The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-12-05
OLD MOUNDS.
The Ohio Valley is Very Rich
in Deposits.
The Valuable Work of the Worlds Fair
Commissioners.
Some Very Important Plnds in History
Near Chilllcothc, O.-Little Pottery,
but Shell, Bone and Copper Or
naments Have Been Found.


CHnLIcoTHE, O., Nov. 3o.--On the old
Clarke farm, in the valley of the north
fork of Paint Creek, about six miles
west of Chillicothe, are now being
made some careful scientific examina-
tions of ancient earthworks, which,
while interesting from any point OF
view, are especially noteworthy and val
liable through several remarkable finds.
The Investigations are prosecuted at
the instance of the archaeological depart
ment of the Columbian exposition, de-
partment M, which is in charge of +.
w. Putnam, professor OF American
archaeology and ethnology at Harvard
University.
Among the most interesting works in
the whole Scioto valley is the group
known as the North Fork works"
where excavation and investigation is
now in progress
The works upon which they are en-
gagged are extended Notifications en-
closing number of mounds and two
smaller enclosures or defensive en-
bankments. The general form is that
of great parallelogram, $500 long by
1900 feet broad, enclosing Ill acres,
! to the north of the fork of Paint creek.
Ct two smaller enclosures contained
by the great works one is perfect cir
cle $50 feet in diameter, and the other
is a semi-circle 9, 900 feet in circumfer-
ence. The fortifcation was we'll sup
piled with water, two living springs
being within it's bounds. Besides the
embankments mentioned, numerous
mounds stand within and without the
works, and il is these that are being ex-
cavated, upon the farm of NJ Cloud
Hopewell and the old Clark estate.
Several of the mounds already ex-
amined by the Colum bian force are what
| are known as altar or sacriticial mounds,
kind more numerous in the Scioto
Valley than in any other region. the
other varieties being the purely defen-
sive, which contain little or nothing of
value, and the sepulchral mounds, the
tombs of mound builders. At the base
of one of the sacrifcial mounds
opened, near the center, was found an
altar about four feet square and
eighteen inches high, made of hard
burnt clay, with depression in the
top slightly oval in shape, about four
inches deep and two feet apart.
| Very little pottery, and that in frag-
ments, generally unornamented, has
been found; but shell, bone and copper
ornaments bone needles and avis, with
copper and shell beads have been found
in quantities Some of the copper orna-
ments evince degree of highest skill
in their manufacture showing conclu-
sive evidence of having been pressed or
moulded into shape. Particularly
is this true of several fine circu-
lar discs, each the size of
silver dollar, the centers of
which are so depressed that highly
protuberant point is formed upon the
under side, the edges of the metal being
turned smoothly down, forming
curved rim a quarter of an inch deep.
The copper discs are generally found
| in the sacrificial altar mounds, placed
one on top another, the points in their
depressed centers and sometimes their
rims, having been partially fused to-
gether by the intense heat of the an
cient altar fires during the mournful
rites or horrid sacrifices.
Bone avis and needles of high de-
gree of finish, are found in unusually
large numbers, and sometimes bits of
cloth, showing that these mysterious
people possessed the art of weaving
| textile fabrics.
Pipes, also, shillfully cut from single
pieces of stone, are found, several be-
ing of red or gray porphyritic stone, be-
ing both highly polished and of grace
| full design.
The most singular and important dis
| covery, however, was made on Septem-
ber 18, in what is called Mound 90 It
consisted of collection of the largest
number of flint implements ever found
in one place in the world. In ditching
one mound in this vicinity Squier & Da-,
Wis record the fact that they turned
up four hundred iints, but their
examinations were hurried, partial and
unsatisfactory on the whole, and the
store was not carefully collected. The
present find outranks all previous ones,
OF the sort
All relics and skeletons, as fast as.
found, cleaned and recorded, are boxed
up and shipped to Chicago, there to be
finally prepared and arranged as part.
of the American archaeological exhibit.
Secretary Foster Has the Grip.
4NONs OO'-- lc COl1ulblOh
of the secretary of the treasury is such
as to occasion concern to his friends
He is forbidden by his physician to
transact any business or see anybody.
His trouble is pronounced case of la
grippe, and at tsixty-three years of age he
is not as able to overcome such an attack
as he would have been in his younger
days. His physician is confident that
he will soon be all right again, but he
does not believe the secretary will get
up OF once, as the grip runs its course
slowly. Meanwhile, the secretary is
having season of complete rest and
the best chance for recuperation.
Fast Steamers to he Given Rest.
New YORK, Nov. 30.-Several of the
big steamship lines will lay off their
fast steamers in January These
steamers have been dong good service
during the rush" season and need rest
The White Star line will lay up the
Teutonic and the Majestic for time.
The Adriatic will take the place of the
Teutonic on January Is.
The Inman line will lay off the City
of Paris and the City of New York
early in the year. The Hamburg
Amarican pomnonv hava aIraad., iSanad