Evening star., 1923-12-04
INNER SHRINE WALL
REMOVAL TEDIOUS
Carter Achieving Difficult
Task Without Damage to
Tutankhamen'S Tomb.


Cafnarvon estate
LUNOR. Egypt. December 4.-Yes-
terday and today the work within the
tomb Of Tutankhamen has been de-
voted to the demolition of the par
tition wall between the ante-chamber
and the scpulrhral chamber and in
the erection of the wooden screen
necessary to protect the outer shrine
during this operation
The partition wall. which is about
three feet thick. originally contained
sealed doorway which had to be
broken through in order to obtain
entrance TO the sepulchral chamber.
What remained TO be demolished
We're two jambs. each about three
feet by ten, a Intel section of SIM
liar dimensions and a small portion
OF the once sealed doorway which
had been left in position
Faced Tricky Task.
To attain its object a screen had
TO be made so as to shroud complete
ly the exposed side of the shrine
from the floor to the ceiling. Its
erection proved a highly tricky piece
OF work, for the sepulchral chamber
which the shrine almost entirely
nils. is sunk three feet below the
leNeI of and is foot or two wider
than the ante cha mbvr
me screen could not therefore be
introduced ready made, and had 10
be constructed in the very narrow
passe egeway between the outer shrine
and the partition wall, while in the
circumstances 1t could not of course
be nailed to anything. This ap-
n rfpl ,rNf Il i,y,
was, however, overcome in a charac-
terlstically ingenious manner. While
Mr Calender, standing above in ehe
ahte -chamber, handed down planks
ana held them in position Mr.. Carter
heioW IN the pasSagcway within the
sepulChral chamber, nailed them to-
Sether by means OF wooden battens
How he managed to WELD a ham
Hher In TINS confined space without
DONG any damage was wonder to
an who watched as piece by piece
the wood was passed down and the
screen grew before their eyes like
slowly opening fan.
Completes the Screen.
Finally when sufficient boards had
Deen put together Mr.. Carter suueeZ-
ed his way through the small space
Drought the two sections together.
INTO the antechamber above and
me screen. which measures 12 feet
by IL feet. then stood complete, en-
tireiy concealing the shrine.
The problem of holding this huge
structure in position has been solved
by passing two ropes through small
apertures in the screen and stretch
ing them across the space formerly
filled by the sealed doorway to a
croSSbar placed parallel to and
against the outside of the partition
wall Each rope was tiEhtened by
means of torniquet which held TIE
screen in place without interfering
with the subsequent operations
AS this fear had bcprl
complished the work of demolition
started. This was carried out with
the same skill as that which Mr. Car
ter displayed last February, when be-
fore the wondering gaze Of spectators
he removed intact the plaster sealings
and broke his way into the sepul-
scratching the gold and faience
shrine just inside.
Stone Wall Revealed.
Standing on a platform and work
Ing under the glare of electric lights
of several thousand candlepower, he
began to hack with a mason's mallet
and chiSel at the far end of the wall
while Mr.. Calender stood close by to
hand up extra tools ana string of
natives waited with baskets 70 re-
ceive the debris. Slowly the plaster
was loosened. revealing a wall rough
ly built of stone.
Next. the front layer was dislodSed
and when a square foot or SO had
been cleared Mr.. Carter beckoned to
his small boy and hoisted him into
the cavity to assist in clearing out
Bent almost double, the little fellow
cheerfully played his part and the
work steadily progressed. the huge
stones raising thick clouds Of dust
as they tumbled into the baskets
which the men quickly carried III re
lays up the passage and stairway to
the surface above, where the debris
was dumped.
Soon Intel consisting of wooden
beams, became visible. and the work
continued along the top toward the
left-hand jamb, which had to be
dealt with very carefully. as or the
sepulchral chamber side the wall bore
paintings that are a part of the orna-
mentationS of that chamber, and il
is important to preserve as much as
possible.
Handle Plaster With Care.
Each time, therefore. that any por-
tfon Of the plaster on the far side
was reached the more strenuous eff
forts were suspended, and Mr.. Carter,
leaning across the debris and using
his chisel as lever, would gently
loosen the plaster while small boy
on top would work with his hands to
dislodge the pieces without crum bling
them. AS each piece came away Il
was handed down to Capt. Bethel.
who had ready huge tray filled with
bran in which he placed the frag
mentS.
While the demolition work was a
highly interesting spectacle. it was
even more fascinating to watch the
bran-filled tray on which Capt.
Bethel was working. as if engaged
on giant jigsaw puzzle. skillfully
fitting the pieces in position.
By the end of the day practically
the whole of this portion of the wall
had been dealt with, and the plaster
painting had been almost entirely
transferred to the tray ready for
photogra phing.
Original Builders Trouble.
While watching the work of demoli-
tion ones thoughts irreSistibly flew
back to the men who thirty centuries
and more ago. in just such a thick
and at time suffocating atmosphere,
but illuminated by fiickering torch
instead of electric light, had toiled to
erect this very wall. Theirs was. how
ever. the simpler task
If the theory recently arrived at by
Mr.. Carter be correct. that nothing
chamber until the partition wall had
been made, the eighteenth dynasty
masons could have been disturbed by
none of those anxious fears of dam
aging something of great value on
the inside which have so constantly
but thanks to their care and ingenuity
it has turned out unnecessarily
haunted Mr.. Carter and his assistants.
Although the work was started un-
usually early this morning in the
hope it might be possible to complete
the demolition and remove the screen
in time for the press view. which was
fixed for tomorrow. the expectation
was not realized, as there remain at
least nine days and a half more of
work to do to remove the balance of
the plaster painting and the other
jamb.
Sir John Marshall, director general
of archaeology in India, visited the