The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-10-01

ssne cave Heretofore sbscur!.y had surrounded
the hlstosy OF tho boafs which had been found In the
cave. But this person on returuisg from she Cave.
met an old Indian and having good interpreter Of
the Indian dialect vi b him, he lesrsod that the
bones were Of concarntivel5 recent deposit there.
few yeais befo the whites came 70 the ccun-
{ y there were two tuhes Of Indans who we're hos
tile to each otherone lived In the vicinity Of this
cave the other about one mile from it. on hill m
the Deighborhood, bat separated by q deep v alley.
They met IN fight. and the tribe living nearest the
cave, numbering about sixty, was ogerp0wesed aud
Killed; and the conguering Indians fe9iisg to make
fl es TO burn their bodies, which 1ss cu,t oma y
event on suoh occasions, on count Of ar0,sing no
tice from othsr tibes. threw them headong into
this cave. They stTuck sgainst the sides and so
lower Id of its mouth.
The cave is about thirty five fest deep is irregu.
lsr in form, and is not than twenty feet ia ex-
tent 10 different directions. The bones nave bsen
broken and removed, 60 that there is little now to
Interest enc in exp,odngit. In this vicinity IS also
aEc'her cave, With an entrance rather small aud
about ore bundrt feet deep, from which 5sve been
taken some very large and iioely crystazed stssc
ti,es. About eight miles from here Il another which
We intend 70 visit TO morrow. These are all ia lime
stone districts Of country aud are cavities followed
out in this easily soluble material by the long con-
timed ao,iaa OF water.
Last summer visited cave In the vicinity Of
Columbia formed by tho forcibie breaking up Of the
PPM tive or metamorphc rock by subte.raaean VIC
ieIce. Tee hill was Ounded over this cave and the
rock broken in various directions, aud huge mssse3
were tilted and lodged against each other, so that
large cayerns existed under the hill ADD were con
necied with each other by io~ or narrow passages.
The whole had been often filed with water, and
when vast reservoir for mining purposes mune
diately ever us mouth suddenly sunk away iato it
las. summer II was observed that the water obtain,
&c ar outlet some six miles further south from the
side of another hill. This circumstance shows q
Locus action Of force by which some of these hills
were elevated. observed no teeth nor other yes.
tges Of animal remains in thst cave, tn ,ugh it had
bet assertedby the first explorers that the teeth Of
some large arimsl had been found there.
The remains of ancient quadrupe is, however, are
frequently found in the fats OF the neighbofing
giobs OF cogEtyy where the miners IRE at work pro-
curing gold. The f'e at Columbia burnt many spe-
been collected by miners while excayatipg for gold
amor the drift Il the valleys Texas fat seems pecu
liarly distinguished for these remains. nave nova
piece OF bone te mporarily in my possession probably
iregne nj CT the lower jaw bone of mastadon from
that person at Texas Flat assured one
OF our party that . tusk nine feet in length aud
twenty seven inches in circumference, had been
lying for tvelvemonth on the ground near his
cabin. but had been recently removed by some one
who felt interest in collecting such curogisies
1t Is desirable that ali such relics OF tue ancient
fauna o. this portion OF the country should be pre-
served, and trust that the miners OF Texas Flat
end other mining regions Will preserve with great
care the rsllcs OF this kind, and torwar3 them ts
me or some other person who will use them for con
tribusDg to the already great accumulat.0ns Of hu
nan knowledge. Such relics, though q sort of
curiosity to most persons, are, after ali OF no real
importance to them; while to those who feel
special interest in the progress Of science they b.
come OF great value and importance. A collection
Of these remains of extinct creatures, whether OF
qusdirleds, fishes or shells, or even of irses and
plants will lead invest igaon to the most interest
Yf9UltJ The 6lqr0va. of and nj faru
since extinct, and of ANIMALS which ceased to i've
many thousands OF years before Adam or Noah be-
gan to lcok upon The sun and breath the bfeatn Of
life, would lead inquiring and phiiosop tic minds to
reconstruction Of the ancient topography of this
continent, SO that maps of the Sierra Nevada, The
Coast Ranges, and Of the Pacific Ocean, might be
mace. ghich would be so unlike the present that
We SHOULD rot recognise them as belonging to the
same latitude and longitude.
All geological antiquities of the greatest in
terest TO kind, especially oil fossil remsias and
too much care cannot be manifested by individuals,
nor by the State, IN preserving all these relics in
te-pI0Of safes OF buildings. Indeed, the next Lee
gslsture would do itself honor to TO be erect
ed fire proof edifce, as public receptacle for all
remains of this sOrt for perhaps no country i'll the
world, from one END of It's domains TO the other,
contains richer mine OF fossil wealth aried IN its
bosom than does this very State Of California; and
VIXEN great pubic scientific stcrehouse has become
filed with this fossil wealth, the genius Of some maa
will be stimulated to put bone to its bone, and
taihe iUto eAi3SCs tacS5 Lug uicdtu Vi luc. ailI
new foIma, not now dreamed Of, will be seen stalk
ing over vast plars, which are now lofty aud rugged
mountains, or swimming ia seas, whose bos,ms
were covered with gold dust which is nov being
taken from fats and ravnes seye- al hundreds, and
even Thousands OF feet above the level Of the pre-
sent ocean. Sach will be the results from some Of
the Investigations to be dedaced from the careful
Preservation and study of the remains Of the extinct
races found this western slooc of continent.
Tbey abound in the drift Of all pats of California;,
from the peninsula on which stands San Francisco,
ard even in the heart of that city, to the tanks and
SUBMITS of the Sierra Nevada. This field il rich in
these materials, and miners and common laboliug
men the persons, in their humble but necessary
employments, who will add mostly to this stock OF
important knowledge.