The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-03-29
astonishing Discoveries Of an Ex.
tlnoJ Race in New Mexico.

ince the result o. Governor Army =
explorations in New Mexico was made
public, there has been NO discovery of
more interest tD the American archie
| oiogist than the Que alleged to have
been made recently in Iowa, on the
line OF The projected Dubuque and
| Minnesota railroad. The workmen,
| while engaged i'll excavaiiny for the
roai. i'll the FINEST he at th'. foot of q
bluff, are said 10 have come upon Il
fiat stone covered with strange char
/ acters. This Icing removed. opened
the way into passa ye about four tret
wide and six feet high, directly into
the heart of the bluff AT the dis
lance of about fifty feet from the en-
trance another stone similar to the
first, had to be removed, when large
chamber revealed its, ,lf, cut out of the
solid rock, about twenty-five feet
square and twenty feet high. The
floor was hard aud smooth, whil,. the
walls and roof were carved in a sort
of rude basoreisvo, with figures of
birds, trees, stars. scrpents, and char
lois. The south wall was adorned
"with a representation OF the sun,
and Immediately below this the f 6gure
of Il man in the act of stepping out of
boat, and holding in his hand a dove.
| So tar the revelations were not very
different from many previous ones
in similar caves aud rock chambers
throughout our western country. But
the most curious pirt of the discovery
was yet to come, ald one trat would
go TAR to, support the theory of many
sav1nta with Esgard to the physical de-
generation o. the race. A fiat slab in
the floor, of the cavern being raised,
revealed below vault filled with skel-
etons of unusual size, the largest be-
ing seven feet eight inches high by act
ual measurment. BY the side OF each
skeleton was set small vase filled
with yellow earth, beneath which were
found animal bone. and particles of
animal matter. The skeletons were
pl .ced in Il semi circle toward the
south vest. Who this lost and un-
known race of giants can have been
we leave 1t to our antiquaries to con-
lecture. Perhaps they were '.ranch
of that mysterious and cultivated pen
pie whom the Aztecs are said to have
swept away and Destroy d in their
great hegira to the plains OF Mexico.
Or they may have heen related to the
great stock of Matches, which once
held sway all alon. the Mississippi -
The fgur-d sun on the walls Of the
rock chamber would indicate that they
worship that lu ninary, and the repre-
santation of the man with the dove,
stepping out of boat, may be an al
lusion to that IT,. r.ldition OF the deiuge
which, in one form or another, all of
our aboriginal peoples have been found
to hold. But to whatever family this
forgotten rac- may have he onged, 1t
Is certain they had attained higher
degree of civilization than was reached
by these who came after them. In
the fingers of the largest skeleton WAS
clasped pearl ornament, and traces
OF cloth were found crumbled at the
feet OF the remains. What is still
more important and curious. many
cope. Implements " re found, thus
seeming to show that the Lake Supe-
rior mines had been worked at a very
early period. If the accounts we
have received Of this remarkable Ca. e
are strictly true, Investigation may
derive from it important additions to
our stock OF knowledge regarding the
primitive races of this continent, and
we are glad to know that the re-
mains are to be removed to the In
stitute of Ar and Science at Du
buque.-N Y Times