Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21
PREHISTORIC ART.
Remarkable Ancient Sculptures From North
west America.

From Nature.
Mr.. James Terry has just published dessrip-
tons and photographs of some of the most re-
markable works of prehistoric man vet discov-
cred on the American continent. They repre-
sent three rude. yet bold. characteristic and
even iife-like sculptures of simian heads, exc
euted in basalt. One of these belongs to the
author, one to Mr.. L. Condor. and the third to
Prof o. c. Marsh. who referred to it in his
address ''On Vertebrate Life in America" in
the following terms: ''On the Columbia river
have found evidence of the former existence
OF inhabitants much superior to the Indians
a: present there. and OF which no tradition re-
mains Among many stone carvings which 1
saw there were n number of heads which so
strongly resenbled those of apes that the like
ness at once suggests itself. Whence came
these sculptures and by whom were they made?''
Unfortunately we have no detailed information
n to the conditions under which these speci-
mems were found. except that they would be
classed as surface finds, from the fact that the
shifting sand dunes. which were largely utilized
for burial purposes, are continually bringing
them 10 the surface" This gives no indication
Of their antiquity, but Il quite compatible with
any age which their other characteristics may
suggest.
The size Of the heads varies from to 10
inches in total height and from 53t 10 81
inches in width. The three so different
three distinct animals. and so far as L can
judge. they all differ considerably from the
heads OF any known anthropoid apes. In par
ticular the nostrils are much farther from the
eyes and much nearer to the mouth than in any
of the apes In this respect they are more
human, yet the general form of the head and
lace. the low and strongly ridged forehead and
the ridges on the head and cheeks seem TO point
TO a very low type of anthropoid. In a letter
to Mr.. Terry Mr.. Condor suggests that they
were copied from the figurehead of some
Malay proa that may have been wrecked on the
coast" but such a superstition is quite mad
missable. since nothing a; all resembling these
heads Is ever carved on Malay proas. and there
Is no reason to believe that if such "a carving
did come into the possession of the natives they
would ever think of copying it i'll stone, while
these sculptures were found 200 miles from
the coast on the east side of the Cascade
mountains.
Taking into consideration the enormous an
uquity VI the stone mortars and human remains
found in the anriferoGs gravels of California,
buried under the ancient lava streams and as
sociated with a fora and fauna altogether di.-
ferent from that Of any part Of America at the
present time. Mr.. Terrys own conclusion ap-
pears the more probable. 1t is ''either that the
animals which these carvings represent once
existed III the Columbia valley. or that, in the
remote past, a migration of natives from some
region containing these monkeys reached this
valley, and left one of the vivid impressions of
their former surroundings IN these imperish-
able sculptures The latter alternative ap-
pears to me. for many reasons. to be highly i'm
probable; and. though the former will seem to
many persons to be still more improbable am
inclined Professionally to accept it.