Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-09-01

A BONE CAVE IN PENNSYLVANIA
new source of attraction to the Thousands
oil summer excursiOnists who visit the
Delaware Water Gap and the country
about this place is the cave now known
as the Crystal Hill Cave" but which will
soon be designated by another name. The
existence of the cave has been known for
some time, but only recently has the at
tention of excursionists, and particularly
of scientists, been directed to it. It is sit.
uated on the limestone ridge which sep
arates the valley of the Pocono from
Cherry Valley, in Strouds township, on
the south side of the ridge, three miles
west of this place and five miles from the
Water Gap. The ridge on which it is To-
Gated begins on the Delaware River and
runs west for twenty-five miles, embrac-
ing such eminences as Shawnee Hill,"
"Fox HILL" Crystal Hill," and others.
The cave is elevated about eight hundred
feet above the river level, at what is
known as Mosier's Knob, and from it
most picturesque view can be obtained.
Late,y Mr.. 7 Duncan Paret, President of
, the Tannlte Company of this place, has
become interested In the cave and has had
several men employed for some time in
excavatlng it, and some very interesting
discoveries have been made. A few days
; ago DR.. Leidy, of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, and DR.. T. @.
Porter, OF La Fayette College, Easton, ar
rived here and made researches in the
| cave, 80 far as it has been explored. The
entrance was at first almost completely
, hidden by deposits Of clay and animal and
vegetable matter, but now it has been
opened 80 that the mouth Is about sixteen
feet square.
The bottom of the cavern was found to
be covered with thick deposit of clay,
on the top Of which was a deposit, vary
| ing in depth, of q dark substance, and on
I; this is an incrustation of lime which has
: fallen from the roof of the cave. 1t is
! the deposit of rich, dark material that
:, particularly interests the scientists, and
F.; to this DR.. Leidy and DR.. Porter gave
-, their attention. They fund many indi-
cations of the presence In the cave at Que
time or another of many animals, some
of which were doubtless brought there
by animals Of prey and others that used it
-, for the lens. Among the bones of animals
found were the jawbones of the raccoon,
skunk, weasel, beaver, squirrel, porcu-
pine, woodchuck, fox, wildcat, elk, deer
and bison; the shells Of two or more
turtles, the bones OF wild turkey and the
vertebr@ of snakes in large quantities.
! OtneE DOucS Will uOuDIltSS reveal the
presence of other animals. The most in
teresting specimens found, however, were
the head and teeth of gigantic beaver
! (Castor0ades Ohloensts) and q large pee
| cary (DScotytus c0mpressus), neither Of
which have ever been found before in
! Pennsylvania. Beside these were found
bones which had been burned and split
evidently the work of the aborigines, who
! sought the marrow in the bones
Indian relics were also found, among
them being polished bone needles and
bodkins, sea shells and fragments of
| quartz, which had been used as ornaments.
| A flint spear head was picked up far back
in the cave. imbeded in the clay. How it
came there is mystery, unless some t.
dian, entering the cave and finding wild
beast there, attacked it, and this spear,
hurled at the animal, missing it aim, sped
far back into the recesses and there re-
NAMED until found by the scientists. No
other traces of any kind which would in.