Evening star., 1898-12-03
Prof W. H. Holmes Study of the
Problem in California,
RESULTS SOMEWHAT STARTLING
Upsets Long-Cherlshed Beliefs of
Many Prominent Scientists.
THE y E W Z IT FACT s

Among the eninenL 3Tcha2oIu2tStS of this
country the genUineness. of the famous
"Calavcras Skull as the Uranium IF one of
a race Of men existing millions Of years
ago is again the current subject Of doubt
and investi cation.
In this connection also intcrrOgItive in
quiry j. busy with the alleged evidences of
the antiquity of ''Auriferous Gravel Man.
and the conclusion may soon he formulated
10y authorities upon the subject that Il is
al a myth.
New and interesting scientific light is
thrown upon the ng-disputed points by
Investigations but just finished by Prof.
William II. Holmes. the distinguished an
thrOpologiSt and one Of the head curators
Of the National Museum. Prof Holmes oc-
cupies at present an entirely neutral posi-
tlou with regard TO the matter. because he
has not had time in which 10 study and
consider the mass of data ne has secured.
Authorized by Secretary Langley of the
Smithsonian Museum, Prof. Holmes went
TO California in September last 10 study the
problem of human antiquity. which has
become somewhat knotty to scientists since
the alleged finding of the "CalavcraS skull
and certain fossil remains in Calaycras
county California, by the forty-niners dig
ging in the earth for gold.
Prof. Holmes spent nearly two months 1T
the work. and conducted il with all the
one of the leading authorities in the
domain of archaeology. He returned 10 the
city recently and has furnished The
Star the following account of his III
vestigation and apparent conclusions. 1t
makes one Of the most important cOntribu-
tioHs TO the literature of anthropology writ
ten in recent years, and may possibly lead
to d revolution among the theories and be-
liefs upon the subject. 1t is:
The Human Race.
For generation past students of his
tory have been breaking away from tradi-
tional notions of the age of the human
race in the world. In Europe, it is con-
Ceded, there are traces of man in the glacial
formations, carrying our history back d
hundred thousand years or more, and in
eastern North America much evidence has
been adduced tending to show that this
continent was occupied at least at the close
Of the glacial period, from ten to twenty
thousand years ago. California has, how
ever, put forth claims to still greater an
tiquity. and. Is if determined to outdo the
world in this, as in other things, claims to
BE- the cradle Of the race, par excellence.
She * not satisfied with the 1000 years of
the orthodox chronology, the twenty thous-
and claimed for the Trenton man. nor Yet
the lH,U1 or more conceded to the paleO-
Hthtc man Of England and the continent
"f Europe, but sets her figures for the
Homo sapiens Of the high Sierra back so far
that seven figures are necessary to express
the time If years instead OF ages are to hc
the unit.
The story of the discoveries that lead to
these astonishing conclusions is faScinatin
indeed. and the manner in which geology
furnishes tn chronological key must elicit
the @drairstion even of the unscientifc
reader
The First Di-coyercr>.
soon after Tho haIdihood Of the forty
miners hogan 10 open up the great gold belJ
uf The Sierra Nevada there filtered out into
She outer world rumors Of strange finds in
the gravel beds from which The gold was
washed. Reports of the discovery Of fossil
mammals. the mas,oion. the rhinoccros, the
horse, The camel and many other forms, and
fossil plants including pctrihCd trees. and
tBal!y. traces of man and his arts, Were re
IGT,ed. Tn. best known auI most widely
trraid'd find was hat of E. human Uranium
known as the Caialsr,- skull brought W
from the depths Of % mining Sndft on Bald
iuuuutaIu- near Au-,'S CamD. CalaVeras :
county tthCr discoveries follow 81 and in
clId't implements, utensils and ornaments
Of STONE. ihs mortar and pesrie occurring
mos, frequently. Many uf these. objects
came from th- gi0n uf IN. TuDlumnc Ia
ui" mountain. and Were reported 10 have
been brought "u; by the miners from deep
shafts beneath the lava beds that cap tha
mountain There was. as a matter Of
course. Ht.ls appreciation OF the char:Icte~
nd significance Of these finds, for the men
in that day were devoted, soul :nd body
20 fhe search for gold. but the occurrence
"i human remains under flows Of lava from
N"it@L"vS long since extinct was curious
enough 10 excite some interest. and even
iArn there were skeptlcs who said il could
not be The discoveries that followed are
most humOTOuSly alluded 10 by Bret IIarte
no in The Society Upon the StaniSlaus'
makes Truthful James toll in simple Ian
EuaGt what / know about the row Ihat
iroke up our society upon the Ssui~lduS.' 5
Geological Research
These finds took on a moro serious
phase. when about 1850 Prof. ]. D. Whit
rey. director of the state survey Of Cali
foruia. took up the work Of assembling
and interpreting the evidence .lnd Mr. c.
D. Foy brought together a collection of
the relics in San Francisco. The finds had
been made by miners and mine superfn .
t-ndents, and Whitney visited these peo-
PIE. heard their stories and =eeur-d more
OF less valuable atf1daVitS. He was con-
Nnced that the discoveries were genuine
ana believed the evidence sufficient TO es-
tabiSh the existence Of Il pliOcene race I'm
california \ long report was made. en-
bouylng the evidence and promulSarine his
beliefs. He was followed by others and
there was pretty general acceptance of
MS conclusions among students of an
thropology and scholars generally
But recent Investigations have tended
to increase Iather than TO diminish the age
assigned to the goJ-bearing formations,
Their age has been made out in great de-
tail by the able geologists of the United
States geological survey. and the period of
gravel dispositions is shown TO be pro-
lOnged one, beginning far back i'm middle
tertiary time and extending forward to the
close OF that vast period. Whitney believed
all TO be late tertiary OF early post-tertiarv
while many others have preferred 10 he
hevC them of glacial age, and following
the suggestions of their own beliefs and
desires in the matter Of human aatIa11jty
have thought OF the glacial age in the
sierras as probably later Than that of the
eastern side OF the continent. thus bring
ing the geological chronology of man
down toward that of the biblical chro-
nOlogy.
Now. however. these delusions are final
ly dispelled by the researches of LindsTcn
Turner and Others. who tell US that the
3Uriferous gravel man OF California IL he
really existed, was vastly older than even
Whitney was willing to admit. The inter-
est Of the problem Is thus ~ sstly enhanced