The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1895-12-28
a STRANGE FIND.
Seven Human Figures Found in a
Cavern.

L
Cavern.
z. c. Trayer, civil engineer and
miner, has just returned to the city
from a long trip in the vicinity Of Death
Valley. and reports making a remark
able discovery ca Mount Darwin. The
discovery is a wonderful one, and when
thoroughly investigated will undoubt-
eddy prove a great find for science.
Traver knows that lie has found cave
full Of human figures, apparently COM
posed Of stone. but is ignorant of their
true origin. This may never be deter
mined exactly. but whatever is known
must come from scientific men.
Mr.. Trayer has been III the vicinity
Of Mount Darwin on several previous
occasions, aud had been told of the eX-
lStence Of the cave by Indians. but was
unable 10 induce any of them to go
With him to the spot Mount Darwin
Is an Isolated peak Of the Sierra Nevada
range. about ten miles south OF Owens
Lake and thirty miles west Of the hills
that border Death Valley. Between the
TWO is a plateau Of stones aud desert
The sides II Mount Darwin are very
rugged aDd wild. bat the canyons are
fuled with stones that are quite heavy
in wire gold 1t was while hunting for
these stones that Mr.. Traver and a
companion named Clark made their re-
markable discovery. They have named
the place the Cave of Death
1t was about the middle Of February,
and for several days they had been
working in canyon on the south side
of the mountain, and were fairly sue
rtSSfni i'm Iot hoy.
kept working up until they were a long
distance from the spring One of them
consequently had To be on the road
nearly all the time carrying water.
which was very necessary, because the
days were Intensely hot
AS this was not desirable. short trips
were made into the gulches each even
ing In the hope that water could be
found nearer to their work 1t was
while SO engaged that the Cave Of
Death" was discovered.
Suddenly coming around the base Of
bluff. strange kissing sound was
heard. Both men were frightened for
moment, and then they looked care
fully about to see whence the noise
came. AS they proceeded the sounds
OF ripping water became audible and
peculiar odor filled the air
1t was when nearly half a mile from
where they first heard the sound that
they saw a column Of steam rising in
the air, and boiling water coming from
cleft in the rocks. The steam came
out with great force and struck a point
OF rock. which made the sound they
had heard. Some of the water was
cooled, but proved unfit to drink.
Both men were interested in the dis
cOvery Of the hot spring. and the next
day made a careful examination of the
locality. more out Of curiosity than
anything else
The entrance to 4 cave was soon
found and both craWled in cautiously
1t was quite dark. but they could tell
when they reached n large cavern and
stood up. A match was struck, and
both men nearly fell over as Il Result of
the shock they received when they saw
what was around them
1t looked at first as if the cave was
filled with live people, but as the match
burned brighter they could see that the
objects We're not composed of flesh and
blood With proper light il was found
that there were seven forms in the
cave. One was standing against the
wall and the others We're in sitting pos
lures around. All We're resting against
the walls Of the cave or bent over. II
was an uncanny sight, and the mon
had been in the cave some time before
they could make up their minds to
touch the figures. They were not per
feet in every particular, but there could
he no doubt but that they were human
beings. The lower eytremitieS seemed
TO spread out and become part Of the
floor and the faces were indlStinct.
They were composed Of very hard.
white calcarcous substance that could
not be told from stone. 1t was impOs-
sible. so perfectly propCrtioncd were
the figures. to tell which were men and
which women. A very small one. Un-
dOubtedly a child, was crowded down
In a corner.
Mr. Traver and his companion at
tempted To- move one Of the forms. but
could not bulge it any more than the
solid rock Even had they been able to
do SO they could not have taken it out
on account Of the Smallness of the
opeDin1,
Mr.. Trayers opinion is that the fig
ures offer three explanations. The first
Is that they We're carved from the solid
rock hundreds of years ago. which is
very unlikely. The second is that they
are petritied, but this is not good cX-
PLANTATION. because the figures are in
such natural positions The third eX-
PLANTATION is very likely right. II is
that the figures are the members of
one family that were put in the cave
for burial. and when the flesh became
deSiccated some fluid heavy inSolid sub
stance ran over them from the roof
OF the cave and covered them with the
white coating that looks like Stone
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