The Brookhaven leader., 1885-11-26
AN INTERESTING COLLECTION
OF Indian Implements, Arrow and Lance
Heads, Ornaments and UtensiIa


Heads, Ornaments and Utensils.
One Of the largest and most interest
ing collections of Indian relics in Amer
ica is now on view in this city. They
are the property of DR.. L. G. Washburn,
and embrace over 1000 different rare
and valuable specimens. Probably the
most interesting pieces in the collection
are the axes. These are of all kinds
and sizes, from the small, well-preserved
hatchet to the huge, clumsy affair used
in telling trees. One, a small bat
tle-ax, Is Of apparently recent
make, the edge being quite sharp,
while another, large, Of the
very hardest granite and containing
hornblend, is at least 2O0 years old.
There are two wood-axes of Oriental
shape, like those the Arabians used.
The majority of the axes are of gray or
black granite, with grooves or creases
near the head A number Of them are
of flint so hard that nothing but dia-
mond can make an impression. They
resist alike files and drills One is a
double-bitted ak of large size. Another,
and probably the handsomest ak in tho
collection, is what is called invisible plaid
granite, very rare stone.
There are arrow and lance heads by
the hundred, all of the hardest material,
and many of the most beautiful work
manship; so beautiful, in fact, that it is
doubtful if artisans of the present day
could produce one of them. Most
Of the arrows are of flint and
cbirt. They range in size from q
quarter of an inch to nine inches in
length, and from an eighth of an inch to
four inches in width. There are war ar
rows, game arrows and fish arrows. The
war arrows have sharp boards on them,
SO that the flesh will be lacerated in their
extracting; the game arrows have little
or no beard, allowing of easy extraction,
and the fish arrows have boards like the
harpoon, calculated to resist all effort at
extraction. These fish arrows are bent,
also, so as to go directly into the water
without glancing off Some of the fine
arrows have serrated edges, wond derfully
done, with convex and concaye sides.
How the Indians could work such ma
terial in two different ways, as shown IL
the serrated edges, is a amystery. 1t must
have been done with jewels, as if chipped
| there would have been a straight fract
! ure.
But the rarest Of all the arrow-heady
are score or more made of sand, car
nelian, chalcedony and moss agate
precious stones. These are really gems
and were no doubt the property of chiefs
if, as is not impossible, they were no
worn as ornaments. Some of these arrow
spear, and lance points are very old
The calcareous deposit in more than one
indicates their age. Many of the pieces
are of tinted flint, while some have beer
painted with mineral paint. A cOllec
ton of broken lance heads was founC
on an old battlefield. The fight had evil
| IDENTIFY been short, sharp one, as there
were no arrow-pOints about and as sc
many of the lance heads were broken.
A barrelful of the osseus remains OF
prehistoric warriors is part of the col
lection. The craniums of the skulls art
thick, and the skulls are not larger thar
those of 10-year-old boys of the present
day. The foreheads are low and reced
| ing. On one of the skulls is a marl
showing tho impression of an arrow
One of the femurs exhibited has the
fragment of an arrowhead in it. The
| doctors find that the wound must have
turned into running sore, from the eff
fects of which the owner of the femu.
died. There are indications of the at
tempt of nature to reject the flint and
then to absorb it.
Pipes of various kinds are in the col
lection. The bowl Of one pipe is so hard
that it is impossible to make an impress
sion on it. A genuine cigar holder is
shown also, showing that the Indians
sometimes twisted their tobacco and
smoked it. Then there are agricul.
tural implements of all kinds,
spades and hoes, and great many
which have no names now. There are
mortars for pounding things in, smooth
granite balls, fiat stones highly polished,
whetstones, anvils and trowels, all so
smooth and hard that they must have
been cut with a jewel and worn smooth
with use. There are drills and avis of
queer design; and lastly and really the
most remarkable, plummets. The plum
NETS are as smooth as bullets, and their
density may be imagined when it is
stated that they are made of meteoriC
iron ore. They are of perfect form and
must have been used by the mound
builders in architectural work. In ad-
dition to these there are number OF
queer ornaments and toys. One of these,
and the second found in the United
States, is turtle Clipped out of flint.
Another, the only one in existence, is an
Indian profile in fiint.-[St. Louis Cor.
New York Mail and Express.