Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-04-29
Popular Science Nores-W onderful
Archaeological Discoveries.


Lech, in the grand duchy of Nassau,
a singular occurrence is reported to
haye taken place. A bolt of light
ming was seen to descend into fish
pond stocked with several species.
The next morning, all the fish were
found dead floating on the top of
the water. Upon examination no
wounds or breaks could be found,
but their appearance was like that
of boiled flsh and their meat fell to
pieces when handled, just as if it
were cooked.
1t is estimated that the total loss
in the parks. avenues and nurseries
of Paris, sustained by the severe
frosts and cold weather of the past
winter, in the killing of evergreens,
shrubbery and plants, will reach fa'ly
a million francs.
1t is said that the white perch Of
the Ohio river will often follow a
boat for a considerable distance, all
the time making peculiar humming
noise like that of telegraph wire in
the wind. The fish has been
heard 10 make the same sound while
imprisoned in a fish box to keep it
alive.
The fastest run on record was
made recently by locomotive on
the Pennsylvania railroad. The en-
CINE was ordered to the scene of an
accident, and ran 60 miles in As
minutes and seconds This is at
the rate of trifie less than 80 miles
an hour.
The Croton Water Service Of New
York city has an extent of distribut-
ing pipes over $50 miles in length.
Tho aqueduct supplies 95,Ooo,ooo
gallons day, over a half million
of which is consumed by the efevat,
ed railroads daily.
In order to become Parliament.
airy candidate, Prof. Story Maskelyne
has resigned the keepership OF the
Neurological Department of the
British Museum.
Petroleum has been discovered in
large quantities in the vicinity of La
Ainsley, Cape Breton, and also in
the State of Alabama.
From lengthy article in an ex-
change we condense a few particu-
lars regarding some wonderful Arch
aelogical discoveries recently made
in Adams county, Ohio, which will
doubtless be read with interest by
our readers. Quite large cave has
been known to exist near Manches
ter, in that county, for many years,
and has been explored time and
again by different parties and used
as a resort for picnickers. In the
corner of one of the largest chambers
of cave there is disclosed yawniug
we'll with a mouth ten feet in diam
eter and OF unknown depth. Apply
ing your ear to the edge of the we'll,
you can hear the hollow roaring of
stream of water hundreds of feet
below. This chamber is five hun
dred yards from the mouth of the
cave which opens out at the bottom
OF high hill. Recently, a party of
gentlemen visited the cave, provided
with plentiful supply of lanterns,
ropes and tools for the purpose of ex.
ploring the mysterious well. The
following were the gentlemen COM
posing the party, all Of whom are
said to be men of integrity and un.
impeschable character Messrs. M.
r. Battingham and Andrew Long,
leading Manchester merchants; Mr..
Ernst L. Kirker, one of the editors
of the Manchester Independent; s.
Newton Griffith, esq, of the Adams
county bar; Samuel Grooms, the
owner of the cave, and correspond.
ent of the Cincinnati Commercial. A
rope ladder 100 feet in length was
suspended in the well, the top being
securely fastened. Mr.. Kirker de.
scended first. When about fifty
feet down he called out to the party
above to come down which they did.
The entrance of a narrow gallery
was found leading out from the we'll
growing larger until finally, a con.
siderable distance from the entrance,
capacious chamber was discovered.
The chamber is described as being
225 feet long, ITO feet wide, and "a
feet high. The roof, floor aud walls
of the chamber is smoothly finished.
In the center of this chamber is a
sarcophagus and mausoleum com.
bined. The mausoleum measures al
its base ffty-fve by thirty-fve feet.
1t is OF simple though wonderful de.
sign, and carved out of solid rock.
It's base is paneled on all sides, those
panels containing basreliefs which
are supposed to illustrate the four
seasons of mans childhood,
youth, manhood and old age. AT
the ends of the base-reliefs are tab.
| let's full Of written characters, re.
sembling the Hebraic, presumed to
be memorials of the person or per.
sons in whose honor the mausoleum
is erected. The carving on the base
reliefs is of the most delicate descrip.
ton, and fully equal to the Grecian
school of sculpture. In the center OF
the mausoleum rises a couch, two
feet, FIVE inches in height, twelve
feet in length, and FIVE feet in width.
On the couch is extended the figure
of a man, measuring nine feet, four
inches in length. The figure is par.
TALLY nude, mantle or scarf cross.
ing the breast aud falling over the
loins in graceful folds. The face is
strong and robust in outline, and the
contour of the features is decidedly
lsraelitish. At each corner of the
room rises q carved pyramid column,
surrounded by caps that are an
mistakably Doric. On each side OF
the room are ten tombs. The door
of one of these tombs was battered
down by the exploring party, when
to their surprise, there lay before
them a splendidly preserved mummy,
swathed in cloth covered with thick
varnish which emitted a pleasant
aromatic odor not unlike balsam of
fir. The mummy measured nine
feet one inch in length, and the cloth
in which it was wrapped was skill.
fully woven. In cutting the cloth
!