130 years ago today, the Statue of Liberty, a 100th birthday present from France to the United States, arrived in America after a perilous journey across the Atlantic.
Carefully taken apart, the Goddess of Liberty was packed in 214 enormous crates, consigned to the steam-and-sail gunboat Isère for shipment to the U. S. In charge of the shipment was a 19-year-old French lieutenant, Rodolphe Victor de Drambour. No hatches on the little ship were big enough for the enormous crates. He cut open the side of the ship, pushed the dissected goddess straight into the hold. Throughout a 72-hour storm with canvas cut to staysail & spanker, Lieutenant de Drambour stayed on the bridge of his ship, while the crates shifted wildly, threatened any instant to sink him. Two days after his 20th birthday he dropped anchor off Sandy Hook, welcomed by the New York World, the New York Yacht Club, the U. S. Fleet, and a spanking good dinner at the Hoffman House.
Phew.
Check out some of the photos of what she looked like way back when:
Today's the 130th anniversary of France delivering the #StatueofLiberty. pic.twitter.com/Dhhr1GBn7x
— MaccabiUSA (@MaccabiUSA) June 17, 2015
130 yrs ago, the #StatueofLiberty arrived in #NY Harbour as a gift from France in 300 pieces – http://t.co/Mcf1UaBZv4 pic.twitter.com/q5HOlM6ful
— Live News Cloud ⛅️ (@livenewscloud) June 17, 2015
https://twitter.com/aNYTaxiCab/status/611162703298756608
https://twitter.com/Politweecs/status/611159937469648896
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Amazing pictures show the #StatueofLiberty in pieces as it arrived in the USA from Francehttp://t.co/RI18LYc30k pic.twitter.com/Yz6jpVFMgq
— Express Pictures (@Express_Pics) June 17, 2015
Skeleton of the #StatueofLiberty http://t.co/FiB0gqVAKT pic.twitter.com/BhKnH0bloD
— JF Ptak (@ptak) June 17, 2015
130th anniversary #StatueofLiberty #USA @TIME http://t.co/HQlkpXbhZo pic.twitter.com/Qz6js2xvgu
— Janis Rossi (@DenverJR1) June 17, 2015
#OTD 130 years ago today the #StatueofLiberty arrived in New York Harbor. Did you know AHEPA led a fundraising… http://t.co/9k318lPfpE
— Order of AHEPA (@OrderOfAHEPA) June 17, 2015
And here’s the paperwork from France to prove it’s ours:
#StatueOfLiberty arrives in New York from France #TDiH 1885. Original deed gifting the statue: http://t.co/vgls0s7Hv2 pic.twitter.com/l5JNMM9Xf2
— Today's Document (@TodaysDocument) June 17, 2015
Even Google is in on the festivities and his honoring Lady Liberty on its homepage:
https://twitter.com/postcardsfromny/status/611177680243945472
Thank you, France!
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