Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-15
ANCIENT ROAD AND TUNNEL.
Interesting Discoveries Among Prehis-
tOric Buried Regions and Treasures.

tOric Buried Regions and Treasures.
Recent years have been most prolific in
the discoveries Of prehistoric remains. Two
most notable instances of that character
have Just come to hand The first is the
discovery of what is undoubtedly the most
ancient artificial roadway that is or per-
haps ever will be made known-that is, if
the reports concerning it are correct The
discovery occurred in the valley of the
Ancholme. Some laborers who were ex-
cavating brick earth came upon corduroy
road at Il depth of some seven feet below
the surface. Above the road is stratum
Of SIX feet of clay, and upon the clay lies a
layer Of peat. 1t is known that this peat
has occupied its present position for CON
siderably more than thousand years, a
Roman road, which is still in good order,
crossing it, The newlY-discovered track is
formed of huge oaken beams, which are
fastened into the glacial drift beneath by
oaken pins, and it is believed by biologists
who have visited the excavations that these
timbers must have been laid down many
thousands Of years ago. The track seems
to he about a mile in length, but
whittier it led and what was its use are
questions which are scarcely likely TO
be solved The geological indications
would point to an antiquity thousands of
years before the earliest dates of recorded
history. The second discovery above al
luded to-that Of a very ancient under
ground and artificial Waterways referred
to by contemporary as follows: " After
years of eXertion, the present Governor of
Samos, Abyssides Pasha, has succeeded in
uncovering the entrances to tunnel of
which Herodotus speaks with admiration
as the work of Eupalinos and Megaira, and
which, according to the same authority.
was built during the tenth century B. c.
The tunnel, about 5000 feet long, was in
tended to secure a supply of fresh water to
the old seaport town of Samos, and consists
Of three parts. These are: the tunnel
proper, s. feet high and feet wide; a
canal about 3 feet deep and nearly feet
wide which runs in the middle or on the
side of the base Of the tunnel, and the aque-
duct running in this canal. The aqueduct
consists Of earthen pipes, each two and one
eth feet long, 30 to 33 inches in circumler-
eace, the sides averaging about inches in
thickness. Every other joint has a
hole, for what purpose has not yet
been fully explained. Mr. Stqnaliades,
. Greek archeologist, believes that they
were intended to facilitate the cleaning
Of the pipes and to make the flow Of
water easier. The canal is arched over,
but twenty-eight manhcie5 we're provided
TO admit the workmen who were charged
with cleaning and repairing the agueduct
The tunnel is not quite straight, forming
an elbow about 1900 feet from one Of the
entrances. This elbow, according to STAN
ztiades, was caused by 4 mistake in the
calculations Of the engineers, vino had none
Of the instruments used in tunnel-building
NOWADAYS. The tunnel starts near Z
small water course, which may have been
quite 4 stream in olden times, pie7ces the
mountain Kastri, which was formerly
crowned by the fort Samos, and ENDS few
huldrod Yards from the old town of Samos,
about ten feet below the surface From
the mountain slope to the city this subter-
rancan aquedu,t is protected by massive
stone structure. ending within the walls of
che present convent Of st John. The
preservation Of tAis work-which is truly
wonderful considering The imperfect me
chanical resources at the disposal of the
buIders-for nearly 5000 years is prob
ably due to the care taken by Eupalinos,
who in all places where the rock did not
seem Of sufficient tirmness lined the tunnel
with several layers Of brick, running on
5he top into into a peaked arch.-lSeien-
tiic Press.