Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-03

Opening a. the SepnIchraI Chamber
OF AmcneUhbst fi'.
Correspondence London 1ime'i

CORES puulsr'e London limea..
Mr.. ". VI. flinders retr'o has at last
accomplished the difficult tao4 which he
lepqn last season. lie has succeeded in
forcing On entrance into the scpurhrM
chamber OF the PYRAMID OF Ameuemnat
III. az Havana, IN the fayum. In our
last report of Mr. Petries work sc rc-
lated how ho had tuuuelicd q pas age
from the north face OF thep pyramid aa lar
as the stone casny Of tue central cham-
her. which proved 10 ne enormously
massive aud resisted all his c'ioft-. Inc
summer WAS then SD far advanced AMI
the heat had become 50 Overwhelming
that he found himself compelled, very
remctoUtv. 10 postpone the completion
of his operations I'll, the present winter
Returning to Egypt lu November Inst
ilr. Petrie nc once went hacn ID Hawara
and began by maxim. tua. excavations at
yariouspolutsarounjthe base oiihe pyri-
mid, in the hope Of discovering tho
original entrance. Failing an tn,eo at
tcmuts he decided lo call 30 tne 49,
sl.auce of skilled ma ou, from Caro-,
mud quarry down thr.nah the root az
tle central craBbc-. which b. nad ale
ready reached last sr9On. The ia't that
the roof is fifteen feet thick and that II
ba, taken Mr. Petrie's masons some
three weeks 10 cut very small vertical
shaft through 10 gives some notion OF the
rua>siycucss Of the structure. once III,
the secret of the true entrance passage
was disclosed aud tuc explorer wa Tree
10 trace the path by which he might
have mlGo hls way into the central
chamber nd bee but succeeded l1
finding the point from which it started.
That point proves 10 bo outside tue
pyramid, AMI apparently at rome dis
tan,e from it 80 that the tomb OF the
founder may have nern entered from
the adjoining hbvrinta, tho site Of
which was identified last year by Dir.
Petrip. THIS may. Ia i.tt, bee what
Herodotus INTENDED to convey when he
sad: AZ the corner Of the Labyrinth
stand, pyramid forty fathoms high'
with ar.e figures engraved on 1t WHICH
j, entered rs . suhterrauean passage.
Book IT,. chapter liS.)
Lutry from distance, by means OF a
suuterraneau passage. Is ii novelty IN
construction. and las no precedent IN
ANY Of tue t,mzeh pyramid, !ourlh
dynasty, nor vet in those OF the sixth
DYNASTY, OF which 30 ;usny we're recently
opened at Sakkarh I.ls, indeed, IA
the Irst time th4t the plan OF = royal
tomb Of the twelfth iyuastv has been
lui opep. anl 70 differs very con-
sidcranly from the psn Observed
by the architects Of tho ancient
empire. The great pyramid and
ali tho other pyramids o. 'he
Gmzeh group, the pyramid OF Nry-
dun. and the SakEaah p.ramlds
have the entrance passage N the centre
of the north face OF tn structure and 10
some height from the level OF the desert,
bu. the pyramid OF Amcnemlat III. IS
entered from the south side, and by an
opening not in the middle Of the side.
but III about one fourth OF the distance
from tie southwest corner. 10 Is mere
that the suhterrancan passage IRON
whatever point conducted. strikes the
south face oi the structure. The Gps
aud downs oi the passages IN the
earlier pyramiis are not many
AMI the obstacles placed in the
way of possible intruders consist
chiefly OF scries OF massive gran
tie portculIises, let down FROM above.
after the mummy had been deposited IN
It's last resting place but the doiences
OF the pyramid OF Amenemhat III. are
OF different kind, and more nearly re-
semble the battling turns ami wlndings
and wells OF tho rock-cut sepulchre Of
Seti l., at ThebeS 1t marks. in fact,
the transition from the Memphite to the
Thebsn style Of sepulture. 1.-The pas