Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-22

! seTies OF difapp0lntmehtss nv us-
covered that his tunnel was skirtIng
dense BRICK wall, built without sand
joists. and entirely different from the
mas through which he had hitherto
been working. This wall descended at q
rapid slope into the native rock, which
had evidently been eIcavatsd to re-
ceiye the core OF the building. Fol
lowing it, Mr.. Petris presently found
that it went below the base OF the outer
structure, aud then turned due west, st
right angles 10 the former direction he
accordingly turned the course OF bis
tunnel, and, still hugging the wall,
reached huge brick arch, which be at
once recognized as the yaulting above
the stone roof OF the chamber. The
work had now become so exciting that
he put on relays OF men for both night
and day tunnelling, and offered rewards
to the one who should first reach the
stone masonry and the one who should
first get into tho chamber. The former
prize was won that same night. at
] 80 in the morning a couple oil
boys who helped in the night work
came running to the tent, crying: III
hagar tolat FL odeh gal !" 1.-The
stone appears The room is come j
This stone proved to be the one OF the
roofing blocks of tho chamber. which, as
Mr.. Petrie had expected, was constructed
like the chamber in tho recently-opened
pyramid Of Pepi herira at bskkarah,
with pant roof made OF enormousstone
beams tilted against each other at al
angle Of forty-fve degrees. Now the
roof OF Pepi's chamber, which consists
Of three LAYERS of Stone beams, ia fifteen
feet thick, and ss il seemed impro-
bable that tho Pharaoh OF the
Labyrinth should have erected for
himself q tomb less massive than that
of Pepi, Mr.. Pstrie, who. had no proper
ousrrying tools and no skilled quarry
men, naturally hesitsted before the diff
fcuties of 80 heavy task. The next
DAYS work showed these difficulties to
be even greater than he had anticipated.
The stone wall supporting tho roof was
! found TO be ten feet in thickness, the
roof itself being strengthened by bank
OF enormous stone beams stacked on
edge. To get through such mass was
all but impossible, and to sink shalt
through roof fifteen feet thick was al
most as bad Yet this last was the only
way. and, nothing dsunted, Mr. Petrlo
resolved to attempt it.
The heat by this time had become ire
mendous. 1t was close upon the end OF
April, and in less than three weeks the
great Aohammedan fast OF Ramadnn
would be at hand, when no man works
and all things are at standstill. Yet,
with skilled labor, II skilled labor could
be had, the thing might surely he done.
So our explorer started of to Medlnet7
el- Fayum, and engaged tho services OF
certain masons, who undertook to pierce
the roof for him at the rate OF Is. per
cubic meter. rs they were accustomed
to making rock-cut wells and cisterns,
and reported of themselves as doing on
the AVERAGE one meter day, DR.. Petrie
now confidently hoped TO get into the
chamber in less than week. But alas
for the vanity Of human expectations, es-
pecially in Egypt Two days went by
and no m&sons came. At last, on the
third day, q couple OF workmen made
their appearance, expecting to meet their
master on tho spot. The master mason,
however, never came at all, and, after
hanging aimlessly about the place for
some twenty four hours, the workmen
went their way. Meanwhile three or
four OF his own men and boys had been
down with sunstroke, and Mr.. Pstrie, see
ingthe utter hOpelsssness Of the position,
found himself reluctantly compelled 70
defer tho boring Of the roof until next
season. The disappointment, OF course,
is great but it is a mere disappointment
of delay, and not of failure. Much is
already achieved. The tunnel is made
the sepulchral chamber is found, and
within fortnight after Mr.. letrie's
return to Havana next season We
may expect to receive full particulars
OF the opening of the tomb Of an
Egyptian Pharaoh-an ventunparslleled
ia the records Of modern explorations.
Norris this all. The Pyramid of HAwar0,
like the Pyramids of Ghizeh md SAX
kArah, had Itinerary chapel adjoining,
and among the ruins OF this chspel Mr..
Petrie has found fragments OF several
hieroglyphic inscriptions, containing the
eartouches OF AmenemhRt III. There
can therefore be 10 reasonable doubt
thst this pyramid is the tomb Of that
famous King, or that his mummy yet
rsposes in its inyioate sepulchre.
While the pyramid tunnel was in pro-
gress Mr. Petrie WAC actively engaged in
the exploration OF vast cemetery,
hitherto unknown and untouched, which
10 discovered in the immediate neigh
borhood. IL proved to be entirely OF
the Greek and Graco-Roman period
AMI must have been the Besropolis OF
the town built over the site OF the
Labyrinth. The graves reach to no
great depth below the surfnce-ihat is to
say. it does not consist Of successive
strata Of tombs like the great burial
fields of SakkArAh, Abydos, and
Thsbes-but it extends over q
surface OF something like 100 sores.
The superficial character Of the inter
mines made it, however, very easy to
work, and Mr.. Petrie has consequently
been able to exhaust tho richest quarters
in a single season. He has exhumed
many hundreds of mummies, and found
an eItrAorGlnaTy NUMBER OF interesting
objects buried with the dead-as fune-
rsry vases in slabaster, terra Gotta, and
glass toilet ornaments, tools, toys, coins
Chiefly Roman, amulcts, mirrors,
beads, molds, casket with panels of
carved ivory. hundreds Of fragmentary
pApyri, consisting mainly oflists and ac-
counts great store of Itinerary
wrappings OF beautiful embroidered
and woven textiles, such as have
lately been found in the Roman
and Coptic quarters OF the great Gene
terry at Ekhmsem, and most interesting
of ell, splendid fragment Of the Second
Book Of the lliad, written on papyrus in
the finest Greek hand, before the round
ed uncial or curSved scripts came into
use. This precious document was found
rolled up under the head of mummy
which was buried simply in the sand,
without the protection of tomb. MIR.
Petrie has not yet ventured to unrOll it,
but it measures apparently from 81 feet |
70 : feet in length. The depth of tho |