The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-02-12
PRESERVED IN STONE.
ONE OF THE PROFOUND MYSTERIES
OF THE SOUTH SEAS.

RSoords Of u Prehistoric People-Colossal
FGures, Massive Ruins and Palaces
with Paiated waIls-The Wonders OF
EAster Island.
The Caroline islands, which are noy,
recognized as belonging to Spain, though
the Germans tried to annex them few
years ago, form one Of the largest arcM-
pelagos OF the Pacific, covering sea area
OF more than Z, 600 miles. and comprising
over 500 separate fragments Of land.
SSzae of these islets ars mere rocks,
many are uninhabited aud a few are
very populoua- Excepting those at the
eastern end of the chain, and the large
island of Yap at the western end, they
have been rarely, some Of them mover.
visited by white men, unless in the dubi
ous form of beach combers.''
Kusaie, sometimes called Strong isl
and, is about fifty miles il circumfer-
enoe, is OF basaltic formation, has a
large extent of high ground, and boasts
are reputedly Industrious and peaceable
for South Sea islanders they have
q King of their own. They belong, ia
all appearance. to the Polynesian race,
but travellers have declared that they
seem capable of a higher civilization
than tho average Polynesian. It is re.
marfable that the chiefs communicate
by signs and speech not understood by
the common people,
LITTLE RASTER ISLAND.
II we traverse some few thousand
miles of ocean to the very eastern out.
skirts of Polynesia we shall find the Lit.
tie island called Easter island, which is
barely ten miles long by four miles
broad, which has no trees, no running
water, and very little about it to attract
settlers. 1t is Of volcanic origin, and
one of the extinct craters is over ! 1,0O(
feet high.
Yet this physically uninteresting isl
and, peopled by Polynesians of the fail
type, such as are found in the Society
islands, is the greatest mystery of the Pa
cific. It is covered with remains of some
prehistoric people of whom every RECORD
but that preserved in stone seems to hav'
, vanished.
At the southwest end of this little isl
and there are to be found the ruins O.
nearly hundred stone houses, built il
regular lines and facing the sea. Th,
walls of these houses are five feet thicl
and over five feet high. built of layers o
flat stones and lined inside with ia
slabs. Internally the houses measur,
about forty feet long by thirteen fee
wide, and they are rooted over with slab
overlapping Like tiles. The inside wall
| are painted in three colors-red, blacl
and white-with figures of birds ant
| mystic beasts and faces and geOmetrica
| figures In one of these houses wa
| found curious stone statue eight fee
high and weighing about four tons
which is now in the British museum.
The sea cliffs near this ancient settle
ment are carved into grotesque shape
not unlike tho paintings on the walls, an
the coast is marked with hundreds Q
these strange sculptures.
| Again, on each headland of tho islam,
there is an enormous stone platform
built of hewn blocks of great size, 6tte
together without cement. They are bull
ON sloping ground, presenting on the ses
ward side a wall face twenty or thirt
feet high and two or three hundred fee
long, and on the landward side wal
of about three feet in height rising fror
a level terrace.
| EVIDENCES OF WORSHIP.
These platforms have evidently had t
| 4 t1,o of
early settlers, whoever they were; fo
upon all of them are Large stone pedes
tails which have supported images. an
on some Of them broken images are sti
to be seen. On one platform fiftee
images were found, in size ranging froI
three to thirty feet in height. The
are of human shape, representing til
upper part of the body only, with arm
and hands close to the sides The hea6
are cut fat to allow Of crowns bein
placed on them, which crowns seem
have been made, not Of the same mat
rial as the statues, but Qf red tufs
This has been traced to an extinct crats
within few miles of the houses, and O
the brink OF this crater a large numb<
Of crowns were found, finished an
ready for removal before some strane
fate depeopled the island of these q,
cient worshipers.
The images themselves are made
gray lava. which is only found at Qui
another crater at the other end of Il
island At this cratc:, called Otoul
there are several finished and part
finished images, just as they were le
by the workmen. 1t is remarkable tn
the present natives have small woode
images carved out OF hard, dark WOO
but these images arc hideous and diff
| altogether from the dignifed statues
the platforms.
The present inhabitants are simp
tattooed savages, who are more tn;
suspected to have a taste for cannibl
ism They live in long, low houses,
shape like an upturned canoe, with on
single opening about two feet squar
We have described. There may hA
been wood on the island at one time,
: the pativea are we'll provided with clu
, and spears, and they also use dout
, ! headed paddle which has not been O
served elsewhere in the Pacific. But,
r the other hand, they may have hroug
! these implements with them, for tn
: have tradition that their great-gre,
: grandfathers emigrated from the islal
3. Of Rapait, about 2,Ooo miles away, .,
B. just south of the Auseral group.
this as it may, they call their prese
abode Rapahui. OF Great Rapa, to d
tinguish it from what they call tn.
former home.-Cassell's Magazine.
Jumbo's stomach contained many E
, glish coins, gold as we'll as silver a