The Shasta courier., 1869-02-20
From the st. Louis Republican, Jan. lS
IMPORTANT TO NATURALISTS.
Prehistoric Remains. Dating Back rs B.
c., found at st. Louis, Missouri.

1t is generally known in this country aud
in scientific circles in Europe, that the gigan-
tic undertaking of bridging the Mississippi
at this point has been already begun and
that for more than a year, when the state of
the river would permit, the sound of the
ponderous machinery has ceased not day nor
night, bat the work of excavation has been
going until the solid rock has been reach
ed for the foundation Of the piers upon the
western shore. One Of the piers is already
above low water mark-a triumph of me-
chan:cal skill The blocks Of stone Of which
it IS built are as huge as those Of the pyra.
mids. and yet, by the application of original
principles of mechanical and engineering
skill, these gigantic blocks are moved as
easily as the common foundation stones nf
our dwellings. The outer pier is not vet
begun, the excavation therefor not being
quite completed. \ this point the wonders
begin, the end of which is not vet What
effect the discovery Of this tubnel under the
river may have upon the location Of the
bridge the Board Of Engineers will soon de-
termne. About half past p. NJ Yesterday,
the workmen engaged in lastins the rocks
in the bottom of the excavation for the foun-
datiom Of this pier discharged an extraorii
nary large blast OF powder, when, immed-
;ltely after the report IA strange phenomenon
presented itself. Instead of having the usual
time for the smoke to clear away they saw it
ascend rapidly ia IA cpiumn, as though is>u
ing from the smokestack of one of our steam
ers. This soon cleared. and it was found
that steady amount of air with a strange
damp odur was issuing from the cavernous
excavation, showing that an opening had
been made into some unknown subserranean
passage. Upon descending to the bottom the
usual mud and water had disappeared through
Il da.k, deep opening in The rock about ten
feet in diameter, made by the last discharge
of powder. Ropes. ladders and torches were
Immediately procured and careful explor.-
tions begun. We cannot now enter into
detailed description hut having been invi ed
t. accompany the Board Of Engineers with
delegation from the Academy of Sciences and
Historical Society. we must reserve full
exposition Of the wonderful discovery until
we shall have made more careful survey.
Suffice it for the present to say 1T is certain
that II passes entirely under the river to the
Illinois shore. and whether it is wholly the
wo K of some ancient race who once inhabited
this land whose interesting remains are
strnwn thickly up and down this great
valley, or waether IL Is partly natural and
par,y artificial, remains to be seen. In any
case it is none the less stupeIduus. The
main passage we should Judge to be about
twenty feet high by fifteen broad. and sys-
tematically arched overhead; part Of the way
by eatting through solid rock and part by
substantial masonry. The bottom seemed td
be much worn. as if by carriage wheels oi
some sort. There are many lateral pas
sages. which, OF course, we had no time te
.,If atf,bf faati ii
six feet wide In the main passage we saw
no tools or implements of workmanship, but
on entering one of the lateral passages we
soon emerged into larger chamber supported
by leaning pillars Of solid rock when the
chamber was excavated Around the walls
of this chamber there were what eeaed to be
inches closed with closely fitting slabs. each
slab covered with Inscriptions in Runic uni
form characters which to our eyes bore a
marvellous resemblance to those apon the
slab in the Mercantile Library, which was
brought from the ruins of Nineveh. Between
the inches were projecting pilasters, with
draped Assyrian or Egyptian heads, which
presented a most impressive and awe inspir-
ing effect as they were illuminated by the
torchlight. Those sweet, sad faces looked
down upon us from the ancient ages, like the
souls of the departed One Of the passages
opening on the north side seemed to follow
the course of the river, and it is believed ex-
tends to the great mound now being removed
by the North Missouri Railroad, which was
the theme of much interesting remark at the
last meeting of the Historical Society. To
those who have not seen the mounds around
St. Louis, it may be necessary to say that the
mound known as the Big Mound Is about one
mile above the great bridge now being built.
The mound known as Monks mound Is on
the other side of the river, and is but one OF
a continuous chain of mounds extending
from the river to the bluffs IA distance OF nine
miles. 1t is conjectured that the tunnel
under the river and the mounds are intimate
lv connected, and that there was in ancient
times an opening through the mounds from
this subterranean highway. Ofcourse e'e cry
scientific man is in perfect fever OF excite
ment at these grand discoveries, which seem
so full of promise to archaeological and ethno-
logical inquiries after truth. 1t will be re
membered by our citizens that some few
months since an examination OF Monk S
Mound was made under the auspices of some
Eastern scientific society, and during the
excavations there were frequent exhalations
of disagreeable gases and odors. Yet we
will not speculate, but wait in almost breath
less suspense for future developments. As
we returned from cur hasty examination,
passing through its pilastered hall above de-
scribed, we observed descending opening
about seven feet high by three feet wide
Followino this in its windings about fifty