The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-04

II my while to CLEAN for
such details as might
have escaped the notice of earlier visitors.
The opening to the sepulchre, accident
ally discovered, consisted of a straight
passage, barely permitting of the en-
trance of q single individual at a time
upon his hands and knees. Its sides were
of red granite. beautifully polished, which
glittered dazzlingly in the light of the ex-
plorer's torch. This entrance ran straight
back into the hill for distance of some
200 feet, when it suddenly opened upon q
large vaulted room of circular form, from
which there branched numerous galleries
of good proportions, leading to other
chambers, in which had been found many
sarcophagi, mummies and mummy cases,
one of the sarcophagl being supposed to
be that of Thothmes I'LL, the most glorious
monarch of Egyptian history, who erected
the obelisk now in Central park, though
no mummy had been found within it.
The walls of the passages and chambers
were, like those of all of the grander
Egyptian tombs, decorated with numerous
spirited paintings, the bright colors of
which still shone as fresh and lustrous
IS if they had been laid on but yesterday.
1t was in this mysterious abode of death
that had been long engaged, copying
inscriptions and paintings, searching for
new passages, and re-examining the old
ones, with an enthusiasm which only an
ardent Psychologist can experience.
/ had at length nearly finished my in
vestigations, and, in fact, the day of which
am about to speak was to have been my
last in the tomb, there remaining but one
picture to copy, and that upon the wall of
remote gallery. Accordingly, at about
noon, found myself before the picture in
question, palate in hand, surrounded by a
group of fellahin in my employ, the flick
ering light of whose torches gave their
sombre faces q sufficiently Dantesque ex-
preston.
The picture was copying was of very
common type, representing train oflong-
haired captives defiling before king whom
/ supposed to be Thothmes, but as the
hierogiyphs connected with the picture
were very obscure, this would take some
time to determine. While painting away
industriously, and sometimes reduced al
most to despair in my attempts to mix
colors as bright as those before me, To-
ticed that the paint had blistered, or
peeled off little, just at the point of the
kings nose. As had never noticed paint
scaling from other pictures, I got Up
to examine the place. Taking hold of a
projecting scale l gave it a slight pull,
when, to my surprise, perhaps square
foot of the paint came away, revealing the
granite wall behind, and in that wall a
seam or joint.
With a cry of pleasure tore, pried and
dug the paint away for a distance of some
feet, and disclosed the outline of door or
passageway which had been filled with
one immense stone, which fitted its place
so closely that the point of a penknife
could hardly have been inserted between
the stone and the solid rock of the gallery.
Beyond an entrance so carefully closed
and concealed there must be new and rare
treasures, and it was with considerable
excitement that I began to consider how
to remove the obstacle in the passagewsy.
Pressure, found, had no effect upon it,
and there remained no way but TO blast 1t.
l accordingly sent for drills and sledges,
and soon had two gangs of fellahs at work.
sinking two holes on each side of the slab.
BY taking advantage of the almost i'm
perceptible interstices between the stone
and the wall, the work was somewhat ac-
CELEBRATED, and several hours labor result ed
in two holes some eight inches deep.
These | half filed with powder, properly
tamped the charges, inserted fuses, III
them and retired with due promptituoe.
The deep silence of perhaps minute was
at length broken by deafening crash, foi'
lowed by interminable echoes and q strong
blast of sulphurous air.
Allowing time for the fumes OF the pow
der TO dissipate, we returned, and found
the great slab had been hurled inward,
where it lay, broken into several pieces,
upon the floor of a noble corridor OF great
width and height.
Seizing a torch from one of the bearers.
l sprang forward into the newiy-opened
passage. without thought of the possible
presence of foul air or poisonous gases.
Luckily there was neither. A moments
examination satisfied me that this was the
real, or main tomb, to which the other
had merely served as an ante-chamber, or,
perhaps, had been placed there as a blind
to deceive those who might search for the
principal structure. Here the passages
were unusually spacious and lofty, and
were decorated with paintings far excel
ing. both in design and coloring, those !
had been copying.
NtTNpuSkN pTCsStAS va -
sare which was crossed at intervals by
Others as lofty as itself. came finally to
an immense vaulted chamber of octagonal
form, in the midst of which stood hu &c
sarcophagus of highly polished syenite.
AT its head there glittered huge golden
ibis, its long neck curved in graceful folds.
and the slender, curved bill pointing down
ward toward the place where the heart Of
the enclosed mummy would naturally
have been. About the sides OF the apart
ment stood eight other stone collins, bat
smaller. and of red granite instead of SVEN
lite.
As the sight of these objects burst upon
me by the pickering torchlight l felt my
self trembling with excessive emotion
Here was. il might be, the greatest Egypt
illogical discovery since the finding of the
Rosetta stone. No intruder before me had
ever disturbed the silence o. this most