The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-10-05

began the l92-fOOt ascent. In 1902
Mr.. COvlngtOn had removed some "a
feet Of debris which clOgged the lower
end of the well. 1t was like Jean Val
jean getting out of the cul-de-sac-a
little like it. Using both hands and
feet, back tightly pressed to the wall,
my camera tied around my neck with
a handkerchief, holding in my teeth
the lantern, the heat of which, COM
bined with that caused by intense
physical exertiOn, made me feel as II
/ were In the hot room of a Turkish
bath with all my clothes on, my pa-
tlent companion in the lead unavOida-
bly, kicking down upon my head the
dust of more than fifty vanished CEN
turtles, while hundreds of bats, dis
turbed in their slumbers, tapped their
wings in our faces as they passed be-
tween our limbs, we made that men,
Orable ascent.
The SepuIehral Chambers.
never tainted in my life, but the
only reason that l did not do so on
that occasion was the fear of adding
still more unpleasant complications to
those already on hand. Finally, after
passing through the strange little grOt-
to where Mr.. COvingtOn pointed out
the mysterious granite block he dis
the grand gallery, where 1t was heav-
emily pleasure to once more fill our
lungs with good air.
We passed through the horizontal
gallery and entered the Queens cham
Der, the lower of the two sepulchral
chambers in the Pyramid, although no
sarcOphagus was found there. We no.
ticed the smooth, white, pointed roof,
which distinguishes it from the granite
Kings chamber above. This Queens
chamber contains perhaps the finest
masonry in the world, the Jennings of
the great white limestone blocks being
almost invisible, yet they contain a
thin, weblike film of white cement.
We returned once more to the grand
gallery, leading upward to the large
granite-lined room containing sar-
cOphagus, supposed to be Khufus.
This magnificent gallery, 155 feet long,
% feet high and more than feet
wide, is built of white mOkattam lime
stone, so finely wrought and laid that
into the joints between the blocks it Is
difficult to insert the point of 4 needle
or even q hair.
Passing from the grand gallery
through the small, mysterious granite
the famous superb granite Kings
chamber, the walls of which are COM
posed Of just 100 blocks of red gran
ite. We were alone, and standing by
the side of the mutilated, lidless sar-
cophagus of that great Pharaoh who
reigned more than $500 years ago
We had the Pyramid entirely to our
selves. 1t was long after midnight.
There was deadly silence, broken Oc-
casiOnally by the chirp of distant
bat. The sensation experienced was
one of eerie pleasure, not unmiXed
with awe. l was in the presence of a
great manifestation of power-the Iiv-
ing power of man dead nearly six
millenniums ago; man who in the
morning of the world had wrought his
own Immortality in this architectural
wonder of the ages. No one could
help feeling exalted at the majesty
and mystery of the great structure; !;
its defiance of time and defeat of in
quiry; it's strength and beauty; it's
geOmetrical perfection. Then came
over the exaltatiOn a feeling of depres.
sion as of the weight Of all the super.
imposed masonry above me, and upon
that the weight of centuries and Of
death. We were in a structure of
wOrld-amazing grandeur, but for all
that, tomb.