The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-22
RELICS OF A BY-GoNE AGE.
THE INDIAN MOUNDS PAY TRIBUTE
TO SCIENCE.

0f His Discoveries in Georgia ana
FIOrida-NO Treasure Ever Found
in the Mounds and No Giants Eth
er. He says-The Old Indians Were
Not as Tall as the White Men Who
Now Occupy Their Lands-The Idea
of the Prehistoric Mound Builders
an Exploded One, He Says.
The Gopher, the little stem wheel
steamer, which has been anchored in the
river all summer, will go to work again
this week. The Gopher is used by tho
Academy Of Natural Sciences Of Phiia-
delphia, which is engaged in an investlga-
tion of the Indian mounds OF this section.
Prof. Clarence B. Moore Of the academy
is conducting the researches. Prof. Moore
has been engaged in the work of investi
eating the Indian mounds Of Georgia and
FLORIDA for the last five or six years, chief
ly in the latter state, and
is known among scientific men as
one of the best authorities on this sub
3ect in America. When seen yesterday by
a Morning News reporter, he said that his
present trip is not an important one. as
1t will be short and merely for the pur-
pose of taking a look over the field for
the purpose of planning out the winters
work, which viii begin in January.
Prof. Moore is an interesting talker on
the line of work in which he is engaged,
but so many fake stories have been pub
lished of discoveries In Indian mounds
that he is rather wary of interviewers.
I'm the number of years which 1 have
been engaged in this work." he said, 81
have never discovered anything that
would be regarded as very wonderful by
the general public, although 1 have found
many things of interest and value from
scientific standpoint. When we begin
20 explore a mound the people in the
vicinity at once come to the conclusion
that we are searching for buried treasure
and watch us very carefully. They can
not imagine that we would come from
such a distance and 60 TO so much ex-
pense to explore the mounds with any
other purpose in view. 1t is difficult to
make them believe otherwise. The stories
OF Indian treasure, discovered in these
mounds, are all rot. In all my explora.
lions 1 have never discovered in any
mound anything Of commercial value suffi-
cient &c pay for digging up the bones
were found"
Another popular belief, which must be
laid to rest, according to Prof. Moore, is
the belief that the men who inhabited this
country centuries ago were giants and
that skeletons of enormous hight are fire.
quently found in the mounds.
There is nothing Of the kind" he said.
I'm my explorations extending over sew
eral years, l have never discovered a SIN
gle skeleton, which would have assured,
II in life, over six feet in hight and only
two of these. As a rule they are much less
the average being about 81 feet or rather
below that. The people who inhabited this
country before the occupation of the
whites were short. stocky race, thick-set
and muscular, but not tall. There was good
reason for this. They did not get the nutri-
ton that we get. Their food was not of the
quality needed to make tall men"
Il can see very easily" continued Prof
Moore, how 1t is that unscientIhc persons
on discovering a skeleton, supposed
20 be very ancient, are led into
the belief that ii belonged
20 being of unusual hight. That is,
by laying the bones out on the ground end
10 end and thus judging the hight. They
forget that the bones must be fitted into
the sockets, that the vertebrae, which
have become elongated, must be drawn to-
gether and that the neck must be fitted
close to the shoulders. When this is prop
eriy done the apparent hight of skeleton
diminishes wonderfully"
Prof. Moore regards the mounds found
throughout this section, and, In fact, all
those found in this country. as Indian
mounds, pure and simple. The Idea OF
the mound builders as a prehistoric race,
antldating the Indians, has been abandon
ed by scientific men, he said In fact.
1t never had much OF a hold among the
h. aagQ
exploited by magazine writer's, who We're
on the lookout for subjects of interest.
Inc bones and relies which l have
found In the mounds, / have explored. Z"
ne said, were Indian bones and Indian
relics, and Indian relics have been found
IN every mound, which has been explored
IN this country. OF course, ali the bones
are not alike. II you could get the skele-
tons OF hundred living men and wo.
men to-day, you would ind many mark Cd
dliIerences among them. Nothing ha.
Deen found In these mounds to indicate
mat the people buried there were othe,
man the Indians who occupied this coun.
ns when hrst discovered, while there /:
ample evidence Of their use by the In.
ulans Tor purposes OF burial"
An interesting point about the Geor
ga mounds" said Prof Moore. ole ~,
discovery of bodies which had been burIef
Aho the remains placed in large earther
"Nio vases. IneSe cinerary urns, as they
are called, were not found in the Florid,
mounds. A curious fact is that cinerar,
urns ana skeletons which were not burnec
are found in mounds of the same period
why some bodies were burned and other
were not we cannot explain The sam,
snlng occurs in ancient tombs Of Europe
inhumation and incineration, in the sam
tonDs In the mound owned by Mr.. Jane
Walker OF Darien, which is the most inter
esting l have ever explored. / found fiy
clnerary urns in contact filled with fras
nents OF charred bones. A fragment o
pottery was placed over the top of eac
vase or urn. In the same mound l foun
small vase containing the fragments O
baby's bones. This was protected by
large vase, which was turned upside dow
over the small vase. With the bone
were beads made Of shell. The beads show
ed no trace OF fire. showing that they ha
been placed in the vase after inclnera tior
being intended to accompany the babe
the spirit land. Five different styles q
burial were shown IN this mound II wa
shown that one style OF burial was to Il
the dead bodies accumulate, leaving ther
exposed to the air probably until the hes
dropped from the bones and then bury tn
hFN Ice -