The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-25
EGYPTIAN FLINT.
Interesting Account of Important
Discoveries In Africa.

$1,000
Discoveries In Africa.
Seton-Karr, a gentleman recently re-
turned from Africa, has been giving
to the Royal Institution some ac-
count of his highly interesting and i'm
/ portann discoveries in that continent.
/ In November last he discovered the
4 great flint mines of Egypt, which in
/ itself, is a most notable achievement.
though it has not that fascination of
vague conjecture which is possessed by
another result of his wanderings, for
he claims TO have found in Somaliland
the original home of primeval man.
With regard to the discovery of the
long-lOst flint mines, Mr.. Kari says
that he has previously discovered stray
flintS in Thebes, but was most anxious
to prove that there was no connection
between the comparatively modern
temples and pyramids Of Egypt and the
infinitely more ancient palaeolithic re-
mains which he felt certain were to be
discovered throughout the whole of the
Nile valley.
Hearing rumors from the Arabs of
the existence of large flint mines in the
eastern desert he inquired of Johnson
Pasha if he had any knowledge OF them,
and Johnson was able to recall some
half forgotten information which the
Bedouins had given him. Proceeding
on his travels Mr.. Karr reached one
day the hidden cliff plateaus of the
Wady Sheik And here he came across
what appeared to be ruined cities of
vast extent, stretching eastward for 20
miles across the desert. He felt con-
WINGED that he had found the mines and
was soon able to prove it.
Each mine was marked by its own
special types of instruments. which
Professor Fhndus Petrie, the great
Psychologist, declares to be of the
greatest possible interest, and hitherto
unknown to scinece- They consisted OF
axes. wedges, spearheads, rings, disks, /
sickle-shaped knives. and hundreds OF
stone truncheons. These last resean- !
bled in shape a policeman's baton
The palaeoliths he discovered in So |
maitland Mr. Karr declares to be of |
greater age than the Egyptian imple- |
ments. nd quite distinct. They are |
identical in form With those dlscov-
cred in England and France, thus
the unity of the race through
out the world during the stone age.
While tracking a lion on long, low
hill in the center of Somaliland it was |
that Mr.. Karr made his great find. He
found numbers of stone implements,
once buried deep for concealment, but
now each one raised on a little pyra-
mid of solidified gravel, like powders
on a glacier. On Certain SpOlS there
were no stones at all which did not
bear. some trace of work by prehistoric
hands.
This idea was caused by the exist
ence of certain landmarks correspond
ing with the description of the four
rivers given in Genesis. Apparently,
in Mr. Karr's view, Somaliland was at
one time a seat of the manufacture
IF flint Instruments for the whole of
the world then known. no other flint
mines having been then discovered.
and all the implements, in whatever
carts of the world found, being essen
Tally of the same character. Somali-
and and Egypt, according to the evil
lence of these flints, must then have
,een inhabited 10y ancient man at least
O0. coo or 100000 years ago. a period
when parts of the North sea and Med
were dry land, and so travel
would be comparatively easy, which
$ sufficient 10 explain the appearance
f flint instruments all over Europe,
asia and Africa. Between these con- ]
inents Mr.. Karr thinks there must /
ave been constant definite intercourse
nd communication for purposes of I
rade in flint spearheads and arrow {
eads.