The Press., 1897-12-16
AMERICAS POMPElI.'
INTERESTING DISCOVERIES MADE 5Y
 AN ALASKAN TRAVELLER.

Rs lies of an Unknown Race Revealed by an Avalanche-The Walls of What May He a Prehistoric City Laid Bare-soms lteautiful Specimens of Pottery.
 One of the most interesting theories In regard to the ancient colonization of America is that relating to its Asiatic origin. These theories were supported by tribal traditions, chiefly among the highly civilized races of Mexico as they were discovered by the Spaniards, from an analysis of which it would appear that the first settlements of this conti- nent were Asiatic-for the time of . high degree of cultivation, in time over run and subjugated by more warlike and powerful invaders, who, like themselves, came from the north.
 Archaeological discoveries in New Mexico, Arizona and California have tended to confirm these obscure legends, and now a correspondent of The Globe Democrat of St Louis presents the lat est claims ill the evidence of Professor Alfred Eldrige of Montreal as to recent discoveries made by him in Alaska Profe rsor Eldrige's statements to the 
 At the mouth of the Kuwalik river, on the shore of Kotzebue sound, en- countered a small settlement of Indians, who were much surprised at my desire to proceed up the stream.
 "The chief did all in his power to persuade me to abandon my project, ex- plaining unbearab1e perils galore which I would be certain to encounter. The fn xhn 3SCkrr rS<r& cursed by the Great Spirit, and nothing could tempt them to set foot on it
 ''I did not feel uneasy, however, un- til I arrived at the mouth of the Ku- walik. AS I entered the mouth of this frozen river it seemed as though I could read, Abandon hope, all ye who enter here, written across its horizon, and the vision of a possible Dantean Infer mo- beyond amazed me.
 "On the border of little lake where I stopped my attention was drawn to Q spot half way up steep peak, which had evidently suffered some recent dis turbance. On arriving at the situation I saw that a great body of earth had broken away and rolled down the noun tain.
 The first thing to attract me was the discovery of small piece of broken earthenware, light brown in color, with an artistically worked trimming of Greek design worked in black pigment It was just such a piece as those had found in New Mexico some years be- fore, and any one can imagine my amazement at its discovery in that quarter.
 GT AI~- . ~N the earth where the avalanche had torn it apart, and in the midst of the crevice, not 300 yards away from where l stood, 1 saw the protrusion of a wall of dull gray masonry, mb1ing and broken, but showing beyond all doubt, even at that distance, that the builder was hu- man. On making further investigations found evidences of numerous other walls at distance of 30 or more feet apart, and some of them revealed cor. ners of masonry.
 | ''It soon became evident to me that | had discovered an American Pompeii through the work of the avalanche. The remains of houses 1 saw were undoubt | edly those of a prehistoric city, covered | with earth and debris, which had hid | den it through some volcanic action possibly during, but most likely long after, it's desertion, centuries on centu ries ago.
 "All of the masonry was of beautiful symmetry, constructed of hewn sand stone blocks of an approximately ever size, laid in strong mortar beds ana with the joints broken. There wer, many pieces of broken pottery and othel articles of domestic use lying around tht ruins
 But sought higher game. and aftel preparing a wooden handle to a copper spade which I picked up on the scene l went to digging most industriously Almost immediately my anticipated spade unearthed few more fragments of pottery, which seemed an ominoul sign As l reached about six feet be heath the surface pots, vases, cups plates, jugs, pipes and numerous article of doubtful use and too heavy to brin, away with me were uncovered with al most every thrust of the spade. The las articles my spade revealed were mixet sizes of arrows, spears of odd design scrapers hatchets and drills
 "I dug into a square room which hal no windows in the walls. Here foun, some of the finest specimens of potter, have ever seen. They were beautiful ly decorated and finished in 8 wa. that is lost art to modern potters There were many exquisitely shaped jars about 3 feet tall and as perfectly pre- served as the china just delivered fror the hands of our nineteenth centur potters-if anything, more artisticall proportioned.
 ''It does not require much thought o study to see an undeniable connection between the evidence of prehistoric in habitation in Spanish-America an those which have unearthed in north ern Alaska, a fact which opens an en tirely new and extensive field for archst