Cfte Popular Science jatlo© 
AND 
BOSTON JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY. 
Volume XXV. 
BOSTON, JU]S^E, 1891. 
NUMBEB 6. 
CONTENTS. 
Familiau Science.— a New Theory of the 
Great Pyramid 79 
Aerial Spiders 80 
Forms of Beauty — Submersion Figures . . 80 
Spectrum of tlie Sun and Elements ... 81 
Chiselling Gun Cotton 82 
Allotropie Forms of Metals 82 
Selected Recipes 82 
Laboratory Notes 82 
Scientific Brevities 83 
^The Out-Door World.— We Will Answer 
All Letters 8.3 
Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter .... 84 
Selected Reports from the First Century 
(Chapters 1-100) 84 
Chapter Addresses, New and Revised . . 86 
List of the Plants of the District of Mos- 
chaisk, Government of Moscow, Russia . 86 
[ Editorial.— Paris Letter 87 
Ant Life in Honolulu 88 
Chimney Swallows 89 
Notes on Canadian Chrysotile 90 
Meteorology for April, 1891 90 
Astronomical Phenomena for .June, 1891 . 90 
Questions and Answers 91 
Literary Notes 91 
.Medicine and Phakmacy.- Monthly Sum- 
mary of Medical Progress 92 
; American Inventions and Discoveries iu 
Medicine, Surgery, and Practical Sanita- 
tion 03 
; Hot Water as a Remedial Agent .... 93 
■ Electrical Quackery 94 
Publishers' Column 94 
familiar ^eience. 
A NEW THEORY OF THE GREA T PYRAMID. 
There has always been more or less mystery 
surrounding the origin and purpose of the pyra- 
mids of Egypt, which is iu no ways lessened when 
the peculiar arrangement of their interior cham- 
bers and passages is studied. That their ulti- 
mate use was for the l)urial place of some ancient 
Egyptian monarchs seems to be beyond question, 
but that this may have been combined with other 
uses seems equally probable.. The dimensions 
and angles of the largest, known as the pyramid 
■Of Cheops, have been a fruitful source of specula- 
tion to philosophical and religious cranks, and 
countless theories have been advanced to explain 
I lie esoteric and mystical relations of the measure- 
ments of the various chambers, all of which are 
too preposterous for a momenfs consideration. 
One of these enthusiasts, for instance, claims that 
in the external and internal dimensions of the 
pyramid a complete system of prophecy may be 
detected, leading up to the final destruction of the 
world and the last judgment, — and this without 
any reliable knowledge whatever of the standard 
of measurement used by the ancients in the con- 
struction of these structures. 
Leaving these vagaries of a disordered imagin.a- 
tion, we may turn to certain facts which indicate, 
at least, that the builders of the pyramid of Che- 
ops were possessed of a certain amount of astro- 
nomical knowledge. In Fig. 1 a vertical section 
of the pyramid in a north abd south direction is 
given. From the entrance at C a passage leads to 
a chamber (A) excavated in the rock underneath. 
The sides of the pyramid exactly face the four 
cardinal points of the compass, and an observer 
^ 
^ 
PtaUfbftrt <fobMrvMht 
^ 
M 
4oe 
^^^ 
^ 
Fig. 2. 
— or, more properly, the astrologers — of those 
days could observe the inoveineuts of the heavenly 
bodies and cast the horoscopes demanded by the 
king. After his death the platform was com- 
pleted into a pyramid, and the observatory of the 
monarch then became his tomb and monument. 
According to M. Ballore's theory the grand gal- 
lery was originally intended for a place of obser- 
vation, where the priests might stand to make 
observations, the sides of the gallery forming a 
rude substitute for the micrometer threads which 
iu our modern telescope indicate so precisely the 
passage of the stars over the meridian, as illus- 
trated in Fig. 3. M. Ballore calls especial atten- 
tion to certain holes, or notches, in the walls of 
the grand gallery, («, «i, <j. Fig. 3), which he con- 
siders to indicate the proper place to stand to 
observe particular phenomena. In Fig. 2 this is 
illustrated by the lines showing the relation of 
the sun's positions at the solstices and equinoxes 
to certain points on the floor of the gallurJ^ 
Fig. 1. 
Vertical north and south section of the Great Pyramid. 
P P, 8upi»o8ed platform of observation. R, (Queen's Cliam- 
ber. K, King's Cliaml)er. G, natural grotto in tlie rocli. 
Z Z, accumulated debris. A, subterranean chamber. 1) E, 
grand gallery. 
Standing in the chamber A, about ,3.500 B. C, and \ 
looking through the passage A C would see at the 
end the pole star — or rather the %1'av Alpha Dracouis, 
which was the pole star at that time, but which, 
owing to the precesgion of the equinoxes, ha? 
since been repbu'cd by our present pole star, Alpha 
Ursa Minoris. The construction of this passage 
thus not only indicates the astronomical knowl- 
edge of the ancient Egyptians, but gives an ap- 
proximate date for the erection of the pyramids 
which agrees with that established by the best 
authenticated traditions. 
Branching ofT from the descending passage C A 
is an ascending passage, B D, leading to the grand 
gallery, D E, which in turn leads to wlial i* gen- 
erally known as the King's Cliamber. .\ novel 
and interesting theory has recently been iidvanced 
by F. de Ballore, in La Nature, which assign.^ 
an astronomical use to the grand gallery as well 
as the passage C A. According to this tbiMny the 
pyramid was only completed during the life-time 
of the reigning monarch as far as the fiftieth 
course of stones, (Fig. 2), thus forming a plat- 
form of observation upon which the astronomers 
Fig. 3. 
This theory is, in many respects, a plausible 
one, and, at least, more worthy of attention than 
most of the vagaries advanced in connection with 
the great pyramid; but,- at the best, we know 
scarcely anything definite i-egarding the nations 
of antiquity, and may easily overestimate their 
state of civilization. That they were far from 
l)eing barbarians or savages is certain, but the 
construction of even such monuments as the pyra- 
mids is not inconsistent with a comparatively 
undeveloped state of society. Whether ancient 
records yet to be discovered may enlighten us 
further on this point, remains to be proved ; but, 
in view of the surprising discoveries in this line 
in the past few years, we may hopefully expect, 
in the course of time, a much better knowledge of 
the character of those mysterious Oriental na- 
tions, the beginnings of which are lost in the 
mists of antiquity. 
