Anthony Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Here's what Petrie has to say about it:
>
Quote:The granite plugs are kept back from
> slipping down by the narrowing of the lower end of
> the passage, to which contraction they fit. Thus
> at the lower, or N. end, the plug is but 38.2 wide
> in place of 41.6 at the upper end
*[emphasis mine]*

The above clearly states the lower end of the plug is 38.2(inches) in place of( as opposed to) 41.6(inches) at the upper end(of the plug).
You even confirm this: The plug-blocks for (A) could not have been stored but in the great gallery. In fact they are 1.195 m. high and 1.05 m. wide;The rest of the quote is on the linked page.

These measurements of the plug(1.195m. X 1.05m.) work out to be 47.04715 inches high and 41.3385 inches wide.
In the originating post the ascending passage width was:

Quote

However, taking the Ascending Passage as a whole, its width varies from 41.4” to 42.1”

You have stated:

Quote

Petrie actually indicates they are more like 38 inches wide, but the PASSAGE is 41.6.

[www.hallofmaat.com]
If there is so much wear and tear(from years of neglect) then with the passsage at 41.6 inches that would be the maximum at present.

So from the M&R quote the blocks are 41.3385 inches wide not 38 inches wide. This allows a side gap of approx. 1/32 inch(0.03075) for the lower width of 41.4 inches and a side gap of approx. 1/8 inch(0.13075) for the 41.6 inch width.

Even with lubricant this would be a very difficult job to complete. The tolerances are so small that the blocks would be wedging themselves at almost any imperfection that narrowed the width of the passage. As for the "wedge to the opposite side from behind to unstick these blocks" type of solution, you need to overcome the animal fat lubricant you use to slide the blocks down the passage to begin with for the worker to even reach the stuck block and to get traction enough for leverage to shift the block/plug.


> Clearly the plugs fit into an area 41.6 inches
> wide, and it took a 38.2 inch wide space to get
> them to stop.
>
> You're now somehow saying that a space of 3 inches
> is insufficient?
>
> I think I see where you've gone astray. You make
> this claim in your first post:
>
Quote:These granite blocks total just under 15
> feet in length (there is a 4” gap between two of
> them).
>
> The upper end of the uppermost block measures
> 41.6” in width and 47.3” in perpendicular height.
>
> The lower end of the lowermost block measures
> 38.2” in width (and therefore tapers in 1.7” from
> each side) and 47.3” in perpendicular height.
>
> I think you are misreading Petrie's
> measurements... and I don't think he wrote them
> well, either, so I don't blame you. The stones
> aren't 41.6 inches wide... the passage is 41.6
> inches wide at the place where the plug stones
> end. Read it again from my quote above and you'll
> see how he changes what he's supposedly measuring
> in mid-sentence.

According to both quotes the plugs are 41.6"(approx. close anyways).

Regards,
Lobo-hotei
lobo


Treat the earth well, It was not given to you by your parents, It was loaned to you by your children.
Native American Proverb