The dismantling of the Burial Chamber took place on November 17th 1923, not worried about the tales of the curse Carter continue his work.  Lord Carnarvon, ever-present, had invited his brother Mervyn Herbert to the opening....

'Rows of chairs had been arranged in the first chamber of the tomb, which had been entirely cleared except for the two statues of the King at the one end.  Between them was the sealed entrance and at the bottom of this sealed door was a little wooden platform which concealed the hole made in the wall where they had got in before.  Porch (Carnarvon), poor old fellow, was nervous like a naughty schoolboy, fearing that they would discover that a hole had already been made.  He was also, and most naturally, very excited; altho' he knew a good deal about what was there he cannot have helped feeling that this was one of the very great moments that happen to few people.  He began by making a very nice speech to all of us-short and to the point-one of the main things being thanks to all the workers but principally to the Americans who had very generously given their services free.  Then Carter made a speech-not very good-he was nervous, almost inarticulate and talked about science and the insecurity of the discovery' -Mervyn Herbert

After all the speeches the work started and the crowd's anticipitation grew...

'...when, after about ten minutes' work, I had made a hole large enough to enable me to do so, I inserted an electric torch.  An astonishing sight its light revealed, for there, within a yard of the doorway , stretching as far as one could see and blocking the entrance to the chamber, stood what to all appearances was a solid wall of gold...

It was, beyond any question, the sepulchral chamber in which we stood, for there, towering above us, was one of the great gilt shrines beneath which kings were laid.  So enormous was this structure...that it filled within a little the entire area of the chamber, a space of some two feet only separating it from the walls on all four sides, while its roof, with cornice top and torus moulding, reached almost to the ceiling...' -Howard Carter

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