Washington sentinel., 1899-01-14

The author has received the fol-
lowing communication from DR..
William II. Dali, OF the United
States Geological Survey: During
a visit to the Island OF Jersey
(Chanuel Islands) in 1878, while
wandering over the hills, noticed
among many dolmens scattered
about one which seemed to have
never been finished. The sides
stood erect, and leading up to them
were inclines over which such
heavy weights as the roofing slabs
Of the dolmens could have been
raised to the positions in which we
find them. 1t was evident that
cords and rollers, with a sufficient
number Of sturdy savages, would
have been amply sufficient for the
purpose in the case before me.
The thorough manner in which the
clay OF the inclined plane had been
consoli dated was evident when it
was considered that the denudation
Of it by the elements during un-
known centuries.had been insuffici-
ent to noticeably reduce its level or
conceal its evident purpose"
The construction OF the Egyptian
pyramids, for centuries a matter OF
wonder, could have been per-
formed by similar methods. Let
US see what labor this method
would have involved in the con-
struction OF the pyramid Of Gizeh,
tine largest OF its kind, which is
approximately one hundred and
fifty yards high and two hundred
and fifty yards square at the base!
AS is well known, in building this
pyramid, which is located three
miles south OF Cairo, two kinds Of
stone we're used, limestone and red
granite. The limestone was quar-
ried at FL Massarah, lorty. FIVE or
fiftV miles from Gizeh, while the
red granite was brought from
Assouail. near the first Cat racr,
over FIVE hundred miles. Both of
these quarries were located on the
river Nile. In the foreground OF
the illustration are to be seen RATS
laden with stone blocks, brought
from the quarries. On the sloping
embanKment blocks are being car
RED on sledges, perhaps equipped
with rollers, to the highest point
to which the structure has been
built, the inclined plane being
gradually made longer and higher
with earth brought from the pits
on the right and left. The high
est embankment necessary when
the workmen reached the top
course, assuming that a twenty
per cent. grade was adopted, would
have been seven hundred and fifty
yards long, containing about seven
and one half million cubic wards,
if the sides Of the earth embank-
ment would stand at an angle OF
thirty degrees-which is not at all
improbable. Assuming that one
laborer could have placed two and
one hall yards (about twenty bar
row loads) Of earth on an average
each day on this embankment, ten
thousand men could have built il
in twelve months Of twenty FIVE
working days. 1t IS stated that
one hundred thousand men were
employed for twenty years in the
whole work; so that, according to
this calculation, the construction
OF this embankment would have
occupied only a small portion oil
total time consumed.
The false work to support the
walls of the interior chambers OF
the pyramids could also have been
made OF earth rather than OF tim
Der. 1t shouli be remembered
that heavy lumber for sca7olding
must have been brought over long
distances, and that the framing and
erection Of any structure Of suffi.
cient strength to bear heavy
weights would have required more
skill and knowledge than the
building OF theEpyramid itself by
the method above described, In
the great teTuple Of Rameses III. is
to be found a colossal statue oil
that king which equals in dimen-
sions and exceeds in weight any
other Egyptian monolith, being
sixty feet high and weighing eight
hundred and eighty seven tc1S
FIVE and one-half hundredweieht.
1t was made from a single block
OF red granite brought from the
quarries at Assouan. one hundred
and thirty-hve miles distant by the
river Nile. At Baalbec, Syria,
are to be found the ruins of three
temples, one OF which has been
given the name Of Trilithon,
"Three stone temple" from the
extraordinary proportions Of three
of the stone blocks found in il,
each being over sixty-three feet
in length, thirteen feet in height
and proportionately thick, The
stones now rest in a wall over
twenty feet above the present sur
face Of the ground.
In the solution of the problem
Of putting similar huge blocks in
place at the present day, the util-
ization Of inclined planes OF earth
in the manner Just described might
we'll be considered b. the modern
engineer before adopting a more
complex method. In TACT, since
the various details Of this method
of construction have suggested
themselves, the writer has exam
ined photographs OF many ancient
structures and has yet to find one
that could not have been con-
structed to a great extent accord
ing to the practices just described.