Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-05-04
The Interior Of the Great Pyramid.

The irftefor has peculiarities which
distinguish ifsfrom all other pyramids /;
and many think that ii was not Intended
for sepulcifer mainly, but that II was
erected for astronomical purposes. or as
witness 10 the true north, east, south and
west. or 10 serve as standard OF measure I;
not only has ths passage which descends
oh,ionely 800 feet from the opening into
the bed rock, and permits view OF the
ssv from that depth, some connection
with the observation of Sirius and the Tx
ing of the Sothic year; not only Is The
porphyry sarcophagus, that Is In the
Kings Chamber, SECURE from fluctuations
OF temperature, fixed standard OF meas
ure: but the positions OF various stones In
the passages lstones which certainly are
stumbling blocks to everybody who be-
gins to think why they are there are full
of mystic and even religious signi-
fication. II is most restful, however, 10
the mind 30 look upon this pyramid as a
tomb, and that il was sepulcher like all
the Others is the opinion OF most scholars.
Whatever it was, il is most unpleas-
an*place 70 go into. But we'wansed one
idea of Cimmerian darkness, and the sen
salon Of being buried alive, and wedidn't
ike 10 tell a lie when asked n we had
been in, and therefore we went. You Will
not understand where We went without
diagram. and yeu never will shaYe any
idea of il until you go. We, with a guide
for each person. light candles, and slide
and stumble down the incline we crawl
up an incline; we shuttle along level
passage that seems interminable, backs
and knees bent double till both are APP
parently broken, and the torture Of the
position is almost unbearable; we get up
the Great Gallery, passage over loo feet
long, twenty eight high and seven broad,
and about as easy 10 ascend as logging
sluice, crawl under three or four portcul-
lises, and emerge, dripping with perspir-
alton and covered with dust, into the
Kings Chamber, a room thirty four feet
long. seventeen broad and nineteen high.
Ii Is built Of magnificent blocks of sven
tie, polished and fitted together perfectly,
and contains the lidless saTcophagus.
Bu If it we're anywhere else and decently
lighted it would be a stylish apartment;
but with dozen torches and candles
smoking in it, and heating it, a lot of per-
Spring Arabs shouting and kicking up
dust, and the feeling that the weight OF
the supefincumbent mass was upon US, 1t
seemed 10 me toe small and confined even
for tomb. The Arabs thought they
ought to cheer here as they did on top;
we had difficulty in driving them all out
and sending the candles with them, in or
der thar We might enjoy the quiet and
blackness Of this retired situation. sup
pose we had for once absolute night, a
room full Of the original Night. brother
oil Chaos, night bottled up for four or five
thousand years, the very night in which
old Cheops lay in a frightfui isolation,
with all the portcullises down and the
passages sealed with massive stones.
r Out ofthis hackness the eye, even by
Hong waiting, couldn't get a ray; a cats
eye would be invisible in it. Some schol-
airs think that Cheops never occupied this
sarcophagus. can understand his feel
ings if he ever came in here alive /
thing he may have gone away and put up
ITO Let on the door. .,s ~ ssssss.s.
We scrambled about q good deal in this
mountain, visited the 50 called Queens
Chamber, entered by another passage, be-
low the Kings, lost all sense Of time and
of direction, and came out, glad to have
seen the wonderful interior, but welcom-
ing the burst OF white light and the pure
air az If we were being born again. To
remain long In that gulf OF mortality Is to
experience something of the mystery OF
death. -Chartes Dudley Warner.