TAA i.2.3.13

13^th Oct.

7a<.>m. Made preparations for raising the lid of the gold encased
outer Coffin.

Upon careful inspection of the coffin as it rested in the
Sarcophagus, it was decided that the four original bronze handles
(two on each side) were sufficiently well preserved to support the
weight of the lid of the coffin and therefore could be utilized in
raising it, that is if it were possible to remove the bronze pins by
which it was fixed to the shell of the coffin.

The lid was fixed to the shell by means of ten bronze tongues securely
riveted to the lid and fitted into corresponding sockets in the thickness
of the wooden sides of the shell - four on each side, one at the
head, and one at the foot-end - where they were held in place
by the above mentioned metal pins.

As the Coffin nearly occupied <nearly> the whole of the space of the interior of the
Sarcophagus, leaving only a small space all round, especially at
the head & foot ends, the space available for extracting the
pins was very limited, but by careful manipulation it
was found that they could be withdrawn without much difficulty,
with the exception of the pin of the head end where there was
only space enough to pull it half out and therefore had
to be sawn (filed) through before the inner half could be withdrawn.

Having extracted the ten pins, the next procedure was to place
in position the necessary hoisting tak/<c>kle. This consisted
of two sets of three sheaf pulley-blocks, provided with
automatic brakes, and fixed to an overhead scaffold.
The pulleys being so hung as to come immediately above
the centre of the lid opposite each pair of handles. The
pulleys were then attached to the handles of the lid by means
of strong cord slings - the coffin being protected from possible
damage by pads of wadding. The tackle being in position,
by midday the lid was very slowly raised. It came up