Found this....

"05 Jan 2001

I have just been reading your debunking of the pharaohs pump. Firstly - I am a skeptic. I found this stuff on the internet and thought it was very strange. In addition the site does not help itself by linking within one click to perpetual motion 'vortex' machines.

Despite the theory being strange and I myself would need a lot more evidence to be convinced there was a working pump in the pyramid, it is not a truly outlandish idea. About 100 years ago pumps were built along the Murray (Australia's largest river) which consisted of large cylinders bored into the ground alongside the river. Fuel (oil) and air entered the chamber, were ignited and the pressure forced the water out for irrigation. The volume of the pump was about the size of a large room. Nothing weird here - simply a large internal combustion engine with water acting as the piston. The engine ran for about 50 years.

One of the problems that would have faced the ancients is they lacked metals - specifically steel. It is very difficult to build engines that can handle any sort of pressure without metals. One solution of course is to dig out a hole in the ground. Large pressures can then be accommodated."

Dr James Moxham (medical Dr, not engineer)Adelaide Australia

http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/pharoahspump.html