The great pyramid passages and chambers

has five worked surfaces, and the remains of one drill-hole four inches in diameter. Another was discovered by Mr. Covington on the floor of the Descending Passage a little above the opening of the lower end of the Well. Like the one in the Grotto there are two drill-holes in it.

555 This second stone now lies below the Well opening. On the day our men began to clear the debris from the Descending Passage, they had uncovered a third but smaller granite stone, which lay on the floor a little below the iron grill-door. Taking away too much of the supporting debris, this stone began to move, and quickly gathering impetus on that steep floor, it plunged down the 200 feet or more of the passage and crashed with great force into the granite stone with the two drill-holes, knocking it to the bottom. Nevertheless, no damage was done to either of the blocks. As these two stones now prevented entrance to the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, I had them removed a few feet up the passage, and laid against the east wall, taking care so to place the larger block that the drill-holes might be readily examined by interested visitors.

556 In one of our photographs of the lower end of the Well, taken before this incident occurred, this larger stone may be seen lying further up the passage; and part of one of the worked surfaces, and even the upper ends of the drill-holes may be discerned—Plate CLII. Judah is seen reclining on the floor of the Descending Passage above the stone, supporting his head on the board which Mr. Covington had placed across the passage to keep back the debris when he was clearing away the rubbish below that point. This board, of course, is no longer required, as the entire length of the passage isnow clear. This photograph (taken before John's arrival in Egypt) shows the Well-opening in better perspective than the two others previously described (Plates LXII & LXIII), for in this instance the camera was erected at a lower point in the Descending Passage.

557 There is still another granite stone lying in the small Recess in the passage leading to the Pit, as may be seen in our photographs of this part—Plates LVIII & LIX. It has worked surfaces, but no drill-holes.

558 At first we were greatly puzzled to know how one of these granite stones found its way into the Grotto, of all places! It appears, however, that among the large stones which formerly blocked the irregular portion of the Well-shaft above the Grotto, one was of granite; for we find in M. Caviglia’s list of measurements of the Well, the following item: ‘t Depth of the Well to a block of granite that had fallen into it—38 feet.”

559 Some active operator at the Pyramid (probably Mr. Caviglia himself) must have had this granite stone lowered by means of ropes until it hung opposite the small doorway of the Grotto, into which it was then pulled and lodged out of harm’s way. Although this operation must have been attended with considerable difficulty and danger because of the size and weight of the block, it was the easiest way to get rid of it; for had it been thrown down the lower part of the Well, it would have again become tightly wedged somewhere in the narrow shaft, completely blocking the passage.

560 A more difficult problem, however, is to discover the original site and purpose of these five blocks of partly dressed granite stones with their drill-holes. The fact that one of the three largest is now in the Grotto, and has been traced to a point several feet higher than its present lodging place, would seem to indicate that they all originally occupied a position somewhere in the upper parts of the Pyramid.

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