Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-23
ANTIQUITIES DUG UP.
A Field for Explorers in the San
Gabriel Valley.
From tIe Ph1Iddolph0 Tones.

n oaIl
Gabriel Valley.
From, the PAjladolpho Times.
PASADENA, CAL, June 15.-sYou
wouldn't think to look at this place, y
said native Southern Californian, point.
ing to Pasadena, with its wealth of villas
aad orange groves, "that elephants once
Crazed here and all along the San Gabriel
Valley, but 1T is fact. How do know
il? Why, I've seen 'em-not exactly the
elephant itself, but what there was left of
it. IL was a few weeks ago. | han
pened to be over at Los Angeles
on the east side and ! teard thar
some one had found n curious bone
in digging well, and sure enough, when
] got there, there was the tusk OF mas
t0dOn, the real thing, and tie man had
taken it from nobody knows low deep be-
low the surface. Yes, it was a good long
time ago, when our fatherswere over in
Asia, If, indeed, they had appeared at all.
The mastodon was an elephant that would
discount Jumbo every tim. Some must
have stood twelve or thiteen feet and
have presented marveOus spectacle
as they rushed along il great herds
ot fifty or more. Generallythey are found
in herds; in other words where one is
found the remains OF Othes appear, and
generally in boys, the idea being that the
animals had waded into these marsby
places and there became hired and ulti-
mately sank out of sight. This is known
to have been the fate Of th giant birds of
New Zealand. and modem elephants in
Africa have been seen to are themselves
in the same way. Tn or twenty
thousand years ago. this country
was probably overrun with strange
animals, totally or quIe different from
those of to-day. One POPULARITY about
the mastodon was that often had three
tusks and sometimes our. In some of
the skulls on exhibition throughout the
country you will see nird tusk project
ing from the lower jaw, and when 1t grew
completely out must haze given the ami
mails curious appearance and certainly
a very formidable One.'
ANCIENT OBJECTS OF ART.
To the antiquarian Suthern California
offers many attractions. The entire coast.
IRON one end to the dher, is a Veritable
graveyard of ancieDC CalifOrnians and
one party of expires exposed in a very
short time the remains of over 10000 hui
man beings aud carried of pottery aud
curiOstles amounting 10 several tons.
Not only the SEA coast, but the various
islands off shOr' supply these ancient OBJ
1ects of arr and industry. Not
twenty miles from Pasadena stands
an enormous shell mound, made or
heaped up b. nobody knows whom, but
evidently by early natives, who fed upon
the mOlltsks and threw their shells in
this great heap, that grew into a monu-
ment to psrpetuate their memory. In the
mound aye found various articles of
domestic lse-pieces of pottery, arrow
heads, fish hooks, spear points, dishes !
made from he beautiful AbalOne shells, |
that are 80 0mm0n here, and various OBJ |
jects.
In South PASADENA there rises an enor-
NOUS mound # earth so closely resem-
bling the heaps erected by the ancient
mound builders in Ohio and many of the
western State that 1t has for years been
viewed with grat interest. Later it has
been selected ~ the site for hotel, and
the excavatiOs made last spring were
watched by th knowing ones with much
curiosity, andnOt few predicted that
some remark ole finds would be made.
The mound apresent presents a decidedly
pastoral appearance. The sides have been
converted mo rich garden, oranges and
bananas growing in it. with flowers of
every kind, While 10 the south a grape
vineyard SKETCHES away that is to pro-
duce for tb benefit OF visitors here next
winter. building the hotel the top of
the hill WIS leVeled and excitement Gull
minated ole morning when it was an
nounced uata secret chamber had been
discovers. The town became flooded
with mos extraordinary stories and 1t
was ASSUMED that the hOtebwOuld have a
cellar, tie like Of which was never
seen befOR, as it was reported that veri-
table temIle of SOlgOi had been found,
and that orders had been telegraphed
from Boston to close it up and connect 1t
as it was found to the hotel by private
staircase for the benefit of the guests.
Report hid it that the cave was temple
that waslined with silver and gold from
the famols mines that are known to be
lost in this range somewhere and had been
covered Up by an earthquake.
AN ANCIENT ROOM.
These and other tales brought the ex-
element up TO fever pitch and even to-day
many PERSONS believe that the secret
chamber ttill exists aud is being kept
quiet for some unknown reason. The
facts are that room was discovered OF
quite large dimensions in nearly the CEN
ire OF the mound, the lower portion OF
which is sold rock, the room being near
the surface, and that it was formed ages
ago there is little doubt, as when discOv-
cred twas completely flled with fine sand,
30 that at frs the presence Of the latter
was the Onlyevidenc that there was
NdNlby utTts IuUliC bplulnu - uiNiuSN
as to what the room is. Some think that
1t is anaturalcavitY In the rocks aud OF
volcanic origin; others protesting to be
posted state that il is undoubtedly cut out
OF the solid rock by human hands. Around
the Motel the VUrkmen profess to know
nothing about it, which is undoubtedly
90, as they we've not here when the eXca-
walton was made. but that large cavity
or room was fOlnd in the hill 1 was as
sured ny a weliknown resident of Pasa-
ueua.
THE SITE OF AN OLD ENcAMPMENT.
That the ancients lived here in great
numbers atone time is well known. over
cart load Of utensils made OF stone were
discovered, the exact site being the reser-
yolr in Orange Grove avenue. This spot
is IN ridge about twelve feet higher than
The hotel, and In eXcayating the stone
dishes were found all IN one place, as II a
cart had backed up to the spot and dumped
Them In 70 be concealed. The locality
Was undoubtedly the site OF an old en-
campment. Most Of the objects were nat,
slightly followed mOrtars, the pes
Ties also being OF stone, roughly rounded
on. They were undoubtedly used
Tor grinding acOrns--0r grain. II they pos
sessed the latter, whichis doubtful. The
writer found some Of these pestles up the
ANefyo SecO and Willard canyons, and
IN the latter locality, about four miles
from Pasadena. on the ranch OF Mr.. Jean
1iddinge, nephew OF the famous Abo-
liti0nist of that name. II consider that
my ranch was an old camping ground"
10 "A