The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-25

today there are probably ,ess than ~
inhabitants on the island.
The American exploring expedition
made the ascent o. the l2rges. Volcano.
finding a Circular crater about a mile
In diameter. Is wal's steep and Jagged.
the interior filed with water which rosa
70 within 700 feet % the top. On the
south slope OF this extinct volcano the
first objects Of archaeological interest
was found These were rows Of peculiar
stone houses. built in such \ manner that
ii was difscu.t 20 understand how any
one could have used them. as in many In
stances the entrance was so narrow that
the explorers who entered had 10 De pull
ed ous os the huss by their companions
One measurement made by Paymaster
Thompson was: heish; from hocr 10
Getting. feet inches: thickness % walls.
feet 10 inches; Width OF rooms. fees
inches; length. l. Zee; inches; average
height OF the door-ways. 20 inches AT
Orongo. the name given this cite. here
were about fifty ~ these houses near the
edge OF the crater. In several instances
the. rooms were from twenty 70 thirty
fes, in length. while one house contained
a rSon Forty feet IN length
In numbers OF these old house door
posts. curloasly carved. We're found
These we're not 50 common. howe+er. a.
paintings. the walls and slabs Of many
houses Being curiousIy decorated in
rude fresco. To OBTAIN some Of these
frsscoes The entire house had 10 ga torn
iowa--a difficult undertaking. N some
cases. as :Aere was a dsposis Of tons ~
earth upon The roof.
In the vicinity OF the OEonso houses
N. party discovered some singular SOUP
tured rocks. The rock was hard and voi-
canic, but with their rude stone :mole-
ments the natives had carved reprsSen-
Iaiions Of strange human faces. fishes.
birds and uncanny monsters having no
prototype on land or In the sea. The na-
tives =; present living on the island pro-
Tess 20 know little about them. bal one
figure. a half human form with long legs
and arms. especially common. they be-
heve is the symbol OF the god Meke-
Meke me spirit % the sea.
Near Point Ahuakspu the party dlscov
cred a cave with many branches. which
had been sealed up and covered. az Of
which contained human remains OF great
e. or less antiquity. The rocks IN the
vicinity all core quain; sculpiuring OF
strange fishes and birds and human be-
inzs In various positions. Here wss an
other tower with a shat, 244 feet high.
standing on platform 81 feet long.
which formed a tomb and was hiied with
human bones. on the ives, Of the high
volcanic peak. Noun; ko;stake. was dis
covered a settlement; or row OF curious
houses over a mile IN length. They
were in the main eliiptical in shape. and
eack one had Little branching cave or
niche which had undoubtedly borne the
household god. Here the investigators
found many valuable relies beneath the
surface in the shape OF ancient stone i'm
plements and obsidion spear heads:
showing that the ancients were warriors.
and had aesthetic tastes concerning
these weapons.
In the vicinity Of this deserted city
we're many large caves in the volcs no
rock which had undoubtedly been used
by tne earlier Inhabitants. Along he
face o, blum near Tsma Point; several
% @hich was stone image three feet
higa- The caves here had been occupied
for sges. and had been closed up ana
skillfuliy concealed.
While the images or faces were placed
high on the slope. they were intended
for platforms on the plain below. ana
how these savaEes. with no appliances.
could move them from the Interior 81 ne
crater over the edge and DOWN into the
plain IL a mystery. Some - The faces
were estimated 20 weigh twelve tons.
while a few must have weighed forty
tons. on the west slope ~ Rama Ro-
rsks the workshops were found in gres,
numbers. ranging up 90 the very sum
nit IN terraces. and here I55 faces were
found IN various stages 81 completion
Some % the faces stood head and shoul-
d.rs above the soii: others were buried
10 the mouth. others sgsin we're almost
completely covered. end when standing
IN The m ds; 81 them the sight ~ ,h>-s
weird faces was one 20 arouse the great
est wonder TIE discoyerers. though
A1liled engineers. could not imagine how
the statues Of the high range could -
moved down over IN. slope 20 TIE val-
ley. Among Them was one unnuishsf
hgur. 20 feet in length. ~ IL feet acros6
tee body. TOE head alone being n I-s fee
long. In al 555 OF these strange faces
were counted. which Illustrates the rnsx-
nitude % me work. especially when ~ Ia
borne IN mind that the faces we're cut
from nar1 Volcano rick with stone TN
PIGMENTS. Forty statues were found
within the crater. but the ma tori,y wsr.
near The platforms along fh- coast. hsv-
Ing been thrown down and rnutiiatsi IN
various ways. evidently By some enemy.
They ranged in size from one seventy
fee. IN length 70 a small face three feet
in height. one ~ the larges; IN pos!-
ton Hss found near Ovsh~ II vac
th.rty-tro feet long and weighed fifty
tons
Nearly al % TIE faces .vtssn,iy rspre-
see,ad males. though some OF women vs-s
discovered. one 81 Aassks1s TIE nsgys
called ''Flri-ylu &osi-a-Tata" Ansfh~r.
e caller "Mosi Ps,a" A. % ~ facss
ond f-eir platforms bsv. sspe-lsl rsmss.
sn9 The natives have apparently = hixa
eEssera e. tnen. and sHs,r traditions con-
esrr'rE hem are numsross- sorns fsSs
% believe r-a; TIE fscss are ensoEs9 ~5tb
supernatural powers. snf that "a rirs;
csfcerep uros the fsiznf fhey Stalk sboui
arising Their frsenar ~ VA. TIE sssf
face - ssi9 20 have been designed ~ tss
Eon 60 Einz Hzhsta ATlaxi. "a ned Trs
Ealhq
Tas faces are al 81 siriar iype-sas
Nszd .anz. MA chin ard noss. srrss1
- 81 Ees;E.ls. tie ~Epsessloz. Pay.
mater Thcaupaoa ssyE. beinE hrrn sas Drs-
f1ssslig sc'eran- TIE fpp % ths I'D wss