The record-union., 1894-12-01

scribed by the World not long ago. The
cutting through of new streets far up
town has brought to light many articles
which must ultimately find their way 10
the pu bic museums. Revolutionary but
tons, bayonets, old buckles, crockery,
filnts, ETC., are to pe had almost for the
asking, but Mr.. Calver's latest finds are
most important of ali. Their rarity and
value as antiques have been passed upon
by an expert, and there is no doubt of
their genulnenesS.
1t may be surprise to many to learn
| that no original pipe or tomahawk has
been found on Manhattan Island until
now, but such is the case. Iron hatchets
and clay pipes which the early settlers
sold to the Indians have been preserved,
but the present specimens are absolutely
aboriginal, the pipe being carved out OF
solid piece OF soapstone, while the toma-
hawk, also Of stone, possesses the depres-
sion where it was once no doubt bound
by thongs to a stout wooden handle.
! The pipe was found on kingsbridge
road, near One Hundred and Ninety
eighth street. The tomahawk was found
on the Hights OF BloomingdaIe. as it used
to be called, or in what is now Morning
side Park.
The Manhattan pipe of peace is neat
bit OF carved work. 1t is perfectly
shaped and has on the front of the bowl a
system OF scratches and dents represent
! ing ali absolutely characteristic Indian
| face. Even the shape of the bowl lends
| itself to the carving, and on side view the
/ Hat profile is fully as suggestive. The In
! dian, like the Chinaman, has stood still
! IN his art for hundreds of years, but he
| reached high degree of skill for all that.
MI. talver Is at a loss TO understand
| why no other specimens OF the same ma
| ture have been picked up. ''Made as they
! were Of material which was extremely
/ ff
! he says, why is not this island strewn
with the damaged and discarded imple-
| mentS OF aboriginal warfare? If we leave
! out OF our calculations entirely the frail-
ness OF the substance from which they
were made, and give but two or three
| tomahGwks TO each brave In a lifetime,
! and then consider the vast host which
must have peopled the site of the me-
| tropoIls during the generations previous
| TO the coming of NeraZanO and Hendrick
| Hudson, we must conclude that either the
natives gathered up with religious care
and cast all the aboriginal junk into the
! waters OF the Hudson, Harlem or East
River, or else the historian and the novel
! isL were misinfOrmed.
Ills true that all historians agree that
the natives deposited with their dead the
most valued possessions of the deceased
and such implements as would serve him
III the happy hunting grounds, but where
are the graves OF LneSe vanished InOu-
sands? None have been found on this
| island.
Speaking of pipes, those of the Eng
Iish make, such as are mentioned in the
ancient deeds and in the TRANSACTIONS s
with the Indians, are occasionally un-
earthed hereab abouts, and small work has
| been published descriptive of them, but
those of native manufacture are extremely
rare in this portion of the State. 1T is
more than probable that the natives
ceased to manufacture pipes for their own
use after the coming OF the whites, as it
was only by great labor that they could
| produce them from materials at hand and
as the English pipes were cheap and
! serviceabIe.
! They were discarded when but slightly
! damaged, and are so found i'll tho shell
heaps near the mouth of Spuyten Duyvil
/ Creek and on the south shores of Long
! Island Sound. | found one marked +.
! B. in shell heap on the Astoria shore of
the East River. Such pipes are often
! found in Indian graves in the northern
/ part of the State."-New York w orld.