Year: 1871

wall, is large mass of rubbish that has
been brought up; while over the mouth
itself is a triangular gin, with iron wheel
attached, with guy, for running up the
excavatcd soil. Looking down the shaft,
one sees that it is lined for the first twen-
ty feet with frames four feet six inches in
the clear further down the Sanctuary
wall and soil cut through are seen, and n
man standing at what appears to be the
bottom. An order is given to this man,
who repeats it, and then family, is heard
a scpulchral voice answering, as it were
from another world. Reaching down to
the man who is visible is thirty.four-
feet rope-ladder and on descending by
it, one finds he is standing on a ledge
which the ladder does not touch by four
feet. This ledge is the top of wall run
ming north and south, and abutting on
the Sanctuary wall its east face just
cuts the centre of the shaft, which has to
be canted off about two feet toward the
east. just where some large loose stones
iut out in the most disagreeable manner.
Here five more frames have been fixed to
keep these stones steady. On peering
down from this ledge one sees the Sanctu-
ary wall, with its projecting courses, un-
til they are lost in the darkness below
observing also, at the same time, that two
sides of the shaft are cut through the soil,
and are self-supporting. Now to descend
this second drop the ladder is again re-
quired accordingly, having told the man
at the bottom to get under cover, it is
lowered to the ledge from whence it is
found that it does not reach to the bottom
by several feet. 1t is therefore lowered
to the required distance, and one has to
reach it by climbing down over hand for
about twelve feet. On passing along one
notes the marvellous joints Of the Sanctu-
ary wall stones, and also. probably, gets
a few blows on skull and knuckles from
falling pebbles. Just on reaching the
bottom one rccollects there is still pit
of unknown depth to be explored, and
cautiously straddles across it. Then can
be seen that one course in the Sanctuary
wall, near the bottom, is quite smooth all
over, the stone being finely dressed, all
other courses being only well-dressed


around the drafts one also sees two stout


boards lying against the Sanctuary wall,


under which the men retire whenever an


accidental shower Of stones renders their


position dangerous, One is now at a


depth of seventy-nine feet from the sur


face. and from here we commence the ex-


ploring of the 'bottomless pit" After


dropping rope down, we found that it


was only six feet deep, though it looked
black enough for any thing"


Further explorations disclosed d sub.


tcrranean passage, perhaps originally con.
, structed to carry off the overflow from
the Temple and the intrepid investigator
crawlcd on his hands and feet 400 feet
along this Shiny drain through the mud
the passage at times becoming so narrow
that he could barely squeeze through, and
the air so foul as to threaten suffocation
The difficulty of his position is indicated
by the fact that he had to back out 20C
feet before he could get to point where
he could turn his head,-From "The Re
covcry Of Jerusalem" by LYMAN ABBOTT
in Harper's Magaeine for July.