Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-23

| Noui Sc VI the canoes or RATS which
brought these great masses down ia
the building place. He found the bot
tom of the lagoon, from the auarries Ia
the stone island. strewn with blocks o.
| basalt The most reasonable explana-
tlon or their presence there is that they
| leIl from the canoes during the jour
ney, or sometimes. being too heavy for
the boats or RATS that carried them.
sank with their craft
| The islands seem to have been reared
| beneath the water by dumping in the
material with little regard to regular
ity. except that care was taken to pro-
| vide a solid foundation and straight
| outlines. The interstices between the
! prismS of basalt We're filed in with
| large blocks and then with rubble, the
whole forming a compact mass. The
islands We're reared above the water
from five to ten feet. and on this foun-
dation We're erected great walls. the
largest of which is on Nan-Tauacb
where the wall rises to a height of 20
feet and is 10 feet thick All these
walls were laid in the same manner
Inc prlSmS OF baSalt We're placed close
together, alternately lengthWse and
crossNise. In old times the walls must
have been considerably higher. bu,
much of the masonry has now fallen
into lamentable ruin. Many of the
walls inclose large spaces. one of which
is lS3 by ll5 feet. forming spacious
courtyards. TOmbs are found in some
Of them. the largest of which, an un-
foreground chamber, the natives say.
was the grave of an ancient monarch.
King Chau-t -Leur. II is believed that
these inclOsed spaces We're used for
tomhs. treasure chambers. and forts
Here is the native version Of the origin
of these structures:
They say that they We're built by all
the tribes of the island united at that
time under a powerful line Of Kings in
the days when Ponape was much more
pOpulous than at present. In the
course of time there was a great inva-
sion Of peoples from the south. Ac-
cording Of this native legend the in
vaders must have come from some part
Of New Guinea, the New Hebrides or
some neighboring portion Of the Mela-
nesian area. The strangers came in
great fleets Of canoes under the COM
mand Of fierce ana terrible warrior
Icho- kalakaL The savages poured in
upon the peaceful inhabitants. and
blotted out the ancient civilization
after Il great battle in which multi
tudes We're slain on both sides. Part
Of these walls behind which the natives
fought We're throwG dCwr, ana their
defenders were either slain in battle or
offered in sacrifice to the war gods of
their conquerors. The King in his
flight persisted in the waters of the
Chaplain river. and the gods changed
him into 4 blue river fish. which the
natives to this day will not eat.
Before King Paul turned Mr.. Chris
ton out of the district he was able to
make Il few excavations in the burial
vaults within the spaces inclosed by
the walls. His finds included many
parts of shell fiShhOOks which We're
possibly broken and thrown into the
graves at the time of the burial Of
some renowned chief; considerable
number of shell rings. a few of them
elegantly carved. but most of them
plain: a large number Of shell beads:
and the greatest prizes We're 10 or IL
ancient axes. three of them about a
yard in length. rubbed down from the
central shaft of the giant clam. Some
of the smaller axes We're of fine work
manship. white as polished marble, |
strong. ana having keen cutting edges.
Others had suffered great deteriOrat ton |
during their burial of ages. He also |
extended his Investigations to some |
other islands, for these rivers are not |
confined to Ponape, though seen in by |
far their largest development there In
the island Of Lele the ruins are of a |
different character. being built not of
basaltic prisms. but Of irregular blocks |
Of stone, some of very large size. They |
are also on the land instead Of the |
water.
Admiral Bridge of the British navy,
who has seen some of these Caroline !
island ruins and commented on Mr.. |
Christians paper. says it seems TO him |
incredible that any people of the pres |
ent race could have constructed these |
immense works. Mr. lie Hunte thinks |
they could not have been built by any |
people linked to the present Pacific |
races as natural predecessors. The de- |
fences all face seward and not inland. |
which. to some extent, shows that they
were built by residents and not oy
people attacking the island from the |
sea.