The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-25
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By Frank G. Carpenter
2. 7777777-7177l-7717--77--1'


Leaving the Pramid of Cheops I crossed over and took look at the other two which form the rest of the great trio at Glzeh, and I have since been up to tha site Of old Memphis. where are the Pyra- mids of Sal<kara, eleven iu number. Along .hls plateau running Up the Nile, are to pc found the remains of a large num- per or pyra mids. There are also some of the Fayum. and others far Up the river m ancient Ethiopia. The latter are taller Tn proportion to their bases than the egyptian Pyramids and they generally nave hall with sculptures facing the east 10 commemorate the dead
 The most of the stones of these Pyra- mids here came from the plateau upon which they stand and from the Mokottan hills about twelve miles away on the other Side Of the Nile. There was an inclined plane leading to the river, and the ruts in the stone road cut out by the runners or the sledges carrying these great blocks are still to be seen. There are pictures on some of the monuments which show how the stones were drawn on sledges by oxen and men. and in one of the pictures a man Is pouring oil on the roadbed. On the Island of Madeira, where the na- tives drag sleds by hand up and down the hills, they grease their sled runners. but the ancient Egyptians greased not onl the sledges, but the roads as well.
 Inside the Pyramid.
 was much interested in the interior of the Great Pyramid. The mighty struc- ture is supposed to be solid, with the exception of three chambers connected with the outside by passageways and ventilated by airshafts. These chambers undoubtedly once contained great treas ures of gold and silver, but they were robbed in the first instance, over 5000 years ago and it is known that the Per sians, the Romans and the Arabs all tried to dig into them to find the val uables they were supposed to hold
 It was with three-half- naked Bedouins that l climbed up to the entrance which leads into old Cheops. There is hole about forty five feet above the desert on the north side. Going in here, we came into a narrow stone passage so low that l had to crawl on my hands and knees. The passage first sloped downward and then up. and finally, pushed and pulled by my black guides, I got into a great narrow hall and after passing through 1t into the room where old Cheops, the king, rested undisturbed for a thousand years or so before the looters came. had some matches and a piece of mag nesium wire and by this means was able to examine the interior. The masonry ls wonderfully fine. The places where the stones are joined are almost imperceiv- able and you cannot put knife blade between the cracks. The only thing left in this room is the great granite sarco- phagus of King Cheops and the cover to it has disappeared.
 By going back through the hall one recahes another passageway which slopes downward to the queens chamber which is much smaller than that of the King, Down below this, reached by another passage connecting with that which frst entered. there is a subterranean chamber which is far under the base of the pyra- mid itself The whole structure is ln- tensely interesting and if it could be explored by diamond drills or in some other way other chambers might possibly be found in the parts now looked upon as solid.