The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-10-24
MYSTERIES oF TIE PACIFIC.
Interesting Evidences of a civilization
Of Gre..t antiquity.


TO light buried Iiaiy. revealed the place
OF ancient Babylon. nntombed the
mummy of the PIiaraoll of Moses. aud
constructed something of history for
the Aziecs aud the mound builders
stands baflle'l before the mysterious
ruins OF the Pacific sea Islands
kHsaiS. otherwise known as Strong
Island. of the Caroline archipelago,
with circumference of fifty miles. is
covered with massive ruins of a remote
date. They bear the outlines of forti-
iications. and are built of stones ten
feet long. duly squared on six sides. of
a geological formation not met with
ON the island.
Ascension Island. known as Panape,
is larger than Kusaie, possesses similar
ruins. but much larger. In one place
remains wall 800 feet long and 80
feet high forming a court.
Little Easter Island. on the eastern
outskirts Of Polynesia. has no running
water, no trees. nothing to attract in
habitants. Yet this island is peopled
by Polynesians of the fair type. such
as are found far away in the Society
Islands. and is covered with remains of
a prehistoric civilization of which every
record but that of stone has persisted.
At the southwest end of the island
there are 10 be found the ruins of near
" hundred stone houses, built in reg
ular lines and facing the sea. The
walls of these houses are five feet thick
and over five feet high. built of layers
of fiat stones. and lined inside with fat
slabs. Internally the houses measure
about forty feet long by thirteen feet
wide, and they are rooted over with
slabs overlapping like tiles. The in
ID ts,
red. black. aud whiie-with figures
of birds and mystic beasts and faces,
and geonetrical figures. In one of
these houses was found n curious stone
statue. eight feet high, and weighing
about four tons. which is now in the
British museum.
The sea cliffs near this ancient set
Element are carved into grotesque
shapes not unlike the painting on the
walls and the coast is marked with
hundreds of these sculptures.
Again. on each headland of the ISL
and there is an enormous stone plat
form. built of hewn blocks of great
size. fitted together without cement
They are built on sloping ground, pre-
senting on the seaward side wall face
twenty or thirty feet high and two or
three hundred feet long. and on the
| =
feet in height, rising from leyelled
terrace.
Upon these platforms are stone
| pedestals, which have supported images
aud on some broken figures remain
/ On one platform fifteen images were
| found. in size ranging from three TO
/ thirty-five feet in height. They are of
human shape, representing the upper
/ part of the body only. with arms and
( hands close to the sides. The heads
are cut fat TO allow of crowns being
! placed on them, which crowns seem to
/ have been made, not of the same ma
/ terial rs the statues, but of red tufa-
This has been traced to an extinct
crater within few miles of the houses,
/ aud on the brink of this crater a large
number of crowns were found. finished
and ready for removal before some
strange fate depeopled the island of
these ancient worshippers.
The images themselves are made of
/ gray lava, which is only found at
| quite another crater at the other end
| of the island At this crater-ealled
/ Otouli-there are several finished and
/ partly finished images, Just as thev
| were left by the workmen. The head
/ of one of these measures twenty feet
| from the nape of the neck TO the crown.
! The faces of the images have well-de-
| fined features, with thin lips. broad
noses, expanded nostrils, aud q gem
eral disdainful expression. 1t is be-
/ lieved, from the appearance of the eye
sockets, that obsidian eve balls were
intended to be inserted. The ears are
very carefully carved. and are promi-
nenE
There are also. in different parts of
the island. wooden tablets covered
with curious carvings aud strange
hieroglyphies, which no one can ex-
plain.
At Opara or Rapaiti. Capt. Vine
| Hall found ten,p.e or castle, in five
| stages. surrounded bv walls which in
close stone houses. and also square
platforms of stone on the sides of one
of the hills. similar to those ON Easter
Island. This isle is 600 miles from
Panape but the inhabitants OF tire lat
ter say their ancestors came from
| Opare.
Who were those ancient people? The
ruins presents an antiquity equal to
that of the prehistoric civilizations of
America. The present inhabitants are
simply tattooed sayages. The ancient
race possessed intelligence far beyond
anything now found in the Pacific; had
ideas of architecture, sculpture, paint
ing, and engineering and an elaborate
religion. ArchRologists and ethnolo-
gists have given us no light yet. The
mystery of the Pacific awaits solution.
- Chicago Nclrs.