The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-25
on foot. and yelled women on don

on foot. and yelled women on dom
keys.
The cars were filled with Egyptians 4
Two dark-faced men in black gowns
and white turbans sat on the seat be-
| side me. In front was q yellow skinned
! Arab dandy In a red fez cap and long
\ gown, and Just behind me sat a woman
with a black veile fastened to her
headdress by brass pool. AS we
neared the pyramids we stopped at q
cafe where they sold American drinks,
and a little further on was a great
hotel. containing q telephone. electric
lights and all modern improvements.
From the Top Of Cheops
took a donkey for my ride to the
great Pyramid Of Cheops. and went
4 clear around it, climbing UP the stones
here and there to see how it was made.
have gone to the top and made
notes OF the desert as It stretches out
for miles on three sides. and also Of
the valley OF the Nile. which. with Its
4 teeming millions Is in view not far
4 away. The top of the pyramid is about
thirty feet SQUARE It Is as big as a
!! good sized parlor, ana Is one Of the
most interesting roof gardens known
to man. AS ] sat there could see
the work going on In the sands below
me. and l rep copied them with the
i men now being deg up under the super
y intendencef OF our Americans. In my
4 minds eye could see them as they
toiled here over 1000 years ago.
could see them dragging the great
I blocks over the road of polished stone
which had been made for the purpose
and observe the sweat rolling down
s their dusty faces under this blazing
sun of Egypt. as, under the lashes OF
u mi Ia r-ra 1Iy
Z There was an army OF them. One hun
dred thousand men worked three
months Of every year for more thar
4 twenty years on this construction, and
s Herodotus says that the onions. garlic
u and radshes which the laborers ate
cost $1.75o.Ooo. II that was the price
of relishes, what must the real food
have cost? How much must have beer
spent on clothing, and how much or
tools?
Millions Of stone Blocks.
The Great pyramid was composed o.
100000 separate blocks OF stone. I
covered thirteen acres, and still con
, tains moro than three million cubic
;. Yards OF solid masonry, taking out thu
1 chambers within It. Its perpendicula
! height Is now just about that OF
to each story; 1t is within one hundred
| feet Of the height of the Washington
/ Monument, provided you do not coun
I the aluminium tip of the latter.
These stones of which the pyramid is
built are of different sizes. Some are as
big as a tiat-topped office desk and
\ some are so high that you require two
men to pull you onward as you clint
II from terrace to terrace. J. am told
II that old Cheops weighs something like
II 900 900 tons SO much that IL the
\ blocks were torn apart and londed
Ii on wagons it would take something
M like 1O,O0O000 horses. or more thar
III half Of all the horses in the United
states, to drag 1t off to the sea.
For such an Undertaking tho stones
would have to DO broken to pieces
1 There are few Of them which do no
| weight at least two tons, ana som
i Iof the large blocks which cover thu
Il kings chamber inside the structure
i weigh sixty tons. AS measured y
climbing up 1t there are about 90
courses and the blocks vary In helgh
II from two to five feet. 1t Is estimated
II that the Great Pyramid contains, al
n told, almost 90,0O0,OO0 cubic feet O
n limestone. This is SO much that II !
could be split into flags, four inche
thick, 1t would furnish enough to MAX
! a pavement two feet wide reaching owe
sea and land clear around the globe
a Quarry for Ages.
II When Cheops completed this grea
structure he coated the outside wit
limestone and granite slabs, The side
were as smooth as glass; they metin
III point at TIE top and the length {
IA each side was eighteen feet long
N than15it is now. The pyramid was
ssl Great deal higher, and as the abrlgl