The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-03-30
TRACE OF EARLY MAN.
Remarkable Relics Found Near
Blue Lick Springs.
THERE THE MASTOOON THRVED.
His Bones Found in Excavations Recently
Made and Other Curios are Unearthed.

2 Made and Other CurloS are Unearthed.
2 Carlisle, Ky, March 18.-Discov
j cries of the utmost importance il
E American archaeology have recently
/ been made at the celebrated Blue
, Lick Springs, near this place. One
! Of the finds plainly indicates that
: the vicinity of the springs was the
habitat of considerable population
, and. perhaps the site of a large
town, 10 the prehistoric period, long
, before the mastodon became extinct.
Last summer, from some unac-
c0untable reason. Blue Lick springs
almost ceased to flow, and the own
ers, who are making fortune ship
ping the water away, had to take
recourse TO vein emanating from
the opposite side of the river Dis
concerted at their loss they began
to cudgel their wits in the hope of
restoring their lost fountain. Pumps
from various places were put to
work, aud where formerly a vast,
strong stream that would defy any
known pump flowed forth these
hand pumps took the water away:
Al depth of very few feet
piecs If iron was struck. 1t proved
to be Lalf of an oblopg oven used
by Dauiel Boone and his party
when ctmpiug there more than 100
years a4o It is totally unlike any
thing ct this day, of European mold,
and, 10 doubt served to roast many
deer, elk or buffalo, as we'll as corn
pone. This fad being near the sur
face, the excavators proceeded with
interes5 and caution After taking
out quantity of broken ovens and
kettle they exhumed three sticks of
oak wood, cut and split in pieces
similar TO the cordwood of the mar
kets, IN perfect state of preserva
tiOut Sbd, 4AS Tue SGOLosJ IIOIr, |
bones, etc colored the characteristic |
black peculiar to the water. At the |
depth of about eight feet they began
to find the skeletons Of deer, elk |
and buffalo, in some the bones and
horns being in splendid state of
preservation. Lower down they
were astonished to come acros s
bones of colossal proportions, those
of monster mastodon that would
tower above the elephant as the ele
plant does above the hog. l.
The bones just exhumed at Blue
Lick Springs are evidently of the
same class of mastodon as those
found bleaching in the sun at Big
Bone Lick 125 years ago. The cor
respondent saw teeth. one of which
over eight pounds. The
surface of the tooth, on which vege
'ation was chewei (the teeth evident
y those of a herbivcrous, not carniv
erous animaI) was seven or eight
inches long by about four or five .
broad, more serrated in front than ,
back, near the hing of the jaw. A
;usk was sxhumed, which at the
! cath of the animal, must have been r
en feet long. It was taken out in ]
,wo sections, part of the middle ;
'rumblng so that it could not be ,
preserved. It is eight or ten inches
n diameter, and must, TO Judge
rom the angle of curvature, have
been section midway between the
oolAts of the tusks and their articu
alton with socket. Z
Fragments of various bones were
all of gigantic size, and as
space of few feet only was exca T
atsd further work will no doubt c
ring to view much more of inter q
st and value from this new masto
lon graveyard. These mastodon II
zones were at depth of about
welve feet. Lying Immediately u
nder was stratum of solid gravel r
ust under this came the greatest
urprise of all, discovery that will Il
xcite interest among all archaeolo {
lists. Here at depth of about d
ourteen feet lay a symmetrical tt
tone pavement, evidently the work tt
man, man antedating the masto- L
on and the Indian. u