The famous inscription was carved on the east side of the tunnel near its mouth, in ancient characters of the alphabet of Hezekiah’s age, presenting some minor peculiarities which became distinctive of the script of Israel. It was discovered in 1880 by a Jewish boy, and was reported by Herr Schick, and visited by Dr. Sayce. The first correct copy published was taken from my squeeze, and an excellent copy was almost simultaneously published by Dr. Guthe, through whose courtesy I had been enabled to work with ease in the tunnel. A cast was also fortunately made, for the text was afterwards cut out of the rock by a Greek villain, who was duly punished. Unfortunately, though now preserved in the Museum of Constantinople, this valuable inscription has been broken and damaged. When first found, the letters were full of lime deposit, which Dr. Guthe removed with hydrochloric acid without injuring the stone, and a true copy could not be made till this was done. The text may be thus translated, the ends of the lines being injured, when first found, by the scaling off of the rock. [Illustration: THE SILOAM INSCRIPTION. From the Author’s squeeze.] (1) “The tunnel, and this is the method of the tunnel: while (the miners) raised (2) the pick each towards his fellow, and while yet three cubits were ... the voice of one calling (3) to his fellow, for there was an excess in the rock to the right ... they struck to the right (4) in the tunnel: they hewed this cutting each towards his fellow, pick to pick, and flowed (5) the waters from the source to the pool for two hundred and one thousand cubits, (6) and ... a cubit was the height of the rock at the top of this cutting.” The hewing to the right hand in both the excavations was what actually occurred. The measurement--in round numbers--of 1,200 cubits gives us roughly a cubit of 17 inches, but the “three cubits” gives us more exactly a cubit of 16 inches, which appears to have been that used by Hebrew masons.[137]