The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-06-16
PACIFIC SEA ISLANDS.
Remains of Civilization of Re-
mote Antiquity.
Mysterious Ruins Found in Places Inhab-
tied at This Day by Tattooed Saw
ages-A Great Field for Lovers
of Archaeology.

| light buried Troy, revealed the place OF
ancient Babylon, untombed the mummy
of the Pharaoh of Moses, and constructed
somewhat of history for the Aztecs
and the mound-builders, stands baffied
| before the mysterious ruins of the Pa
;ific Sea islands. writes correspondent
| Of the Chicago News.
Kusaie, otherwise known as Strong Is
land, of the Caroline archipelago, with
a circumference of fifty miles, is covered
with massive ruins of remote date.
They bear the outlines of fortifeations,
and are built of stones ten feet long,
duly squared on six sides, of geologi-
cal formation not met with on the is
land.
Ascension Island, known also as
Panape, is larger than Kusaie, possesses
similar ruins, but much larger. In one
place there remains wall 500 feet long
and 80 feet high, forming court.
Little Easter Island, on the eastern
outskirts of Polynesia, has no running
water, no trees, nothing to attract in
habitants. Yet this island is peopled
by Polynesians of the fair type, such
as are found far away ir the Society ISL
ands, and is covered with remains of q
prehistoric civilization of which every
record but that of stone has per1shcd.
At the southwest end of the island
there are to be found the ruins of nearly
a hundred stone houses, built in regu-
lar lines and facing the sea. Tho walls
of these houses are five feet thick and
over five feet high, built of layers of
fat stones and lined inside with Cat
slabs. Internally the houses measure
about forty feet long by thirteen feet
IL ~,
slabs overlapping like tiles. Tho in
side walls are painted in three colors-
red, black and whitc-with figures of
birds and mystic beasts and faces, and
geometrical figures. In one OF these
houses was found curious stone statue,
eight feet high, and Weighing about
four tons, which is now in thc British
Museum.
The sea-cliffs near this ancient settle
ment arc carved into grotesQuc shapes
not unlike the paintings on I:r walls,
and the coast is marked with hundreds
of these strange sculptures.
Again, on each headland of the island
there is an enormous stone Platform,
built of hewn blocks of great size fitted
together without cement They are
built on sloping ground, presenting on
the seaward side wall-facc twenty or
thirty feet high and two or thrca hun
dred feet long, and on the landv,ard side
a wall of about three feet in height ris-
ing from 1eveled terrace.
Upon these platforms are stone pedes-
tails which have supported images, and
on some broken figures remain. On one
platform fifteen images were found. in
size ranging from three to thirty-five
feet in height. They are of human
shape, representing the upper part of
the'body only, with arms and hands
close to the sides. The heads are cut
fat to allow of crowns being placed on
them, which crowns seem to have been
made, not of tho same material as the
statues, but of red tufa. This has been
traced to an extinct crater within few
miles of the houses, and on the brink of |
this crater a large number of crowns |
were found, finished and ready for re
moval before some strange fate dcpeo- |
pied the island of these ancient wor |
shippers.
The images themselves are made of |
gray lava, which is only found at quite |
another crater at the other end of the |
island. At this crater-cal1ed Otouli-
there are several finished and partly !
images, just as they were left |
by the workmen. The head of one |
Of these measures twenty feet from
5he nape of the neck to the |
,rown! The faces of the images
nave welI-defned features, with thin |
ips, broad noses, expanded nostrils. |
Ind a general disdainful expression. Il
s believed, from the appearance of the
eye-sCckets, that obsidian eyeballs were
to be inserted. The ears arc
very carefully carved, and are promi-
nent.
There are also, in different parts of
the island, wooden tablets covered with /
curious carvings and strange hero
glyphics, which no one can explain.
At Oparo, or Rapaiti, Captain Vine
Hall found a temple, or castle, in five
tages, surrounded by walls which in
lose stone houses, and also square plat
he hills, similar to those on Easter
sland. This isle is 1900 miles from
'anape, but the inhabitants of the lat
er say their ancestors came from Oparo.
Who were these ancient people? The
uins present an antiquity equal to that
f the prehistoric civilizations of Amer
ca. The present inhabitants are sim
ly tattooed savages. The ancient race
intelligence far beyond any
hing now found in the Pacific; had
deas of architecture, sculpture, paint
ng and engineering and an elaborate
eligion- Archao1ogists and ethn
lists have given US no light yet.
1ystery of the Pacific awaits solut