The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-18
THE NAMPA IMAGE.
Reiteration of the Claim That 1t is a
Genuine Find.

Genuine Find.
From the Pittsbur0 Commercial Gazette.
In room in the Seventh Avenue hotel
Enclosed in a small wooden box, is an image
which has excited much discussion and in
terest amcng scientists since its discovery at
the bottom Of an artesiau well in Idaho two
years ago 1t is in the possession of the
finder. COL M. A. Kurtz, former Pennsyl-
vanian, who served in Col. Tom Baynes
regiment during the war and went west in
1868
Speaking OF the image, Col. KurtZ said
that it was drawn up by the sand pump
from a depth of 325 feet below the surface
Of the ground He had been drilling for
water at Nampa, twenty miles from Boise
City, and during the last few days of the
operation he himself had superintendent the
work of boring. The strata through which
the drill had passed were composed Of sixty
feet of soil, fifteen feet of lava rock, quick
sand, clay, clay balls mixed with sand, veg
etable soil and the original sandstone.
1--WE had been getting some Of the clay
balls" said Col. Kurtz, and the character
OF the sand was changing. l had been at
the we'll for several days, and ran the con-
tents of the sand pump through my hand as
it was pumped out. | felt the image in my
hand aud supposed it was a twiR, but dip
ping it into barrel of water and washing
it OF found it to be the image evidently of
female figure. Here 1t is"
Col. KurtZ opened wooden box and dis
closed the image.
1T is just Ia inches long" he con-
tinued, "and is made of baked clay of
the same material as that pumped from the
bottom of the we'll 1t is, as you see carved
into the representation Of human figure.
Looking at IL through microscope you will
see that the strokes of the craving tool can
hn 1rr 10 IIaI
clay, an analytical comparison with the
balls of clay found with it proving them of
the same nature, and you observe that the
work was stopped as soon as the principal
parts of the body were outlined. There are
no hands or feet, and the right leg is miss
ing from the knee down. There are three
rude depressions upon the face, suggesting
the eye orbits and the mouth"
The fact Of the discovery of this remnant
| of prehistoric art was communicated to
Prof. G. r. Wright OF Oberlin by Charles
| f. Adams, president Of the Union Pacific rail.
| road, who heard of the image during visit
to Boise City. Prof. Wright became much
interested In it and entered into long corr
respondence with Mr.. Kurtz on the SUBJ
| ject
Much doubt was expressed at first as to
whether the image had really been brought
| up from the bottom of the we'll It was
limited that Mr.. DUTIES, citizen of Nampa,
was present when IL was cast up; Mr.. kurtZ
or the engineer might have made it Them
selves and attempted a joke. This, how
ever after careful inquiry into all the cir
cumstances, was disproved, and at general
meeting Of the Boston Society of Natural
| History the image was accepted as a veritA-
| Bile relic Of an ancient civilization.
The image is supposed TO be many thou
sands Of years old. 1t is at least as old as
the 1926 feet of deposit which covered it, and
evidence of its age is shown by a deposit of
oxide of iron over its surface.
Col. Kurtz says that the discovery inter-
ests archeologists and anthropologists, be-
cause of the opportunity of making COM
parsons between the civilization of the age
it represents and that of the finds in Mexico.
He supposes there is reason to believe that
the valley in which the image was found
contains relics of human beings and houses.
He things that they may have been buried
in some upheaval of a volcanic nature.
Col. Kurtz has refused to give the image
to any society, and says he will exhibit it at
Chicago in 1898.