Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-12-20
a Pacific Mystery,

Far away IN the South P3clle ocean,
stretching from the coast Of Asia fOl
thousands Of miles to the east. there ex-
tends II vast series of archIpelagoes and
island groups, partly, without doubt, the
remains of a former continent now sub
merged beneath the waves.
In the far east, forming. as it were, the
outpost of the South Sea gr0up, is a solI.
tary volcanic island called Easter island.
1t is l, 500 miles east of Pitcairn, the next
island in the series, snd, with the ex-
ceptiOn Of sal Y Gomez. small rock
without inhsbitants or vegetation. there
IS no land between 1t and South America,
which hes more than ?, 900 miles to the
east. Easter island Is only eleven miles
long by four broad; yet in this small
space is crowded perhaps the most won
dcriul aud mysterious collection of re-
mains of prehistoric people 70 be found
on the earth. At the sOuthwest end are
nearly a hundred houses, built OF stone.
with walls five feet in thickness. The
inside OF the walls is lined with uprigh
slabs Of stone, painted IN black, white and
red, with figures Of animals and birds,
and with other designs Ihe houses are
rooted In with overlapping slabs of stone.
In some Of the houses numbers of uuivalVe
shells have been found. Near these wOa-
derfdl ruins the rocks are carved into
fantastic shapes or faces, most of the
sculptures being now almost overgrown
with bush and underwood. The present
inhabitants know nothing whatever OF
these houses, which, existing as they do
in such large numbers, seem 10 point in
evitably TO a former race of natives OF far
higher civilization.
We can understand that a former race
rlay have erected the houses end carved
the sculptures mentioned above. wonderful
as they a;e compared with the huls Of the
existing natives. " nat follows IS however,
more d f6cult Of explanation. Ol nearly
every promontOTy axe erected huge stone
platforms, facing the sea, and presenting
frodt sometimes Of nearly three hundred
feet long and from twenty to thirty feet
nigh. Inc stones composing these pat
forms are often six .eet long, and are fitted
together with cement. The top of the
platform is generally about thirty feet
broad; and the structures belng built on
slOping ground, the wall facing the interior
of the island is only about yard high
Another terrace, one hundred feet broad,
is leyelled LANDMARKS, and ends also in q
wall of stone. On these immense platforms
are great pedestals OF stone, on which once
stood gigantic statues, which, however,
are now all thrown down and partially
mutilated, with the exception of those on
the platform near tie crater of Otouli,
which are still erect. Some of these I'M
ages were thTty-seven feet high, but the
average height WAS about sixteen or
seventeen feet, other statues being much
smaller. The heads OF these sculptured
images are flat, and were formerly Capped
by crOwus of red tufa, stone that is
found only at a crater called TeranO Hau.
near winch have been fonnd a number OF
crowns ready tor removal TO the statues.
Tie faces are square and are saId to be OF
a GisdaInful expression, the lips thin, AMI
the eye sockets remarkably deep, perhaps
to admit of the insertion of eye-balls o!
obs:dIaD, which Is also found On the
island.
Captain COoiz, who during hls second
voyage visited Easter island, remarks Tia
the shade OF one Of these statues was
sUfficiest 70 shelter al his party-nearly
thirty persons. lie believed them to be
burying places fOr certain tribes or families
But whatever may have been the criglus.
intention of the sculptOrs, the preseu
natives can have had nothing 10 do with
the execution OF these wonderful mOnu
ments. They possess, however, small /
wooden carved figures, but totally differ
ent in features tTom the stone images |
e, r.
houses, platforms and statues are all relics |
of a remote age. the rstives have ira I
dItiOn that they formerly migrated to then |
present abode from one of the islands in /
the Low Archipelago; but this throws
little light on the subject. How, IN any |
age, could people, furnished only with
stone cAisel-iOr POlyneslans are still in !
the stone epOch-haye carved such statues |!
by hundreds and built such enormous |
platforms And the difficulty is IN |
mensely increased by the small size and /
complete isolation Of the island. Al /
present Easter Island remains the greatest |
mystery of the Paclic-one of the great |
mysteries of the world.
The RUNS of Ponape, however, are
scarcely more easily explained than those |
we have been describing. Ponape IS one |
OF the Caroline Islands, and is about fO,r- /
teen miles long by twelve in width. On j
the bank of a creek IN the MetalanIen |
harbor stands MASSIVE wall three hundred 4
feet in length and about thirty FIVE feet /
high. Ii is built of basalt. the stones
being in some cases twenty five feet long.
On passing through gateway in this wall
a court, enclosed by walls thirty feet high,
is reached. Tins court is now almost
hiddea in parts by luzurIlnt vegetation
but on investigation q terrace eight feet
high and twelve broad is found to run
rcnni the inslde Of the enclosing wall.
Low walls running nosth and south divide
the court into three parts, IN the centre Of
each Of which is closed chamber rooted
over with basallic columns.
The labor OF building these structures
mEst have been enO,mOus, for there are no
basaltic rocks WI,hin ten miles, with an
country thickly wooded aud
Preclpi.ous. Such an exhibit is evidently
entirely out OF the power of the present
savage inhabitants. The theory that the
buildings we're the WORK OF Spanish bucca-
neers Is also untena5le. The past history
Of the SOLth Seas Is veiled in deep OBJ
scurity. Could We but gaia al insight
into the remote past Of tins quarter OF tire
globe, perhaps a picture could be revealed
by the side Of which the tales OF Monte
yuma and the Incas OF Peru would sink
INTO insiynlficance-