The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-04-14
INTERESTING DISCOVERY.
Relics OF an Ancient City in New
Madrid County, Missouri.
ISt. Louis Republican, ]

Captain Whitley has just returned
from New Madrid county with over 100
more specimens of pottery and relics of
the pre- historic residents of Missouri.
which will be classified and added to the
Centennial collection. Captain White
ly and the party who accompanied him
have traced the remains of former ex-
iensive city, which shows the evidence
OF having been densely populated. The
CITY was surrounded by ratification
the embankments with covered ways
connecting the outworks of which have
been traced for several miles. The re-
mains of mounds serving either for out
looks TO watch an enemy, in which are
found skeletons, associated with drink
ing vessels, are also found distributed
about the area of this ancient encamp
ment. The indubitable traces of the
dwellings, streets and avenues, were also
traced over large portions of the grounds.
the proper survey of which would doubt
less tend to throw new light on the ORR
gin of these people. The houses were
quite small, from eight to twelve feet in
diameter and located about ten feet apart.
They existed in regular rows, with streets
and avenues running through the CITY at
iRht angles and at proper distances apart.
The foundations of the dwellings If not
the entire structure, were made of kind
of adobe brick, of a red color like mod.
ern brick, ofcoarser material The brick,
specimens Of which were brought up
here by Captain Whitley, have trans
verse holes passing through. supposed by
some 10 act as ventilators 20 the dwell
lings, as the bricks being laid fatwise in
the wall, the sides of the wall wonld he
thereby pierced with a multitude Of
holes for the admission or the outside
air.
Another and more probable theory is,
| that the bricks in n mealleable state
were pierced with round sticks for the
more readily handling and burning, and
the sticks having burned out. leave the
impression of their form, in the shape
of hole. The sites of these ancient
habitations are plainly observed by a
sunken depression of several feet in the
ground, leaving evidence like that seen
frequently met with in the country in
modern times. At first sight of these
habitatiens, the observer might be led to
believe that these ancient people lived
in cellars and bnilt their houses under
ground, but this impression will vanish
on rejecting that the accumulated de-
bris of ages has entombed these dwell
lings beneath the surface. Besides, on
one side of the ancient city, there is still
a lake or marsh, which at some remote
period may have overhowed its banks,
submergrng portions of the site of the
ancient city long after its extinction,
and added its deposits TO the accumula-
ted debris. The site of the city is now
covered with trees, mostly oak, of an
ancient growth, showing that thousands
of years have relied round before the
handy work of these early Missourians
was exhnmed for exhibition at the Gen.
tennial. The pottery brought mp here
this time by the indefatiGable antigua
rian, some of which was taken out on
Saturday last, consists largely of drink
ing cups, culinary utensils, and bottles
of gourd shape. There are also rude
trowels and tools used for fashioning
and ornamenting the pottery, and whet-
stones for sharpening the stones axes and
other instruments in use But the fan
tastic character of the ornamentation OF
the vessels is what strikes every one
with surprise. These are very accurate
figures of fish, frogs, hedgehoRs and
such animals as existed at the time; be-
sides, among the feathered tribes are the
duck, goose, owl, hawk, and probably
the rooster from his comb.
There are miniature busts of male
heads carved out of clay, representing a
type of face mere resembling the ancient
Aztec race than the modern American
Indian, but further and more careful
inquiry is necessary befo-e coming to
any conclusion on this point, which
shonld tend to settle the origin Of these
early builders and taxpayers Of the
State.