One of the workmen told me they were instructed to place the foundation in exactly in the same direction as it had been when it was in Egypt. I don’t see why that matters, but I guess they had their reasons.
Before we left, I asked a worker when he expected Cleopatra’s Needle would be standing up at Greywacke Knoll, and he said it could be months.
Months?!
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1880
Dear Diary,
I have a confession to make. Annie and I told our parents we were going to school today, but we played hooky instead. I know it’s wrong and I feel bad about lying. But I read in the newspaper that Mr. Gorringe is having serious problems moving Cleopatra’s Needle, so I had to go uptown to see what was going on.
When I got to 96th Street, I felt sad for Mr. Gorringe and his men. They are working so hard. It took a month just to move a few blocks. The rails they have been using keep breaking under the weight of Cleopatra’s Needle. It must be soooo heavy.
They reached West Boulevard today and they’re trying to make a right turn there. I can’t imagine how they’re going to do it. It’s hard enough for them to move in a straight line. But I hope Mr. Gorringe will figure it out.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1880
My parents found out that I played hooky yesterday. They were really mad. Now I can’t go out for the rest of the week. I am heartbroken.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1880
Dear Diary,
Today is Halloween, so my parents said my punishment is over and I can go out again. Naturally, I went to see Cleopatra’s Needle.
Finally, they were able to turn the corner onto West Boulevard. It took six days (and nights)! Mr. Gorringe looked tired, worried, and a little angry. The weather is starting to get cold, and I know he wanted to have Cleopatra’s Needle in place by the end of the year. That’s not going to happen if it takes six days just to turn a corner.
But here’s the best part, Diary. We were invited over to Annie’s house for Halloween dinner. And you’ll never believe who was there.
Mr. Henry Honychurch Gorringe!!!
I did not make that up! He is a friend of a friend of Annie’s father so they invited him over. I was nervous sitting across the table from Mr. Gorringe, and I didn’t say anything for the longest time. The grownups were talking about Cleopatra’s Needle and Mr. Gorringe said how frustrating it was to spend six days turning the corner on to West Boulevard.
That’s when Annie’s mom started bringing out the plates of food and putting them on the table. After she put each plate down, she spun the invention I made for her, to make room for the next plate.
I saw that Mr. Gorringe was watching intently as Annie’s mom put the food on the table.
“Where did you get that thing?” he finally asked.
“It was Rebecca’s idea,” said Annie’s mom as she pointed at me. “She invented it.”
Mr. Gorringe turned to look at me.
“Passing plates back and forth across the table is a pain in the neck,” I told him. “So I figured that putting them on a big wheel would make things easier.”
“And what did you put between the two wheels to enable the top one to turn around?” he asked.
“Marbles,” I replied.
Mr. Gorringe looked at my invention for a long time.
“What do you call this?” he asked me.
“Uh,” I said, “it’s a table that turns. So I guess I call it a turntable.”
“That’s it!” he exclaimed.
“What’s it?” I asked.
“You have given me a very good idea, young lady,” he said. And then he quickly gathered up his coat and hat and left.
That was strange. After dinner, we celebrated Halloween by telling ghost stories around the fireplace. Then we bobbed for apples and had cider and doughnuts. Yummy!
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1880
Today was absolutely the best day of my life, Diary. After school, Annie and I went uptown to see where Cleopatra’s Needle was. And do you know what we saw when we got to 86th Street? A giant turntable that looked a lot like my invention was sitting in the middle of the street! It had a circular metal track underneath it with cannonballs (not marbles) in the track. The workers were dragging Cleopatra’s Needle onto it.
As soon as he saw me, Mr. Gorringe ran over and thanked me for giving him the idea of the turntable.
“You must allow me to compensate you for your idea,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.
“Pay me?” I never expected to get any money for my invention. I thanked him and said there was no need to pay me. I just wanted to do what I could to help bring Cleopatra’s Needle to New York City. Annie looked so jealous when Mr. Gorringe gave me a big hug.
“This is the moment of truth,” he whispered in my ear.
Once Cleopatra’s Needle was in the middle of the turntable, Mr. Gorringe gave the workers the order to turn it. Ten of them took positions around the turntable and started to push it. At first it didn’t move. I was afraid it wasn’t going to work. Maybe Cleopatra’s Needle was just too heavy. But then, suddenly, there was a creaking noise and the wheel began to slowly turn. It wasn’t long before it had made a quarter turn and Cleopatra’s Needle was facing east along 86th Street.
“It works!” somebody shouted.
