Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1911-09-22

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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 it
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, 35 feet by
II by 10, is wrought In polished gran
ite. 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 a snake. sur
mounted by round dot.
OF the mysteries he has found Mr.
Covingston has just spoken. and espe-
sially above the grand gallery, 155 feet
long and 2S feet high, by which the
kings chamber was reached.
Il consider this the most mysterious
part of this mighty miracle in stone,"
said he, because If the pyramid were
intended only as 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
lopes up for 1855 feet, Its height %
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
| thirty-six slabs. Bordering the third
overlapping layer Is finely finished
narrow groove extending right round
the gallery; 1t 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 ad
vanced theories | must venture mine
1t Is just possible that the places chis
eled out originally contained inscrip
tions, which the king for some reasor
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 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 O
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 tenti
part of an 1S-inch diameter circle. L
was the only known inscribed stone
ever found on the great pyramid.
would Judge it had been let into {
south flank casing stone at place
from which another inscription hac
been for some reason chiseled out"
Such is the newest story of the pyr
amids which have been standing amit
the sands of Gizeh these thousands ol
years told by an American.