Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1896-10-04
CAVES OF YUCATAN.
were tho Abodes Of People OF a
Prehistoric Race.
scientific Expeditions Sent Ont ...
fonn'Jivanla to Secure Relic.
OF = Race Anterior to
the MAyas. ;

10
the MayaG ;
'here Is one thing more than I'm.
ocner "nich ~nrchaeologists would hal,
viii oeiight II would he the discovery
mhicn worlt unlock the mysteries OF
nv 'iuHn E. monuments and piy,. .,
.ne world T. Legs to the history of
.pe carry races of Central Amcric, nc
tue discovery of the Eosctta stone nm.
rocked the history OF ncicn E.pvr,
ihcr has been for MANY years n Ms.
pute 's TO the degree of antiquity which
Is To be accorded to the remains TIN,
"re round in Central America. One s,.
'"ni carries them back to Il time nj.
N contemporary with nnrien,
hESP'' willie another will not nl,o,,.
,i"' trcy are much earlier than IN.
Gays OF the Montczumas or the tim. y,
the discovery of the continent. nv r..
luinbus. II the Maya tongue vas n.
open Il book rs the records of npcicp,
Egypt this question might rc sct,l.d.
VINO were the Luildcrs Of Uxinal.
whence" came the ancient race thr,
carved the strange figures and cha.
ALTERS HAT are found on the altar .lui.
- falcnquc? No one can tell. Ate
years oil research We are but "A Iit,I.
closer 10 the heart of the riddle than
we were half u century ugo.
Recently the inquiry has taken nm.
other turn and The effort has beer
made Ia ascertain something about
thc prehistoric races that il WIS sur.
lc"'u might have preceded the MAYA
'ii:ans III the occupation of the Yura.
an peninsula. There are in the LiIl.
- luca'Gn nan caves, not large in
''.'cnt.' nj iich il WAS believed would.
"."n Investigation. show in the do.
Uz;iS '.Ei"h mirht h" found ON their
""-'iH 'o'r" traces Of prehistoric maj.
III ithi r'& ON. The earlier races found
%!s'it'r IN ca'cs, built fires there, and
"a TIC 'v'G'c Of tlic :%h heap ar,. found
~" Tor" a. iar aE.Luls tlicy r0nsumrd
III 49," r!'nts OF the tools, utcnsil,
":i N"' rE that They used. Relic.
~ lLIu..rECr H.'"r- br found in the
all C"'cr Of ucai..u, and 80 an cxsdi.
Loon rs sent ont from the University
~ pennsylvania To cNanIiIu, thcSr caves
and investigate the ''kitcllcn mitldcns."
or couture beds" "a science calls th,.
SoiI OF which the lOUrs Of these caves
- composed. The expedition YVES In
charge OF Henry G.. Mercer and wa,
!no"n rs the COrwith expedition. and
Mr.. Mercer has WRIT u an rn]tcrtuiriuy
ana valuable cou OF their re-.
srarclfca. Ten caves were examined
and the method followed was TINT usu.
any employed in such eases. Trenches
are Jug ncrOss the floor with rrcn;
car. the earth removed in layers and
c:.r"fully examined for relics and fr,g.
mentS OF pottery. bones OF animals.
arrow heads aud other weapons. Il
vas hoped that there would be- found
tGRcCs uf II race anterior To the MAJ rs.
In this the explorers wen. doomed to
disappointment. They did not find
any traces Of the prehistoric man. but
they found that the people who came
To the caves were generally identical
with the race that had reared the cities
whose ruins AVE excited 10 much NJ.
tcntion and wonder. They brought
"ith them wlntrvcr degree of culture
they were possessed of md had no;
developed after their arrival in Yucca
tan. IL was also established that tbcsr
people had reached the country in gcu.
AcEN ' A'N't . AaA@A - = . NIiNNH ~
seen thnt not all the results OF the ~.
petition were Of n negative character
and tla; aOInc Of then: were of impor.
lance from II scientific point OF view.
II was nsccrinincd that in all probnbiI.
ity the ancient Mayas were canniIrlls
They were nm agricultural people and
not given To hunting TO any great cx.
tent.
Nearly all the cnvcrnS contained wa.
ter, and il was that fact which first led
these earlier races to resort to them
The party devoted its entire time Il
cave explorations and did not study ia,
rnincd cities. The fact was rstab
iislicd that 10 prehistoric race preceded
the Mayas on the Iucatan %pcninSular
but no fresh clcws were obtained MS {.
how far back into The past that occupa
ton evtcndcd.-nrooklyn Eagle.
Perhaps the oldest pct Il Innn ever
had Is u shark, seven feet long nrt.
weighing probably ESQ pounds, which
IS owned, in n sense, by g. ". Fife, al;
Tacoma. Wash. Tho shark wns hnf
pooncd In the bay off Tacoma by Mr.
Fife and lowed to his bont house. Il,
49, ~ '"''g hJhitb hV MT. FIlt
passed u chain cable round ito tail nn,:
'ich IL up to the pier. IL wns still aliv,
mp To last accounts, was feeding hcnrti.
~, mud was apparently becoming ~
custoncd, II not %rcconcilcd. 10 cup
tiyity.
Some idea Of the extent OF the
coyote nuisance in Tie west may DC rot
IRON the experience Of Dnc shccpmnn
tf Fossil. Ore. Since lnst fan, when
The sheep were brought down from the
mountains. the coyotes have killed
about 100 of them. One night recently
a hcr!cr left about 10 sheep out over
night, and when he went to hunt for
lhcm In the morning nc found 90 dead,
their Threats torn by the coyotes, aud
coyotes were chnsing the remaining
Ft'cn. In Crook county this sLccpmnu
ms lost 5000 In three months by the
coyote rnldG on his nocks.
inc most ,rOwdcd SPOT.
~ IL stated that the most crowded
gInI ~ Il,n .nH,Is.