New-York daily tribune., 1842-11-28

Foor Pa1srs Ars7. LOUIS Several years since
somebody discovered, at very low stage OF water
in the Mississippi, .aoo disticn. footprints made in
the solid limestone near the West bank of the
river, at very low water mark. They were the
figures Of the human foot. They had been seen
al distant intervals, by the old inhabitants ct our
city when-as seldom happened-the river receded
enough 10 lay them bare; and in 1919 the SLAB
containing them was removed from its place under
the direction of Mr.. Paul Anderson, then of 81
Louis, but OF Cincinnati, and delivered 10 Nlr.
Frederick Rapp who then resided at New-Har,
mony in Indiana. Mr.. John Jones claimed
ownership in the slab, and was paid $50 for 1t;
and an Eastern virtuoso offered $500 for it. Ihls
slab was, are sorry to say, suffered 10 be car
RED of, from St Louis TO New Harmony, where
it now is in the possession of Mr.. David D. Owen,
gentleman worthy of being its owner, if some
cabinet in ST. Louis were not entitled to the pre-
ference The fragment of stene quarried weighs
about eon The prints are very distinct, an ex-
cellent imitation of the human foot. The position
of the feet is easy and natural. How did these
impressions come there?
Schoolcraft, as longago as 1922, contended that
they were fossil impressions, actually made by the
una n foot in soft substance, which afterwards
hardened. Our distinguished Senator, Mr.. Ben
Ton, coHbated this proposition, and assigned
some very sensible reasons for believing them to be
a work OF ait. MIR. Owen agrees with Senator
Benton. He contends that the limestone was de-
posted where it now is ages before man was crea-
ted. The limestone formation on the banks OF our
river is of an era antecedent to the coal mea-
sures" and four FIVE otser formations, which
required for their production the lapse of many
centuries.
We think the reasons urged for supposing these
remains to be a work of human ingenuity and skill
are quite satisfactory. They were probably wrought
out by some Indian more handy in the use OF tools
than the ma ority of his red brethren, to indicate
remarkably low stage of the water. We have
an instance of this in Germany. Recently in the
Elbe, where the channel had become dry, stone
was exposed with this inscription upon it: He
who saw me in 1642 wept,-they who see me
ngain shall weep also" This showed the lapse Of
900 years between two extremely low stages OF
the water The fact was thought to be worthy OF
commemoration in the manner just stated. 1t is
not, therefore, improbable that, to mark similar
event in the history of the Mississippi, similar
device was used ST. Louis New Era.
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