St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-10-09

thorough exploration. Work WAS at
once begun under the direction of Prof.
( PengellH. one of the committee and its
official reporter. who resides at Tor
quay and all the Investigations of the
committee were carried on in virgin
ground. no traces of former researches
having been met with. There are
separate galleries or chambers to the
cavern, varying III size and height and
/ in general features. but all answering
more or less to Il common description
given in one of Pengcllcy'S reports. The
following" Is the succession of deposits
i'll descending order:
LIST. Huge blocks of limestone fallen
from the roof.
2d. \ layer of mould almost black.
/ from Il few inches to Il foot thick.
I'd. \ cake of >talagnitic brcccia
with limestone ccmcntcd with carbonate
Of lime. requiring Hastings more or less
than Il foot thick.
18th. The hrcccia is succeeded by the
reddish cavc-loam.
One branch of the cavern is divided
mt" three stories or flats that below
the "ti""r. occupied with cave earth
/ that hrtwcru the floor" and '.cciling."
entirely unoccupicd and that above
| the "criling, also without deposit of
any kind.
The neither surface of the ceiling" is
at Il stainless cream color, and SENDS
down Il pIniI>ioII of small >talactiir>.
he origin of this una>> was pullling
the question being how WAS it turmd :
for. "m l"Iln" through il. il WAS found
I" Ice exclusively >tala"mitr through
ont. After Il careful study of the east.
tine >up"rinlrmd"nt> in, line To- the
opinion that the ceiling" WAS formed
H. Il Il"nI "n Il deposit ct line earth
which "urr filled the gallery t" the
m""'>>a'l height thai this drp">it.
either hN >uh~idrncr ~ 10y being washed
out. Wis completely detached from the
ti""r which OVERLAP il and that sub
>'quchtl, Il >"c"Id and lower floor Ma>
formed III he gallery. In each branch
al the cavern Yet explored. homes of
>aIi"u~ animals and pieces of cLlrlrd
wood have been found in the >tail.nitr
Some of rhc>,. bones we've of extinct
animals. such a. the teeth of LHrcnu
>Ici"r". rhin"or"S hch"rh;nn>. and a
specie OF bear. probably "r>n> >j,i",U>
Il fact al great interest I" the .r"ln
"I>t. Different species nt animals aIc
found at The NLri"u> wells aud in the
several deposits which mark different
rl'""h~. thus show ing that the cavern
itself has hrru uudrr""in" changes fnr
untold ayes. ~ regards the industrial
implements. the rcl,"ir> state that the.
lower levels have Yielded fewer than
III" upper. Vet that those. found IN the
thlid and fourth levels aIr the. most
lI"hlN Wrought implements. and ais"
that lh"~'. il lh, fourth "I Lowest zone
are the most rIahurirrh finished tools
of the cavern series.
Nh. PrnG.llN in his report "t l-,1
,iN>: lit j. not impr"hai'lc thar >nIf:r
feeling "t disappointment may resi- in Il
few minds. and n">>ihlN >"mcrhim" hiu
/" I,i"iriu% may find place in "rl,r>. at
the tact that the labor " hich ha~ been
r\In.n'l,d on this rINcin from the time
al M"i.nrlN t" the present moment. has
failed To detect below the, floor of
>tala%mltc any portion "t the human
>krlrtnn. But he claimed that there
had already accumulated Il sufficient
amount of ''nc,Jutir, ..N i,l,n,,. to r,.\o lu-
tl"mlNr the opinion "t the scientific
world "u the question nt human an
tiTuItl. These ~ licences consisted at
tilnt tools in">cIlatim" with the I,mIiu>
at extinct mammals in the cave cITtl;
below Il continuous floor of Stala.mitc.
In his thild report he WAS able to ad-
Vance another step and ..Ircnid the
discovery "t h"ur tools, about the char
a"trr "t which there can he no differ
cncc of opinion. which have the mineral
condition characteristic of bones found
III the deposit they occupied. which
occurred with the remains of extinct
mammals III soil induhitahl, intact. one
"i them At the greatest depth +" which
the rNc.rN alton has been carried. and all
OF them beneath Il thick unbrnkcm floor
of >taIa%mtc. which has itself Welded
remains ~ At least three ot the extinct
ter lahor~ :" prntractcd. are calculated
t" warn us not I" place implicit con
lidrmcr III merely negative evidence
I" encourage the hope that bones of
man may yet he rNhumrd. though
probably i'll >paring numbers only and.
should This hope b, never realized. To
justify even til" most cautious in hold
ing and IvowiI = the belief that man
WIS. i'll DcvnmSlIirr. the contemporary
of animals that had hccumr extinct he
fore the times of history or of tr;di-
ton. There Is abundant proof tina,
krnt'S cavern WAS Il place of resort in
Romano British times say 2OpO Years
ago III the numerous and varied objects
of that age. found in the black mould
overly ing the stalagmite such us pot
terry. bronze implements. remnants of
fires. and relics of f;aSt>: and the
curious of subsequent centuries have
ais" t'rcqurntcd it more or less: but