Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-03-04
gnterestins 4 snstruftire fafts.
Relies OF a Shelter Cave Near EIyria Lor.
ain County. 'fa-t
BY COL. cHAs. wH1TrLEsEY.

Ii the spring Vi 1901, Prof. BralnefQ,
of Cleveland, DR.. Z. w. Hubbard. of
Shelter Caverns in the gorge of Black
River below the falls at Elyria. There
areseveral rock shelters in this romantic
dell into which the two branches of the
river plunges, over shelf of sand rock
known as "Grindstone Grit.v We pro-
ceeded, with picks and shovels, along
the west bluff, past the old furnace, and
Following narrow path, ,overhung by
rocks and trees; selected for opperation
an open greto facing to the north. These
sheltered places are formed by the de-
composition ofthe soft red and blue shale
below the grit. This process being much
more rapid in the shales than in the grit
the heavy layers of the latter project
beyond the base until theirweight causes
them to fall, in huge masses, toward the
gorge. - -
Originally the fall in the river was not
far from mile below, at the north end
OF the present gulf, were the united
edge of the formation from hight of so
to so feet. When the wearing action
Of the waters and the elements had exs
cavated q deep chanel seuthward to the
forks, each branch took up the work fer
itself, causing two falls, each of them
less in hight than the old. Since that
period the east branch has feceeded
much more rapidly than the western.--
The base of fthesandstoneis at the forks,
about 100 feet above Lake Erie. We
commenced digging in the floor Of
shelter opposite the whirlpool, where
the projecting sand rock has protected
from the weather space of about fifteen
feet wide and forty feetlong. Thespaee
had been long used, among either similar
retreats alongside Of the stream, by the
citizens of the place for pic-nies- = Be.
low were large blocks of stone which
other about thirty feet down to the wa
ter level, protecting the shale from the
wash of the current in time of floods
At a few inches depth the rich soil on
the floor of the cave changed to a mass,
Of decayed bones, representing the ami.
mails, reptiles. and fishes of the regien,
with charcoal and ashes. F.i- h@f9s
We continued to dig through this ma
terial FOUR FEET, when some loose stone
were found, evidently once a part of
the roof. Among the bones of the bear
deer, raccoon, elk, squirrel, beaver, wood
chuck and wolf, were those of the rattle
snake, several varieties of fishes and
birds, and also flint arrow heads. Be
meath the fallen stones were found parts
of THREE HUMAN SKELETONS, two of.
the skulls nearly entire. These were
pronounced by craniologists to belong
to the race Of red men, one of them be-
ing the skull of an elderly woman and
the other of young man. The most
perfect one, that of the young man, was
preserved by Prof. Brainerd, and after
wards destroyed by mob in Cleveland,
which attacted and scattered the muse
um of the Homeopathic College. The,
skeletons were lying at full length, side
by side, the feet pointing outward, az
though the oyerhanging rocks had fall
len upon them while they were asleep.
All the relics appeared to be those of
the aborigines, which the whites, found
residing in this country. In travelling
in their canoes along the shores of the
lake and up the rivers, in search offood
which constitutes the principal oocupa-
ton Of the srace, they were obliged to,
make portage around the falls. AT
the foot of the fall in certain seasons
suckers are arrested in their spring ,nli-
grations at the first perpendicular fall
of the streams. After suffering the.
cravings of hunger during the winter
the Indian revels a few weeks sonfshs
and full stomach. BY sheitering him
self underline projections of the rocks,
he had his fishing pround under his eve
directly below. His habitatioa. which
was Kitchen. bedroom. and parIor in one
was the shelter cave adjacent. We .es--
timated the age of the accumulations to
be from ,5O0to 2,000 years. The same
relics woslq no doubt be found in the
other grottoes of this romantic gorge
Prior to this people there had existed
- L -
of whom lhe Indians have no certain
traditions and who must haye.Iekt the
region before the Aborigines arrived
T6e mound builders must have occupi-
ad Ohio 800 or 1000. wears, carving
heir era haek to the time of Moses and
he Judpes There is also some evidence
If a neo1le, .inhabiting Ohio before;tA
nonnd builders.
----<--
supposed Traces OF nan I'm tae rsie -s''
M 80. rsor1 s;,
Inc buliaio OoulIel n.ss ttaH oS1tt
Ihere are now on eXlI!pleior o S.: sm
rooins Oh the oocfeey 81 n . Na.uia. nIII s5e.J
N m TINS CITY, TWO OF tne mos. re,na ~
llscoVerleS recoIHeu ~ ;ne ;,r.;rt as ~ q
science. One Is the iossii I'M pliut 0t LIZ tIS
DOT OF man, or ratner tne cssst oi sum
IN imprint. IL was oiscofefeo
workman, In eoinefy1lt western
'ylyanla, IN the shaie oveliylng h a;na "
'osi anu uhueriyinS wv o. o.as..an
Thleh were WoIheu oy .le oo
me Spot ~hsre II Nv, was ntS lounS was sd ae ean
mile from tne plIs mossn, srfoaW ,s,,S so
mree nuHu,e1 iset :! 'ns r,hos,'s@S =.
me rock IN wnicn ~ was sin.oSeSea .S
ongs 10 the paieoIoic aee, anu 7, 'uS LII
'flnt, ii sucn IL WAS maus milons
y years oelore ene piesens rs as' % 81 faft
Is -tne. .e.Asse.a .ne te
oot OF nisn oi o5uinarS al 80 49, 49,
perIectiy uennsu. my ioos va mas
proteeieu py ssnual s1 ot mo-
asia; tne neel, ene ; a.cn, r anu snv ua,a 49, y,