The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-01-08
FDoRlnNs EXTINCT RA0E.
Relies Found IN the Ten Thouland
Islands Of fhe West Coast.

New IOFk DlsVaACus olHSN A4le S@NsAf -
tons OF Pomeii and Troy there has been
no more extensive nor surprising arch
aeolOglval ind than that from which
Frank Hamilton Gushing, the well
known and successful explorer tom the
bureau OF ethnolGgy, Washington, ana
the University OF Pennsylvania, has just
returned He has discovered in the
Ten Thousand Islands '-whose- myrl-
ads OF small forest-covered reefs or the
inner or gulf coast of Florlda-vast ruins
which Indicate lifelong past existence OF
hundreds OF wonderful cities, once the
Kingdom OF race now lost--a race whose
population counted high into the thou
sands and maybe miiiionsi a race when
he thinks reached the height OF us proud
though primitive CIVILIZATION IN the new
world perhaps q thousand years BEFORE
Christ. and which was In existence GER
talnly more than thousand years ago
The neople have no name, and may have
been forgotten In the traditions OF the
descendants OF their neighbors Thelr
dlscoverer is led to believes that their an
certors once nourished In South America,
in Brazil. Bolivia or somewhere In the
sources OF the Amazan, whence they
spread downward to the sources OF me
Orinoco, thence stu further down TO tne
Caribbean sea; thence drlfted IN tnelr
canoes by the currents of the eastern
Atlantic Into the gulf, and thus to the
keys OF Florida.
The first OF these approached were
doubtless hundred or more miles out
from the mainland. By spreading from
one OF the keys to another they thus
reached the mainland. Thus they au-
mltted a great cultural tidal wave
which spread in time over the greater
part OF the mIdsOuther country, for Mt.
Cushing believes that they were the hIst
mound builders. They must have -four
lshed here, Il would seem TO him, con-
temporaneOuSly with the highest glory
OF the Greeks and the Romans, They
mad their temples, their kings, thetF
priests. their dramas and their sacrifices
In the buried mari beds OF their forgot
ten empire Mr.. Gushing has doubtless
found the golden key to the mysterious
passage through which entered TO TINS
country that strong, prehistoric civiliza-
lion covered also by the latter In land
mounds. for which Psychologists nave
not heretofore accounted. He believes
that in their passage northward the loss
race gave rise to or greatly influenced
the more perfected civilization OF tue
Central Americans
ITpon his recent arrival in Washington
Mr.. Gushing gave the writer word pic
mre of this newly eNcayated kingdom as
IL doubtlessly appeared in the activity OF
life, Such Information as he has hlther-
10 made public has consisted OF deScrlp-
lions uf the dead ruins and the remains
of the Inhabitants In this interview,
| however. the explorer may be said 10
have taken the writer with him as ms
first companion on supposed Journey 10
| that mysterious old kingdom In the sea.
Mr. Cushlngs deductions are made after
| studying the abundant symbolic figures
| on pottery, wood. shells and many other
objects found IN the ruins, and after er-
amlning many interment places OF the
dead, and after noting every detail OF en-
| cheering, architecture and workman
| ship represented in their buried institu-
tons
THESE. old people OF the reefs and keys,
| especially the men. were large In phy5i-
| que" said Mr. Cushing They were
correspondlngly strong and active. by
their constant habits of canoe raVeI
| their shoulders were extraordinarily
broadened and their arms perfectly de-
welcomed Their features We're remarka-
bly regular, those OF the men especially
the women being smaller, rounder ana
datter OF face. The former had very
strllsingly' aquiline features, faces
square, full though narrow eyes, ana
chins unusually well developed for those
OF primitive people. They We're long
headed, with forheads high, but slOplng
| Their complexion was dark olive, IN
clIned to ruddlneSs. Their hair was
black and measurably straight. me
| whole appearance was very Egyptiah-
like. Their clothing was scant. the
men wore kits, with frlngeS made OIL the
| claws OF giant crabs and decorated with
various shell pendants. They wore also
elaborate head dresses OF forms made IN
| shredder bark having plume-like ap-
pendages, attached with ivory sRewers
| or long, flexible strips Of tortoise shell,
Each OF the cities occupied or constl-
t,,ted one Of these small Islands, now
called the Florida Keys and the Ten
Thousand Islands. Each was surround
ed on the stOrmside by sea wall OF
shells, sometimes several feet hlgh.
| When the ancestors of this race hrst
found the keys they were mere shoals
| Visible only AT low tide. Thus by erect
ing over them pust-supported dwelling
places and by building these walls
| alongside and around them they shut
! out the waves and built the ts!ands'
which have hitherto been thought to be
| natural formations. Die walls were
| solIdIv built OF cOnch shells, lnterlocked'
| laid upnn the bare reef. covered win
shells Of oysters and clans thoroughly
| pac 4 down, when needful iaceu also
| with conchs. Inside the long ridges
| were canals which led into the graded
| WAYS. ascending to the mounds. The
! citizens were ECONOMICAL nf the space
| thus made They could not afford the
| ground space so laborlously reclaimed
| from the sea, They needed II for their
| gardens OF for drainage intn their Well
| packed csterns, so they built their indi-
! viduai dwellings upon little piers stand
| ing out over the edges OF the water
courts. Upon the high mounds or ter
races between stood their well-bulls
| stnrehOuscs with the thatched roofs OF
| nplnl leaves, and with plated or lathed
| and plastered sides.
"On the higher terraces were their
many pllIared temples These terraces
were often faced UP with conch shells
| beautifully laid In regular courses anu
/ the graded ways which approached them
| we're often paved with the enormous
| clam shells so common there. IhesS
| f-aye a wearing surface much IKE our
| cobbleytnne pavcments OF to-day I'M
graded ways led by gentle slopes down
from the platform to the ends OF 'ny
! canals penetrating the assemblages OF
r,npnda or led directly 20 the water
courts. Around the edges OF these the
! hndy OF the population dwelt IN PIE
| dwellings built upon lodges OF shell sloP-
inc frdm the steep banks Of the water
c,I,-sos towards their channels. Upon
pnInted piles resting on the Lodges were
/ set horizontal beams carefully DRESSED
and ntgch to the crotched tops OF t9e
! piles The floors were " mat or uuu-
covered saplings and the lattice-woLN
| siiag we're plactcred or left open, At
/ Ieast go In front The matched roofs
| ,y,t.pda1 stpcnly down pr0truding wen