The sun., 1886-04-15
THE MOUND.BUILDERS.
An Entertaining Lecture by Professor j..
~P. MacLean.

IN TAutoTIhluAuB A<octuro W xrO1Ob6OK Os
|P. MacLean.
From the Chicago Leader.
Professor j. p. MacLean, member
Of the Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society, delivered his cele-
brated lecture on "The Works OF the
Mound. builders" He began his lect-
IRE with q chart of Fort Ancient, To-
Gated near Lebanon, in Warren county,
Ohio, and gave a description of that
celebrated ancient curiosity. The fort
covers 1876 acres of land and is sur
rounded by deep ravines. This fort is
such q wonder that scientific men
from Europe have come to Ohio for
the express purpose of visiting it. 1t
has been discovered that the ancient
builders were engineers, and that their
standard of measurement was thirty
inches instead of twelve, as at present.
Fortified Hill, in Butler county, near
Hamilton, was next described.
This wonderful hill has been illus
trated in ten publications and de-
scribed III fifty. 1t is $50 feet above
the level of the Great Miami river, is
surrounded by ravines, and covers
sixteen and two thirds acres ofground,
and could only be successfully assault
ed from the northern extremity. To
avert this artificial swamps were con-
structed at this point, making it SIM
ply impregnable. At Bornville. Ross
county, there is a stone-work incIos-
ing 14O acres, and near Dayton there
are military works. The lecturer
said that connected with all the works
of the mound builders there were le-
gends or ghost stores, which some of
the inhabitants implicitly believed.
Beside the forts and stone walls,
there are works on the arabic lands
throughout the State which are built
in the form OF squares, circles, paral-
lels, ETC., as perfect as we can make
them now, with all our knowledge of
modern engineering. These are al
most all composed ofclay, and, as it is
different from the clay found III
the vicinity, it must have been brought
from a distance. These mounds have
received the name OF sacred works,
but Professor MacLean does not agree
with these views. The most compli-
Gated work of the mound-builders in
Ohio is located at Newark, Licking
county, and is now the paoperty OF
the County Agricultural Society. Views
of this curiosity and a number of others
were given with a powerful stereopti-
con.
The Newark mound covers five
square miles, has parallel walls two
miles in length, twenty feet high, and
has an observatory covered with trees
from which all excellent view OF the
surrounding country can be secured.
The mound at Hoopton, Ross county,
is a fine piece OF engineering skill, but
the finest specimen in the state Is the
Graded Way at Piketon, in Pike coun-
ty. The walls are 216 feet apart, run
parallel for 1850 feet, and are 16 feet
high. The Ohio mounds resemble those
in England, which are attributed to
our Celtic forefathers, where in early
ages the Druids were supposed to sit
in council. "If the ancient Druidical
circles were places of adjucation, said
the lecturer, "might it not have been
the same in Ohio?" The ancient works
at Marietta have been obliterated, and
the town stands ON their site. One
great mound, 35 feet high, alone re-
mains, and the first cemetery in Ohio
! is located around it, and there sleep
some OF the first settlers OF this great
| Commonwealth.
The Professor spoke of the celebrat-
ed sacriicial mound in New Mexico,
where calcined bones were found.
showing that human sacrifice had
been offered up, and following with a
description OF the temple and altar
mounds. Many of these mounds are
symbolical, and all kinds of animal
life is represented. A picture of one
was shown which was in the shape OF
a serpent 1,165 feet long, with a
mouth 100 feet wide, attempting to
swallow a frog with body 46 feet long,
and hind leg SO feet in length. In
sepulchral mounds human bones are
found, but they are not those of the
mound builders for they have the true
characteristics of the American In
dian.
In the mounds of Wisconsin are
found rude representations of animals,
domestic pottery and pipes weighing
from five to seven pounds, made to
represent different animals.
A mound at Miamisburg, Ohio, is
now sixty-two and q halt feet high, is
800 feet in circumference and contains
311, 900 feet of earth. These mounds
were numerous i'll early days, and when
the enemy made it's appearance at one
place fire was started on top OF the
mound, this signal would be taken up
by another, and in a few minutes the
entire Miami valley would be illumin-
ated. The views were of high order
of merit, the lecturers talk was enter
tanning, and the lecture was one of the
most pleasing ever listened to in this
city.