The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-22
DEACON STONE IN EGYPT.
His Observations Among the
Pyramids.
What lie Saw In md Around the Ancient
city OTCaIrO.

Correspondence Of the Intel isencer.
prOmisedin my last letter to write you
some items concerning the objects OF in.
terest in and around Cairo.
Among the many pyramids those OF
Ghi1eh, SakGarah. or ancient Memphis,are
the most notable, Long before arriving in
the city, as well rs for many miles after
you leave, they tower up far above all
other objects.
GhiIeh is about six miles from the city,
and Sakkarah some seven miles further
on. The ride to GhiZch is over Il very fine
road way that was built by the Viceroy,
some ten years since, upon the occasion
OF the visit Of the Prince Of Wales to
Egypt. II is shadcdthe whole distance by
acacia trees, which are quite large, and
are kept in Vigorous growth by being va.
tered every third day. We experienced
no little difficulty in getting to the ryra-
mids, rs the recent great rise in the Nile
had washed away the road in three places
SO that We were obliged to leave our car.
riages and take passage in Il miserable
Egytian boat for some two miles, then
land, and walk Il mile aud half, again
take another boat to the great sand bank,
by which Ghizch is surrounded. For to
all appearance, the Pyramids Of Ghizeh
are located in vast desert Of sand,
which is thrown up in drifts. and further
baCk even into hills, black and desoIatc us
Sahara itself. After dcbarking We climb
up hill, over the ruins OF old stone houses,
long since thrown down, and wind our
way through narrow ways that have Il
| filthy look and more nalISeOuS smell,
10 the foot Of the high bluff. and then IN
Il very steep pathway, until We come upon
the plateau on which the pyramids stand.
No person that has not visited GhiZch
can form an idea Of how vast these pyra.
mils appear rs you stand at their base
and look Mt them, towering up $50 feet
into the sky. While We were approaching
them party of ladies' and gentlemen were
Just descending, and when near the top,
they looked like small children. There
are several pyramids ut Ghizch, but only
three are of great size and hrighih. The
largest is the pyramid Of ChcOps. You can
conceive, perhaps, the magnitude of this,
when ! give You its dimensions rs sur.
veyGd by Sir Gardner Wilkinson. The
base line is ~ feet, the perpendicular
heighth 400 feet, area 81, S2l square feet,
and covers over l2aCrcs Of ground. The
pyramid OfCrphcncS, which stands near it.,
il AZ feet high, and has base line of $50
feet and covers over lOI acres.
The third, being that OF MyCenirus, is
much smaller than either Of the others,
being 2O3 feet high with base line Of :E;3
feet. 1t is not Known when these pyru-
midS were built or what they were in
tended for llcrOlOtus assigns the largest
to Chc0ps and the second Ia his brother
CcphcncS and the SImallcr one to Myrrrr-
mus. There are wonderful stories told
about each, but still veil almost imprnc.
trahlc will possibly hang over them for.
ever.
1t is thought that the stone Of which
they were built was brought from the
mountain range above Cairo on the east
OF the Nile by Il CauscwNy that was built
across the meadows and that lOO,NOO men
were employed twenty years in construct.
ing the CnuSrway alone. II is supposed
that over 100 years were spent in the
building Of these three pyramids. One is
struck with establishment ut the immense
size Of the blocks NJ stone used in their
construction even to the very top. Unr
party took the measurement Of several
stones IL, different hrighths ON the great
pyramid, AMI these were by no means the
largest, but such as came in our way as We
were climbing and descending, and iounl
them to hc feet / inches thick, ! feet
Wide aud ~ to T. feet long. On the outer
edges, and in some places where the pyra.
mid was cut away 50 as Ia get view oi
the stone inside they were often ever
three feet thick and 6f same length and
width ns above IIuv srrh yn.I stone.