West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-01-14
RELICS OF rhE STONE AGE.
BY DUNCAN MORA.

gave some observation on 4" A Relic
of the Moundbuilders." touching
upon the famous mound at Mounds
vile. II it be the pleasure of the
Editors we would submit, at pres
ent, an article on the ' Relics OF
the Stone Age" in this country.
When it was said, "not many
generations ago where we now sit
the rank thistle nodded in the wind
AID the wild fox dug his hole un-
sacred" it was also as truly stated
that here lived aud loved another
race of beings" and we generally
do not have to go far away to prove
the assertion to be true.
But few centuries ago, perhaps
IN sight of where we now arc Indian
hunter scantily clad, il at all, and
equipped, With bow and arrows and
tomahawk, hunted the choicest
game along our ridges and beside
our clear murmuring streams, be-
fore the coming of his white con
queror made him fear for his SUI
premacy over what is now the beau
tiful hills and valleys of West Vir.
ginia.
But to our subject. Relics Of
the stone age. Why it is termed
this, whichis known full we'll to the
student of history, is because the
implements Of all kinds used were
Of stone. They, in this respect,
corresponded with very remote
period in the history of men OIL the
eastern continent, who used stone
for all their implements, as relics
like those found in this country, are
also found in many parts OF Eu-
rope.
The relics OF the Indians found,
and that had been used by them
ere the discovery of America by the
Europeans, were of various kinds
and colors of stone, where some Of
these were ploourod is unknown,
but vein of a not very hard quail
ity ofbIack flint eleven feet thick G.
kind much found in various parts
of the country, were used by thcm)
is reported in the Great Kanawha
valley. The winter or gray flint,
which is much harder, is said to
have been procured in the Solthcrn
States, where 1t lies on the ground
in bowlders or nodulcs, but as prob.
able as it is that they are true, yet
we have no standard authority for
the last two statements. The In
dians also used a similarly hard sub
stance found in Virginia, called
quartzite, so are those found along
the Ohio Valley, and the tributar-
les Of the Ohio River, of the black,
Kanawha flint. The quartzlte relics
are rarely found far west Of the Al
leghany mountains.
The next great, and certainly
most mysterious thing connected
with the implements Of these mys-
terious people, who used them, is,
how did they work and form them
into implements, they being of the
very hardest quality of rock found,
the flint being so hard as to admit
Of no disintegration, through at
mospheric agencies, perceiyablc, for
ages. They were 80 hard that had
they possessed the best tempered
steel tools used to-day, which they
did not, they would have been Of no
avail owing to the much harder
quality Of the material worked.
They could have worked the sof-
ter flint little by little, as they un-
doubtodlY did, with the harder, but
still deeper question would arise;
how did they work the harder {?
This is a question that remains,
with me, unsolyed, and when we
consider the great skill Of workman
ship possessed by them, to reduce a
hard quality OF rock, with only q
rock to worS with. 70 points almost
as slender as an awl-blade, and
taor spear and arrow heads sharp
enough to cut wood, we must GER
tainly term them a skilled people in
THEN rude arts.
We pass next to brief notice Of
their kind Of implements, tho prin-
cipal Of which were their arrow and
spear heads, avis, for piercing their
skins Of animals, all Of which were
Of tho best flint obtanable Their