The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-02-06

elegantly chased, ard kept In position by |
rods OF the same tnetafs At each. caFner on |
the mausoleum rises covered pyramfdai 1
column, surnounted by caps that are ur'- |
On two sides of the room are tombs Of |
humber design. They aie side by side, uni /.
form size, and twenty In number. ten ON 2 !
side. Like the mausoleum, they are carved
out of the solid rock and emheiIisned with
bas reliefs On the front Of each Is raised
scroll, covered with written characters
similar to those ON the panels of the maH-
soIeum. On the wall Of the room, opposite
to the entrance, are painted Twenty-Five
faces. They are faded and blurred, but still
distinct enough to he Cecipiered Thecoiors
used are red, yellow, black, and white ana
were mixed with oil. The portraits are exc
cufed in superior manner. and the anatonIi-
cal proportion OF the features is preserved to
sn exact degree.
The explorers opened one of the small
tombs. 1t contained a spleudidly preserved
mummy, swathed in cloth covered with a
thick yarnish, which emits pleasant aroma
tic odor, not unlike balsamof ir. The mum
my measures nine feet one inch in length,
and the cloth with which it is wrapped, al
though of course texture, Is skillfuily woven
One of the party cut the wrappings from the
face, but did it so clunlsily that the head
crumbled into dust. Portions of the hair re-
mained sticking tote cloth, and your cor
this article is being written. 1t IS black,
curly, and qf fine texture. Besides the
body of tffc giant, tie tomb contained spear
head, hatchet. two lanees three mattocks,
or hoes, a spade, a cup, two plates, and
small urn, all of copper The smallest cup
and one of the laaces have been shown your
correspondent These wonderful people
understood the secret OF hardening copper,
for an ordinary file viii barely scratch the
lance, and the edge of cold chisel turns up
like lead when struck against il. The cnpis
of softer metal, and beautifully engraved
with trailing vines and wreaths. A square
package at the head Of the tomb, wrapped
in the vanished cloth. contained book of
one hundred leaves of thin copper, fastened
loosely at the top, and crowded with finely
engraved characters similar to those already
described.
The Sun representative visited the cave
and examined it thoroughly. The upper
cave was evidently the cellar of a house
above ground, and used for domestic pur-
poses, or as place OF retreat in case OF an
attack by an enemy. In the FIRST two cham
bers and in the last five are many curious
blocks of stone shaped like tables, and bricks
which have heretofore been thought of
natural origin. The marks of chsel and
pick are found on them, however, and these
artificial agents formed the whole cavern.
The irregularity of the limestone chamber
is due to natural causes. In all probability
this room was Grv when the ~opfsrful peo-
pie who designed and bulit ft[ 5efe alive.
The staatites and staiagniites have formed
since. | measured one of the largest of the
former. 1t was five feet six and one-half
inches from base to apex Allowing that It
lengthened at the rate of one inch every hfty
years, which geological friends tells me is
very rapid growth, It would have been 3 ,325
years reaching It's present length Con-
lecture alone can FIX the date of the last oc-
cupancy of the cave IL must have been
years before the staiactites began to form.
The owner of the farm on which the cave
is situated has associated with himself sever
al gentlemen of capital, and they intend
opening the tonIbs and the big mausoleuin,
Vlsf Sf1 q rpr ii luo
I curiosities and throwing the cave open to
the general public. Nr Grooms is anxious
/ to have the cave examined by aIi expert, and
/ an account of tlle discoveries together with
{ the engraved book and the tools found ia the
: tomb, will be at once forwarded TO the
( Smithsonian Substitution.