrol, and had towed it into Vigo in Spain, and it remained in that harbour about three months.
Sir James Ashbury, M.P., kindly offered the loan of his yacht, the Eothen, to tow it home, but arrangements were finally made for the Anglia to do the work, and she arrived in England with the obelisk in tow on the 20th January, 1878.