The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-18

ful sticks, beautifully carved and inlaid.s
Some 81 the boxes were made 81 ebony
inlaid with ivory, covered with inscriptions.
Others were inlaid with gold and pcrce.
lain. Everywhere was mass 81 boxes,
some opened and plundered, others seem
ingIy untouched. at the present moment,
owing To the profnsion Of articles, We have
not notion 81 tliousandth part 81 the
contents Of even this chamber
Things were piled from floor to ceiling,
As household furniture nowadays IS put
into storage Or into moving van. The
chariots lay ii 3 heap in the corner, and
the wheels had been taken Of, apparently.
to get them into the tomb through the mar
row door. Between two Of the couches
the explorers noticed four 81 the most;
beautiful alabaster vases ever found !;
nothing approximating them Ia artistic
excellence has ever come to light before:
And slowed here and there indiscrinais
nateIy. among the chariot wheels, were
golden stools, golden thrones and black
ebony panel Of the King and Queen, rest
ing on chair inIaid with seni-precious
stones. Nearby was the richly embroid-
cred royal robe, The semi-preciOus stones
with which IL i decorated arranged ii dia-
mond shape. Near It, on the top Of box,
were two silver boonerangs, weapons close
At hand for the departed King to use ii
case of need.
In group ii front Of the doorway lead
ing TO the inner galleries was another pair
Of fine alabaster vases Of peculiarly at
tractive design, and from the futed body
Of the vases rise extraordinarily slender
shafts, bearing lotus flowers. These two
vases had been cut from solid blocks Of
alabaster
Opening one Of the gold and jeweIled
boxes romantic touch was added to the
sombre silence 81 the tomb It was filled
with. roses, stiIl preserved through the
5000 years which separates US from Tu-
tankhamen's funeral AS the explorers
gently lifted the lid from these old flowers
Of the Niles bank, plucked 5000 years
ago, slight perfume greeted them, which
had remained in those flowers IN their
sealed boxes down through the centuries.
Resting high on the debris Of broken
boxes piled in the ante-chanlber was q
throne or chair of state, the most beauti-
full object that has as yet greeted the eyes
of the explorers. 1t is even more beauti-
full than they first imagined when it was
covered with dust. After the dust was
removed the delicacy Of the inlaid pre-
cious stone work was observed as quite
extraordinary, and the carving and mod
cling of the figures of the King and Queen
in low relief were portrayed with really
wonderful expression.
The depredatory hands of the robbers
! had found their way to this chair, and
from the bottom rungs, the condition of
the wood clearly indicated, gold ornaments
that decorated the chair had been violently
torn from place. Most of the chair, ex-
cept the decorated inIaid surface, is
sheathed with thin covering of gold and
preserved almost in as good condition as
the day the chair was built.
An object under this chair caught the
eye of the explorers. This was box con-
tanning some of the Kings clothing. When
opened it revealed paintings as delicate as
the fineSt miniatures on the carefully
woven fabric. Great skill had to be used
in an effort to preserve these, so the cloth
was carefully dipped in paraffin, which
now shows the delicate colors through its
transparent surface.
Clothing so far discovered is, for the
most part, made of linen, and it is quite
evident that dampness must have entered
the tomb at some time, because this linen
is all turned black, rotted away in many
places and extremely difficult to handle.
One of the sentimental little objects
that at first was overlooked was linen