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Harroun & Bierstadt, NY/Egyptian Obelisks

“Circumstances made it easy to select a landing place and a route for the obelisk [through Manhattan] … The steep slopes on the North River shore abreast of the park have but one break, and that is through Ninety-sixth Street. At the foot of this street, therefore, the obelisk had to be landed … The Hudson River railway tracks skirt the river bank at the point where the obelisk was landed; passenger trains pass at very frequent intervals, the longest time between trains being an hour and a half about noon. To have blocked the road at this point for more than two or three hours would have involved serious loss and much serious inconvenience to travellers … Immediately after the passage of the last train that was allowed by [on September 25, 1880], the temporary bridge was thrown across the track; in one hour and twenty minutes subsequently the obelisk was resting on the roadway of Ninety-sixth Street and the track was entirely clear of obstructions. The freight train … was delayed twenty-five minutes. The regular passenger trains were not delayed at all.”