Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-09-30

which has Sir CASTOR Maspero as its
director general of antiques, no man
is allowed to touch a single pebble.
much less explore. But Mr.. Covington
did such good work at the beginning
that he has been authorized to clear
away the sixty-nine feet of debris
end of the channel which leads to the
great chamber OF the king-the great
Cheops, or Khufu, himself. Then for
the first time in history the interior
of this wonder of the world will be
free from all distractions.
Beneath the great Kings chamber.
in the heart of the pyramid, is the
queens chamber Mr.. Covington is
now at work trying to find the interior
ends of the 3O0-foot air channels. The
inner extremities Of these we're dis
covered by an Englishman, Weyman
Dixon, in 1872.
Masons today build no more beau
tifully than did those ancient men
who toiled $500 years ago. They
have left their own monument In the
queens chamber, which, apparently,
was never used 1t is superbly fin
ished and jointed; yet, oddly enough,
the entrance to this superb tomb was
covered and concealed. Possibly 1t
was intended for Martitefe, Khufu's
queen, but she survived him and mar
ried his brother Chephren, who built
the second pyramid In the great group
which stands today as a perpetual
monument Just outside Cairo.
The great kings chamber, 35 feet by
II by 10, is wrought In polished gran
lite. Just one hundred perfect blocks
in i've courses compose its walls. Nine
granite slabs form its ceiling and the
floor of the low granite chamber
above. The second chambers ceiling
forms the floor of a third chamber,
and 30 on up to the fifth, which is the
topmost, each one rising over the
great one intended for the dead
king. Like the queens chamber, this
top one is rooted with an arch OF
heavy limestone slabs. On one OF
those slabs there still stays in living
paint Khufu's quarry mark, or official
seal-two birds and a snake. sur
mounted by round dot
or the mysteries he has found Mr..
Covingston has Just spoken, and espe-
TALLY above the grand gallery, 155 feet
long and rs feet high, by which the
kings chamber was reached.
81 consider this the most mysterious
part Of this mighty miracle in stone"
said he, because If the pyramid were
intended only as a tomb there was
practically no use for this elaborate
grand gallery, with it's strange and re-
markable features, except perhaps to
temporarily accommodate the granite
plugs which still close the lower end
of the ascending passage, but which
find fit too tightly to have been slid
into position At an angle of about
twenty-six degrees eight minutes 1t
Hopes up for 1875 feet, its height %
feet, and its width above the ramps
nearly seven feet. It's great sides are
clearly marked by seven overlapping
layers of stone, while it is rooted by
thirty-six slabs. Bordering the third
overlapping layer is finely finished
narrow groove extending right round
the gallery; it is but one of several
remarkable and inexplicable features
which distinguish this part of the
structure.
"A twenty-inch ramp borders each
side of the gallery, extending right up
to the great step, which is just one
yard high. Each ramp contains TWEEN
ty-eight rampholes, over nearly all OF
which, for some strange and as yet
unknown reason. shallow holes have
been chiseled out, and a neat close
fitting stone let in.
"As most pyramidists are much per
picked by this feature and have adj
vanced theories | must venture mine
1t is Just possible that the places CHS
eled out originally contained inscrip-
tons, which the king for some reason
desired to obliterate. It became nee
essary then TO remove-to chisel out
the dishgured parts caused by the OBJ
liberation and replace them by close
fitting let-in stone.
TN 1905 discovered on the twenty
sixth course Of the south flank SINH
, lar let-in stone, to the reverse side OF
which still adhered buff-colored ce
ment. 1t had doubtless become de-
tached from the face of falling cas-
ing stone. Clearly incised in the
, dressed surface was the full tenth
part Of an 1S-inch diameter circle. II
, was the only known inscribed stone
ever found on the great pyramid.
would Judge 1t had been let into q
south flank casing stone at place
from which another inscription had
been for some reason chiseled out"