Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-09-06
INTERESTING ABORIGINAL RE-
LICS DISCOTERED.
An Indian Soap stone Quarry on
Rock Creek.

1HuIah soap stone quarry ON
Rock Creek.
An article published in the STAR of June 1st,
1875 on the rediScovery of an Indian soap
stone quarry in Virginia, was widely copied at
the time and has been the means Of bringing
to light similar quarry at our very doors. A
year or two since, DR.. Elmer r. Reynolds, of
the pension office, while wandering along one
of the branches of Rock Creek short distance
from the boundary of the city, found portions
OF several unfinished aboriginal sOapstone
pots. These he cached, and was prevented by
business from paying further attention to the
matter until the appearance of the STAR art
Gle. to which reference has been made,
giving an account of excavations at the Vir
ginia quarry by Mr.. Frank II. Cushing, cura
tor OF the chronological department of the
national museum. After reading this, DR..
RevnOld communicated his discovery by letter
to Prof. Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian
Gushing then at Chulu engaged IN completing
his explorations OF the quarry there, with the
suggestion tn t it would be well after his re-
turn to the city to hunt up DIR. Reynolds and
visit the place he had found in order to report
its scientific bearing. When Mr.. Gushing had
finished his extensive excavations in Virginia
and modelled and photographed them, he re-
turned to the city, little more than week
since, after an absence of nearly three
months. Hunting up DIR. Reynolds a day or
two ago, he accompanied this enthusiastic
amateur arch3olOgist to the place of which he
had given information.
IMPORTANCE OF THE DISCOVERY
Imagine Mr.. CuShing'S surprise on recog
nizing it at glance as one of the most exten-
| sive sources of aboriginal supply OF soapstone
for making vessels in this country, second
on only, ~, SO aI far as he knew to the one from which
| We're the remains of aboriginal art all over the
hill in which the bed of this useful material
occurs, that within an hour the visitors had
discovered portions of more than hundred
unfinished vessels, many of which were near.
ly complete and of very ,are scientific value.
| INDIAN sOAPsTONE VESSELS.
OF these, some had only, the ca oacity of
| pint, with perfectly formed cavities, and large
handy projections at either end TO serve as
| ears Others again, were nearly two feet in
diameter, rude. massive. and entirely too pom
derous to admit of being readily brought
| away. Some few were well finished exterior
| ly and furnished with fat bottoms. that they
might be the more readily placed on the fire,
without risk of upsetting. Others were very
| rude, shallow and broad, and evidently de-
signed for use as baking plates.
Along the brow of the hill occur seven hOl-
| lows, all so choked up with the accumulated
| vegetable mould OF centuries as to be now.
except to the trained eye, almost undiscover-
| able. These mark
THE SITE OF ANCIENT oUARRYINGs.
one among them, evidently the last aban-
doned, is quite distinct, the heap of earth
throw. thrown up at the time it was made being still
soapstone was picked up, showing five or six
| hacks made by some prospecting Indian with
| his stone axe or tOmahaWk, to test its strength
| or degree OF hardness.
ANOTHER VISIT.
The explorers returned home we'll satisfied
with the results OF their labors, and on the fol-
lowing morning MIR. Gushing, accompanied by
Mr.. VIM: J: Rhees. chief clerk of the institu-
| tion, and his daughter, MeSsrs Mace and Her
bert; Charles WOltz. an emplOye of the insti-
tuition, and colOred assistant, revisited the
| number of choice ANTIQUARIAN treasures were
| soon gathered and transported to the convey
| ance in waiting.
WHAT MISS RHEEs DISCOVERED
Among the discoveries were two of especial
| interest to be credited to Miss Rhees. One a
small oval BOWL provided with handles at
| aboriginal manufacturer when mis-cp rem
| dered it useless and it had been thrown on
| that account aside. The other, an exact coun-
| terpart of the one just described, in exterior
| showed the merest beginning of following out
| In the form of Slight groove running around
| its upper edge and defining what would have
| Deen the thickness OF its rim had it ever been
| completed.
MANY OTHER INTERESTING TYPES
were discovered, such as rude quartz picks
| ent1lely like those of Virginia, and digging
| points OF steatiie probably used in excavaling
| earth.
EXPLORERS OUT TO-DAY
.,Is early this morning party of scientific gen
archaeological department of the Smithsonian
| Institution; Prof. o. T. Mason of Columbian
| University, an enthusiast in ethnology; DR..
| yuOiuS Iuc ulSCONtTor; ana DrS. Toner ana
| Bonner went with Mr.. Cushing to pay visit to
| the quarry. Aided in prosecuting the work
| by the liberality of the Smithsonian Institu.
tiOn, it is the intention of Mr.. Cushing to com.
| mence excavations at once, which will still
| further reveal the interest and scientific i'm
| portance OF this ancient Indian work. which,
| lying within stones throw of the national
capital, has for nearly century failed to
| obtain either from the curious or the learned
the attention which it has deserved.
PRACTICAL VALUE.
The TACT that SOapStOne may be found in the
| locality where the quarry has been discovered
has not been unknown to WaShingtOniauS
| and In the history of the city SOapStOne has
| been obtained from places along Rock Creek
| Tor use as backs of CRATES and for similar pur-
| poses for many years, but it has remained for
the present time to make known the true char
acter and extent OF the quarry and the archie
| illogical interest attaching to it. Another
source OF the strong, coarse grained Steatite of
| which the Indians made their pots and other
| vessels is thus discovered, and with the ex-
ceptlOn OF the Virginia quarry, is the only one
known in this region. The rarity of such
| deposits gives the stone considerable COM
| mercfal value, as excellent material for lining
stoves, furnaces and ranges. or for use as
| bridges to smelling works. The discovery of
| this aboriginal quarry with its rich anti
| quarlan treasures, and also recently of several
| others in Alabama and Tennessee is mainly
| due to the impetus given to investigation in
| this direction by the rediscOvery of the Vir-
| ginia quarry, the subsequent excavations by
Mr.. Gushing, and the de-spread publications
| concerning them.