Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-10-13

bcguII ,iIr IJ2-fOot ascent. In l9U:-
Mr.. Covington had removed some 81
feet of debris which cIOgged the lower
end of the well. 1t was like Jean Val
jean getting out Of the cul-de-sac-a
little like 1t. Using both hands AMI
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 If
l were in the hot room of Turkish
bath with all my clothes on, my pa
tient companion In the lead unavoida-
bly, kicking down upon my head the
dust of more than fifty vanished cen
turies, 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 mem-
orable ascent.
The Sepulchral Chambers.
I never fainted 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.. Covingtoh pointed out
the mysterious granite block he dis
covered concealed there, we reached
the grand gallery, where it was heav-
| enly pleasure to once more I'LL our
lungs with good air.
We passed through the horizontal
gallery and entered the Queens cham
Der, the lower of the two sepulchra
chambers in the Pyramid, although M
sarcophaguS was found there. We no
ticed the smooth, white, pointed roof
which distinguishes it from the granite
Kings chamber above. This Queeni
chamber contains perhaps the fines
masonry in the world, the joinings o
the great white limestone blocks beins
almost invisible, yet they contain 1
thin, weblil1e film of white cement.
We returned once more to the gran,
gallery, leading upward to the larg
granite-lined room containing sar
cophagus, supposed to be Khufu's
This magnificent gallery, 155 feet Ions
% feet high and more than Z fee
wide, is built of white mokattam lime
stone, so finely wrought and laid tina
: into the joints between the blocks 1t /
difficult to insert the point of needl
or even a hair.
Passing from the grand CALLER
through the small, mysterious grant
: antechambeC, we found ourselves |
the famous superb granite King
r chamber, the walls of which are con
posed of just 100 blocks of red graz
D ite. We were alone. and standing b
! the side of the mutilated, lidless sa
!, cophagus of that great Pharaoh VII
! reigned more than $500 years ag
: We had the Pyramid entirely to on
:, selves. 1t was long after midnigh
There was deadly silence, broken o
e casionally by the chirp of distal
q bat. The sensation l experienced ws
q one of eerie pleasure, not unmiXt
with awe. I was in the presence Of
s great manifestation of pOwer-the Ii
= ing power Of d man dead nearly s
}, millenniums ago; man who In II
e morning Of the world had wrought h
IL own Immortality in this architectur
r wonder Of the ages. No one cOu
e help feeling exalted at the majes
l. and mystery Of the great structur
s It's defiance of time and defeat of i
% quiry; its strength and beauty; |
's geometrical perfection. Then cal
y over the exaltation a feeling of depre
sion as of the weight of all the supt
le imposed masonry above me, and up
n that the weight Of centuries and of
If death. We were in q structure
r world-amazing grandeur, but for
" that, q tomb.