Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-04-22
Man Previous to History.

But few branches of knowledge have mad
more rapid strides of late than that relatin,
to the earliest human races, or what is gen
orally called the prehistoric man. For ma
| ny years we have had almost no information
relative to the condition of man prior to th,
historic period, the precise bearing ofthe few
facts observed having been either overlook
ed or altogether misinterpreted. Latterly
however, thanks to the intelligent attention
paid to the remains brought to light from
| time to time, We are beginning to have some
idea of the condition of humanity at the
time when the mammoth, the mastoden, the
lion, the hyena, the tiger, and other animals,
roamed through the forests and over the
plains of Europe, and were hunted by the
| human races of the same period As.might
| be expected, the subject has received much
greater attention in Europe than America,
and the facts, with their deductions. are nat
| urally much more numerous ; indeed, GER
tain of the phases of European development
seem wanting here entirely. While Europe
has her stone, her bronze, and her iron ages,
all comparatively recent, We have, in Nol tn
| America at least, the first mentioned only
the discovery of the continent by white ra-
| ces having, in a measure, anticipated or
prevented the natural development into
| other periods. 1t is true that implements
| have been derived from the native metal on
Lake Superior, and not from smelling
The period in question, to which We re-
| fer, has sometimes been called the Reindeer
| Age, from the fact that, owing to the cold
| ness of the climate, the reindeer was at that
time an inhabitant of Middle Europe, with
the moose and other animals already named
The Reindeer" race of men hunted all
these animals, principally with stone weap-
ons or orimplements. The evidence of the co
existence of these races with the animals re-
ferred to is irresistible, the remains of the
two being found associated in perfectly
natural manner-the bones of the animals
broken, pierced by stone weapons, sometimes
still attached; split from one end to anoth-
er to extract the marrow, or cut in various
devices, evidently when fresh. The final
proof has, however, been given recently IN
the discovery in various parts of France, as
sociated with the remains of the pre-histo-
ric people, or pieces of bone ON which have
been carved with considerable artistic skill,
unmistakable representations of the animals
of the day, such as we now know they must
have been during life. The most interes-
ting of these carvings is figure represent
ing the European mammoth, kind of ele-
plant, which, from the evidence of carcass
found entire. embedded in the ice in Sibe-
ria, some years ago, differed externally from
the elephant of the present day in being
covered with reddish wool, interspersed
with long black hairs, and with long mape
on the neck. The tusks, too, were much
longer and very differently curved from
those of the modern elephant. The tail
was longer the ears much sma Her. All the
peculiarities of the fossil elephant are repre-
sented Enthusiastically IN the carved figure re-
ferred to. Subsequently to this period the
climate of Europe became unfit for the ex
istence of the musk OK and reindeer. These
animals retreated northward the former
disappearing entirely from the old world and
being now found living only in North Am
erica and the islands of the Greenland seas.
All these conditions and changes of climate
were probably closely connected with the gla-
cial period.
During the same period the mastodon and
elephant, the musk OK, the bison, ,and few
other ebscurely indicated animals, were
found throughout most of North America,
apparently fewer both in individuals and
species than in Europe. The hairy mann
moth just referred to extended across the
northern portion, its remains occurring abun-
dainty in Russian America. A second spe-
cies peculiar to America ranged over most
of what is now the United States. The
as several allied species Fer long time
we had but traditional indications of the CO.
existence of man and the mastodon In the
statement, without due veriGcation, that
bones had been found with stone arrows
sticking in them. The most important and
positive evidence of the co-existence of n an
and the elephant in America is, however,
furnished by certain facts observed In Petit
Anse Island, on the coast of Louisiana.
This locality during the late rebellion was
discovered to be underlaid, at an average
depth of fifteen or twenty teet by bed of
solid rock salt, nearly pure, which furnish
ed principal source of supply to the south
ern and southwestern states during that pc
riod
In working the mines, occasional traces OF
human existence were found in the superin-
cumbent strata of earth, as we'll as bones of
fossil elephants and in one case, after ia
king out some of the latter, at depth OF
about ten feet, they came, few feet lower
down, and but few feet above the salt, t,upon
mating woven from the cane, and preserved
from decay during the long period OF Its bu-
rial by the salt around it In the earth.
careful examination OF the sides OF the hole
thus dug, showed no previous disturbance
of the earth or anything to Indicate other
than natural superposition of the bones.
These specimens were, We believe, pre-
sented to the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, and are preserved. in its mu-
scum. Whatever differences be derivable,
the facts are, we understand, as just stated.
Catharine Reno died at Fort Wayne, In