Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-08-16
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in the heart of the pyramid. is the
queens chamber. Mr.. Covington is
now at work trying to find the interior
ends of the S00-foot air channels. The
inner extremities of these were 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. II is superbly fin
ished and iointed: 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 perpetual
monument just outside Cairo
The great kings chamber, 80 feet by
II by 10. is wrought in polished gran
lite. Just one hundred perfect blocks
in five 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 so 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 snake. sur
mounted by a round dot
OF the mysteries he has found Mr..
Covingston has just spoken. and espe'
| eially above the grand gallery. 1b5 feet
long and rs feet high. by which the
kings chamber was reached.
81 consider this the most mysterious
part of ih!s mighty miracle in stone"
said he. because II the pyramid were
intended only as a tomb there was
practically no use for this elaborate
grand gallery, with its 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
slopes up fCr 1855 feet, its height 2S
feet, and its width above the ramps
nearly seven feet Its great sides are
clearly marked by seven overlapping
layers of stone. while It is rooted by
IL IL. .-t1 h.. ~
overlapping layer is a finely finished
narrow groove extending right round
the gallery; it is but one OF sever al
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 pyramidssts are much per.
picked by this feature and have I'd
vsnced theories | must venture mine.
II IS Just possible that the places CHS
eled out originally contained inscrip'
lions, which the king for some reason
desired to obliterate. 1t became nee
essary then to remove-to chisel out
the disfigured parts caused by the OBJ
Iteration and replace them by close
fitting let-in stone.
an 1906 discovered on the twenty
sixth course of the south flank a SINH
lar let-in stone, TO the reverse side OF
which still adhered buff-colored CO
ment. II 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. 1t
was the only known inscribed stone
ever found on the great pyramid.
would Judge il had been let into
south flank casing stone at place
from which another inscription had
Deen for some reason chiseled out.
Such is the newest story of the pyr-
amids which have been standing amid
the sands of Glzeh these thousands OF
| years told by an American