Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25
RELICS OF BIG VALUE.
The Archaeological Collection of
Thos. Harper, of Allegheny
WILL BE IN CARNEGIE LIBRARY
If the Councils Provide uitable Cases for
Its Reception.
DESCRIPTION OF THE WONDERS
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH

The man who lives an active business life
and yet finds time to pursue a course of
; scientific study is rare and worthy of more
| than passing notice. AS rule, knowledge
| is acquired as a means of worldly advance
ment, but he who spends time and large
sums of money in studies and investiga-
! tions, which lie entirely outside the line of
| his business, cannot be accused of selfish
! motives, and must be acknowledged to pos
! sess the spirit of the ideal scientist.
One such man is Mr.. Thomas Harper, of
Allegheny. While engaged in carriage
| making he has become we'll versed in
archaeology and anthropologv, has made
special study of the mound builders and
has one of the finest collections of relics
taken from their graves in this part of the
State. At great trouble and much expense
he has obtained representative specimens
of almost every implement known to have
been used by them, hence his collection,
numbering 1000 specimens, is gathered
from all over the United States and from
Central America and Alaska.
Corresponding With European Curators.
He is now in correspondence with the
eurators of the various European museums,
desiring to exchange relics for which he has
a duplicate, In order to be able to compare
the implements used in the European stone
age, which was from l,500 to 1000 years
earlier than that of the New World, with
| those found in America.
On inquiring what led him to make re-
searches along this line, also what motives
| served to keep up his enthusiasm, he re-
piled:
"When boy my curiosity was aroused
and fancy stimulated by the daily sight of
the prehistoric mound at McKee's Rocks. 1
then began gathering Indian relics and have
ever since been collecting. 1 especially de-
sire my work in this direction to benefit the
young. 1t was easy to find relics when 1
was a boy, but is not now, and the youth
has no visible reminders of ourpredecessors
in the land. ] find in this study recreation
and unlimited pleasure. believe the
Mound Builders were more ancient people
than the red Indians, and perhaps may have
been driven southwestto Mexico by the lat |
ter, and by the Aztecs, who in turn dis |
placed the Voltecs. find ample reward in
the thought that / may be increasing the |
sum of human knowledge on asubject about |
which so little is known and so much con-
jectured. Whenever 1 feel the need of a !
stimulus I re-read the lite of Humboldt,
who spent his vast fortune and thought
Tighten the labors of posterity."
To Be Placed in Carnegie Library.
At the request of Librarian Stevenson,
his collection in the Carnegie building as
q loan, provided Councils supply cases
for its reception. The matter now rests
with a committee.
A view of it is instructive and interest
ing. Arranged artistically on the shelves
Of revolving case, he has arrow heads and
spear points ranging from the meresT point
TO the spear point six inches in length.
They are of obsidian, flint, jasper and ame-
'hyst, and are many colored. Knives and
ble-edged and sharp
pointed obsidian daggers look for
nidable even in these days of steel
Weapons. There are stones resem-
bling big and little turtie shells, taken
rom a mound found near the quarry
It Flint Ridge, Ohio, from which flint was
AIKEN in prehistoric times The flint was
,ut in this shape for convenience in trans 1
Spades and hoes, broad and fiat,
having an indenture around the top where
hey were fastened to a wooden handle, and
" long use having acquired an excellent
'olish for some distance above the sharp
ned edges, tell that the ground was culti-
ated in ancient days.
There is q large assortment of stone bat !
lie axes, which vary from to IA pounds in ,
Feight, They are principally made from !
yenite, grooved for = handle, and are pol :
shed by use. Weapons of this class were !
II made by being rubbed with another
tone. Mr.. Harper has experimental on
hem and estimates th't it would take con-
tant work for at least five years to make y
ne SO hard as the stone.
The Handle of the Az. h
e | \
ge is that none of the axes are found with !
hole for handle, while in Europe many f
ave this hole. A syenIte ak from Russia
5, green, fecked with black, finely polished
nd the hole for the handle is as perfectly
rilled out as if the material were wood and ]
he method modern. This work was done
nth the little sharp-pointed drills made of
lint and of these there was a number of
arious sizes. In shape they resemble an c
rrow head somewhat, except that they are 9
Kicker in proportion to their width. Orna- t
nents and weapons seen prove that this I
,eople used the bow-drill, which was hol- E
ow, as partially drilled implements show q !,
ore, which could only be caused by hol-
ow drill. Many fine specimens, which g
II bear a '1amily resemblance" n
re supposed to have been used in cere- C
nonialS The general shape is that of
bird with wings outspread perforation, !
uppObCu bO DO iOl q oldLl, runs Luo /
middle and they are highly polished. a
Mr.. Harper has one, the like of which is
lot in the Smithsonian collection, and he
relieves it to be the only known one of its
lind He has noted the singular fact that 4
ertain of his ceremonial relies represent
he different phases OF the moon, from new
o full.
To Count Enemies Slain.
A number of oddly shaped relics are sup
,osed to be pendants and amulets In all
re holes through which thongs have evil J
emily been run. Some are scored on the t
ides In uneven fashion-perhaps to keep v
cunt of enemies slain-as twas not even an t
ttempt at ornamentstion. There are stones 4
imposed to have been used in playing games s
dost of these are convex on the SIDES with o
slight indeutation for the finger and
humb. A specially fine one is black, g
tightly polished and concave on the sides. r