The old Egyptians were better builders than those of the present
day. There are blocks of stone in the pyramids which weigh three
or four times as much as the obelisk on the London embankment.
There is one stone the weight of which is estimated at eight
hundred and eighty tons. There are stones thirty feet in length
which fit so closely together that a penknife may be run over
the surface without discovering the break between them. They
are not laid with mortar, either. We have no machinery so
perfect that it will make two surfaces thirty feet in length
which will meet together as these stones in the pyramids meet.
It is supposed that they were rubbed backward and forward upon
each other until the surfaces were assimilated, making them the
world’s wonders in mechanical skill.--The London _Budget_.
(293)
See DAILY CHARACTER WORK.
=Building Character=--See IMPERFECTIONS CORRECTED.
=Building, Cheap=--See FIRE, COST OF.