New-York tribune., 1874-11-04
TIE MOUND-BUILDERS OF OHIO.

THE MOST EXTENSIVE OF THEIR WORKS AT NEWARK
THEIR APPEARANCE AND CONFORMATION -
sPECULATIONs AS TO THEIR AGE-WERE THEY
THE WORK OF INDIANsf
iFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEJ
NEWARK, Ohio, Oct. 30.-The first settlers
of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys found various orms
Of earthworks in the sotudes OF the wilderness over
grown with dense forests 1t is said that Ohio alone has
ten thousand OF IN the form OF mounds OF various
sizes and fifteen hundred Enclosures are scattered
the state. Tley found in Illinois. Wis
cOnsn and other Western States and IN the Gu States
yarvlng in size Some are small hillocks two three
feet high while others almost pyramda magni-
tude like the mound at Cdhokia Ill, which mas pase
of more than acres, summit of nearly five acres IN
area and hight 90 feet One of the most elaborate
of all these works is located at Newark, OlO. It's
labyrnthine structure, containing Is miles OF
embankment and after years OF investigation arch@oo-
glsts do than surmse as to what Its uses
were Clearly IL cannot have been bnlt for military
purposes, for the Enclosures OF which 1t princl-
paly consists have the bitches on the inside OF
the embankment while the outside presents
no visible obstacle to invading army. one
of the largest of these inclo ures. and the best
preserved is known as the "Od Fort" ana stands
and half miles southwest of the city OF Newark
1t consists of a circular embankment OF more than
mile iu circumference entirely unboken except on the
side toward the city, where mammoth gateway, loo
side of this passage the ends Of the embanRment project
little from the center OF the inclOsure and rise 20
hight Of Is feet while the general hight is about 49,
Upon this embankment and within the ditch on the In
sde the trees large those upon the uudsurDcd
portions of the ground around and within the FORT The
citizen still lives in Newark who cut an oak tree upon
this bank sixtytwo years ago which numbered oyer65O
rings of annual growth. From this mammoth gateway
two parallel walls of EARTH few rods apart lead to
rectangular iDcOsure half mile to the northeast.
which has area Of about 20 acres; beyond which,
the city, still other works, traces of which
are somewhat obiteratei. From this network near the
city of parallel walls run west more than two
miles another Enclosure in the form OF an Ocagon.
containing about 80 acres, to the southwest OF which,
and almost joining it, is another circle about equal in
size 10 the old fort" Both OF these are situated on
range hills. The plowshare has performed its work
OF demolition to some extent upon the walls of these
latter Enclosures with the exception of one point Iii the
circular embaukment This consists of earth and stone
somewhat rreguarly built the hight of 2j feet, and
the extreme southwest of the whole system
Of works il is Thought by that this was the watch
tower or signal station on the west.
When. by whom. and for what purpose these man.
moth works built, puzzles winch have always
baed the skill of archeoOgts 1t Is evident that they
built long ages ago. for where the timber has not
been removed by civilized man, in the OF the
"old fort" dense forests covered the works. which
must have required a thousand years to grow where
they now stand. 1t altogether unreasonable to
suppose that generation after generation OF forests has
grown and decayed upon this soil since IL was buiit by
the dusky savages into the form now find 1t. Also
other things prove the antiquity OF these works.
The Indian had no knowledge or tradition concerning
their erection. SKULLS found at the bottom OF some OF
these mounds differ igreay from those of the Indian
Also species Of hemp cloth has been found in Of
them, thing unknown TO the Indian. From these and
many other facts may reasonably conclude that they
erected by OF people anterior to the Indian
whom by common consent we call the Mound Build
For what purpose these works constructed has
been satisfactorily settled. Some have the appear
ance military structures Others look though they
built for purposes of observation while still others
been designed for religious or burial pur
poses. Some mounds have the form OF birds. serpens,
alhgatOrs, other animals The old fort" at Newark
has mound in the several feet high and about
feet long, built in the shape OF eagle with spread
mound carred wood an ashes were Uncovered WHAT
this indicates it is difficult to tell Perhaps the priest
Of some mighty nation once offered sacrifice upon TINS
mound III the presence or the asseinUlPd tnOu-
sands Or it may have been here that the
concluding ceremony OF some national game was per
formed. Notwithstanding the manner OF constructing
the works their appearance s decidedly military 1t
takes but little imagination TO NIL that vast arena Win
dusky saydg3s, TO believe that the wall was once
thrOnged with dark Perhaps that mighty gate
witnessed the maj struggle or an extinct race.
One Of best historians the American Indian,
when first known the whites, destitute OF oil
knowledge OF the arts and sciences" 1t certainly
barbarc skill that could out those perfect cir
survey rectangles and Octagous, less
OF thousands OF abOrers that must have
IL IS all mystery One can only wonder that such
mighty people should so completely pass away as to
Of their history but these piles Of earth
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