The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-02-14

=
The face is strong and robust in outline, ana
the contour of the features is decidedly lsraei
ltish The head is covered with winged cap
or helmet At each corner OF the couch Is
vase four feet five inches high, covered Win
beautifully carved flowers and leaves. lhey are
in shape something like an Amphora, except
ing that the bottom is fiat and the handles al
fixed to the body Of the vase. Inc neck IS
thirteen inches IN length and tapers gradually
and gracefully. The vases areof Uniform SIZE,
although the carved designs are different
They measure in circumference four feet nv"
inches Suspended from the root 10y delicate
copper rods directly over the head ot the re-
cumbent figure is "A copper lamp OF uniuuehr-
sign, elegantly chased. At each corner OF the
malsoleum rises u carved pyramidal column
surmounted by caps that arc Enthusiastically
Dorc.
On two SIDES of the room are toombs OF humI-
Ter design Thcy are side by SIDE, OF UNIFORM
size, and twenty in number, ten an SIDE
Like the maus0leum, they are carved ont Oh
the solid rock and embellshcd with baS-rc
licfs. Their dimensions are as follows Length,
II feet width, } feet; height, , feet. The tops
are covered with slabs securely cemented, On
the front of each Is a scroll covered with writ
ten characters similar To those on the panels oi
the mausOlcum
On the wall oftnc room opposite the entrance
are painted twenty-five faces no doubt portraits
of those whose bones lie in the toombs, They
are faded and blurred, but still distinct enough
to be dcciphcrcd The colors used are req,
yellow, black and white, and were evidently
laid on with oil. The portraits are executed IN
a superior manner, and the anatomical proper
ton of the feature Is preserved to an exact de
gree.
After our first establishment over these won
Idcrtul discoveries had in measure subsidized,
we seized the tools and set to work to open one
of the toOmbs. 1t was no easy task. our ems
els would not cut the cement which held the
slab in place, and we were at last forced 10 bat
ter the tomb to pieces. The walls were TIM
and few blows of heavy sledgehammcr
shattered the trcesonc to atoms. loour great
surprise there lay before US not few handouts
of crumbling dust but splendldly preserved
mummy, swa,hed in cloth covered with thick
varnsh which emitted a pleasant aromatic Cd.
or not unlike balsam OF fir The mummy
measured Q feet inch in length, and the cloth
in which it was wrapped, although OF coarse
texture, was skillfully woven. One OF the party
cut the wrappings from the face, but dld II so
clumsily that the head crumbled INTO dust. FOR
tons of the hair remained sticking to the c|o,ll,
and your correspondent brought some ct 1t
away with him. II is black, curly and al tnc
texture.
/ Besides the body of the giant the tomb con-
tanned a spear head, u Ratchet, two Iances, three
ma,ocks or hoes, spade, cup, two plates
and a small urn, all of copper | approprlat-
ed one OF the lances and the cup rs souvenirs.
These wonderful people understood the secret
of hardening copper, for an ordinary file Will
barely scratch the lance, and the edge OF cold
chsel turns up like lead when struck agall ST
it, The cup is of softer metal, ana beautifully
engraved with trailing vines and Wreaths. n
square package at the head Of the tomb, wrap
med in the vanished cloth, was opened and
= found to contain Il book Of 100 leaves OF thln
copper fastened closely at the top, and crowd
+ ed with finely engraved characters, similar 10
those already described.
Lack of time and the total ineliciency OF our
tools prevented us from making further inves-
'Iugatlons, but when we assembled the well we
could plainly discern marks Of the sharp cut
ting tools used in eXCavatlng the cave. In the
first two chambers and in the last five we had
noticed many curious blocks of stone shaped
like tables or benches, and presumed them u
be of natural origin. Later examination re-
vcaled the marks of chlsel and PICK, ana thcsc
agents were undoubtedly used to fashion TIE
entire cavern The irregularily of the lime
stone chamber is due to natural causes. In al
probability the room was dry when me won
!, derfu people who designed and bullt IL were
alive The staactitles and stalagmltes nave
formed since. | measured one Of the largest OF
the former. 1t was ) feet g., inches from base
to apex. Allowing that it heightened at the
rate of inch every 50 years, which theolog
r ical friend tells me Is very rapid growth, II
would have been 3,325 years reaching Its pres
eat length Conjecture alone can flX the datt
of the last occupancy of the cave. 1t must nave
been years before the stalactlties began 10 form
> I examined the mouth of the cave and dlscov
cred traces of stairway which once led to thu
, surface of the ground. Indeed, found broker
/ FRAGMENTS of rock which five or six Thousand
= wears ago were undoubtedly parts OF oroa'
, staircase There were also traces OF stairway
. which once wound around the side OF the well
| afIording easy entrance to the lower cavern
The upper cave must have been the cellar OF
residence built above ground and used for do
nestle purposes or as place of retreat In TIME
of danger
Mr.. Grooms intends to open up all the toomD
/ and the great maus0leum, arrange c0nVenleh
f means of entrance to the cave and throw IL OPP
en- 10 the general public, charging small
price of admission 10 reimburse him. Severa
parties have visited 1t since the discovery o
The lower cavern and all are impressed VIII
q the wonderful character of the discoveries Mr.
/ Grooms is anxious to have a scientist examine
, the cave, and at his request description ol TIT
p discoveries together with the engraved DOCK
have been forwarded to the Smithsonian insti
. tuition.
! The WorlN thinks this "mOst remarkable,
as indeed it is Says the World;
No single explorer ever struck at once tn
, spoor of so many different races OF men, l
n Stuart and Champollion and Schliemann an'
+ Layard had all attained on the same spot an'
!, at the same time the objects OF their severa
;. searches the catalogue of their results woul'
y have been very much what the correspondent
n of our esteemed contemporary has discovers
# I'm the tomb of a simple and unpretendin
+ mound. builder in Ohio. Not one OF the eA
! lnlorers whom we have named but would hav
# been staggered to come all at once upon til