The Portland daily press., 1883-03-29

An indian Graveyard on House Island
Mr.. w. G. Kimball Of Bird gton furnishes the
Transcript with the follow ing description Of an
Indian graveyard GU House Island.
'sDuring the summer Of 1916, whilst superin-
tending the present earth works AZ Fort Scam
NELL on House Island, Portland harbor, In
making an excavation for soil to build the
works, the workmen came upon an ancient
burial ground. That it was Indian, was appar-
ent from the fact that the interments we're
made III a sitting posture OF the bodies. The
location of the find was on the westerly side Of
the island, near the point of land TENDING
towards the city. The soil Of this place was
deeper than at any other part Of the island,
somewhere about eight or nine feet to the rocks
underlying.
Being one day at some other part Of the
works, word came TO me that She labcreFs at
excavating had for some cause stopped work
ing. Upon going to the spot / found the re-
mains of human body had been unesrthed.
The method of excavating earth, when q
large amount is to be done, is as follows: To
dig under large mass with pick ard shovel.
Then go on the bank above with iron bars and
wedges aud cave of large body into The pit
below, where il is easily shoyeiled Into carts
and barrows. / found ia making one Of these
throw offs" the split came nearly in
the middle sOf two interments. There
were the remains right before my eyes, with
a good chance 10 examine them. One of.fhem
had the upper part Of the skull entire, so that
| took it out of its place 10 the bank many OF
the bones were whole in form, but UPON taking
hold of them they dropped to powder in the
hand. The sitting posture was plain, occupy
ing vertically about three feet. From discoior-
ton and partial cavities it was evident that
the bodies were placed in a kind OF case
formed BY weaving some kind Of material in
and out around poles that constituted abe
frame work, which conforned to the shape of
the body; large at the top and small at the
lotion.
The other internent at this throw of must
have been made at much earlier date, as all
OF the bones had crumbled to Earth, even the
skull There was the exact shape OF the body
in the marked discoloration of tine earth. Over
each Of them were depressions Of the earth,
caused by the caving in as the bodies decayed,
shown by the strata
1t required no small amount Of talk aud per-
suasion to get the men TO their work, as the
Irish as a whole, are very superstitious; not
away, and carried all that would hold together
and had them covered up, would the men re-
sumo work
As the excavation progressed We came upon
others, all in state Of complete decay. Some
times the "throw Off came in the middle as
the first described, at other times with the mass
Of earth came decayed fragments.
| Now it is evident this must have been a gen
| erai burying place, and for some considerable
| length Of time, as the earliest only showed
markings and discolorations, others at later
| date gave the form and substance OF the bones,
| vet later the one with the skull entire.
Why this spot was selected rs burial spot
| by what tribe Of Indians, and when were these
| interments made, are questions / leave with
those who are better posted in Indi n history
| than myself.