The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-08-10

director general Of antiques, no man
Is allowed to touch single pebble,
much less explore. hut Mr.. Cuyington
did such good work al the beginning
that he has been authorized to clear
away the siXty.nine feet Of debris
which obstructs the upper and outer
end OF the channel which leads 10 tho
great chamber OF the king-thc great
Chcups, or khufu, himself. Then for
the first time in history the interior
Of this wonder OF the world VIII 10
free from all distractions
beneath the great Kings char'acr.
In the heart of the pyramid, l.. ne
queens chamber. Mr.. CoyingtUn Is
now ut work trying to find the interior
ends Of the 3OO.foot air channels The
inner eXtremities of these were dis.
covered by an Engl!shman WeymGn
Dixon In 1872
Masons today build no more beau.
tifullJ than did those ancient mon
who toiled 5000 years ago. The"
have left their own monument in the
queens chamber. which apparently,
was never used. II Is surcrbly liz.
ished ana iointcd; yet, oddly enough,
the entrance 20 this superb tomb wa
covered and concealed. Possibly 8:
was intended for Martitefe. Khufu.
queen, but she survived him and ms
ricd his brother Chephren. Who but
the second pyramid in the grea; grot2
which stands today as a pcrpct. i
monument Just outside Cairo.
The great kings chamber. 80 feet y
II by 10, Is wrought in polished gri
lite. Just one hundred perfect bloc s
in Ave courses compose its walls. Nirc
granite slabs form its ceiling and tie
| floor Of the low granite cham!
above. The second chambers CELL. Z
forms the floor Of a third chambC'.
and 80 on up to the fifth. which IS tire
topmost, each one rising over the
great one intended for the dead
king. Like the queens chamber Il s
top one is rooted with an arch Of
heavy limestone slabs. On one 1f
those slabs there still stays in livi- g
paint Khufu's quarry mark. or ofIic. i
seal-two birds and snake. ST.
mounted by round dot
or the mysteries he has found M.
Covlngston has just spoken, and csrn-
eially above the grand gallery, l55 fcrt
long and IS feet high. by which tie
kings chamber was reached
Il consider this the most mysterious
part OF this 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 20
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 It
slopes up for 155 feet, It's height 2S
feet. and Its width above the ramps
| nearly seven feet. It's great sides are
| clearly marked by seven overlapping
layers OF stone, while IL is rooted by
thirty.sx slabs. Bordering the third
overlapping layer is a 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 neat close
fitting stone let In.
AS most pyramidists are much per-
picked by this feature and have adj
vanced 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
liberation and replace them by a close
fitting let.in stone.
In 1905 | discovered on the twenty
sixth course of the south flank simi-
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
south flank casing stone at place
from which another inscription had
been for some reason chiseled out"