Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-02-02
THE GREAT PYRAMID.
How 1t Was Entered by Caliph Al MamouI
and His Saracen Followers.

| and His saracen Followers.
Though mercileSsly hacked ant
guarried and dilapidated. the moutl
of the entrance-passage gives one
| most impressive example of the stu.
pendous construction plan of the whole
grand pile. Il held its secret within
lis great throat for many long thou.
sand years. until A d. go, wher
Caliph AL Mamoun discovered it in a
| most unexpected manner. The dis
| tinguished Arab of Fostat. the son OF
Haroun Al Raschid of the Arabian
Nights" with inquiring mind, made q
journey TO Gizeh AMI proceeded to
effect an entrance into the Great Pyra-
mid, wherein. he had been led to be-
licve. great treasures were TO be found.
A large staff of quarrymen was en-
gagged for the work. At which side to
make the attack. and at what
point. was a puzzle A tritiing
hint caused the north face to
he chosen, near the base and at
the center. Two plumbers were IN ade
at the beginning. The forced entrance
was started 800 inches below the
proper one, and 250 inches west of it.
Night and day, week after week. for
tbs, the labor of tunn cling went
on, until quite one hundred feet of the
antique masonry had been broken up
and brought to the light One day,
rs some OF them wrought despairingly
at the inner end of their excavation.
they heard q strange noise beyond
them, which resembled the falling of a
great stone in a hollow space. Ham
mers. fire and vinegar were employed
with rem ewed vigor again and again
until walled surface yielding to their
efforts, the way opened 10 a low, mar
row, descending passage. Leaping
into the dark avenue with lighted
torch, they discovered at once the
fallen stone which had led them
on. It had dropped from the
roof to the floor, and re-
vealed the fact that there was just be.
yond it another passage, following
southw ard like the other, ascending
instead of descending; but alas! it was
closed by series of huge granite
plugs, placed there by the builder for
the very purpose of heading off such
enterprises as that of the adventurous
Caliph.
Nothing daunted, however, the
plucky Saracens broke side pass age
through the western wall of limestone.
cut huge chasm upward. and made
q junction with the wall of the ascend
ing passage where the granite did not
oppose. They cut through the lime
stone wall with comparative ease. but
as fast as they removed the pieces of
the well-formed blocks others came
down from above and continued to
bar their advance. Finally the last one
made its appearan ce. Like its pre-
decessors, it was broken and removed,
and the passage was clear. With
lighted f1ambeaux the eager Arabs
assembled. first on hands and knees,
and then. after reaching the Grand
Gallery, fastened. with mi yht and
main, upward and onward into the
very heart of. the mountain of stone.
Visions of wealth grew before them
there where q ray of sunshine never
gave ray of hope-until they came
to the end of the passage. Then a
step at the left, three feet high. ar
rested their attention. Climbing to
its top, a low doorway was, found.
with splendidly quarried granite
porteulls hanging over it.. Passing
under this on hands and knees, they
crept into small ante-cham-
Der; through this to another
low doorway leading into
further low passage, which again
caused them, nonplussed. to. bend.
Thus they were led into, the large
apartment known as the Kings
chamber. There. on the west side.
stood the hard gained stone ''treas.
ure-boxr' 1t seemed too good to be
true. 1t was without ooverto pro-
teet its expected contents, and it was
entirely empty!
Calph AL Mamoun was dunn
founded, and his workmens were about
to murder him. But he was; COM
mander of the faithful ana under
stood human nature. During the
night he caused to be hidden near the
empty ccffer sufficient store of gold
to pay the men. The next day. being
hidden to dig again. they found the
gold and received their. wages. AS
for the Caliph, he returned to Fostat,
wiser as to the observation-disclosures OF
the Egyptians who preceded him some
thousands of years, but no better in
purse. Scribner's Ma0nziHe.