Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-23
PREHISTORIC AMERICA.
An Interesting Communication on
Recent Discoveries I'm Kentucky.

Washington, March 18th.
To the Editor of the Philadelphia Times:
The Sunday Times recently contained
communication on some recent discove-
ries in Kentucky, being on the question
of man and the mastodon existing con-
temporaneously on this continent
! was in Kentucky at the time the dis
cOveries referred to were made. They at
tracted the attention of naturalists, anti
quarans. and scientists generally. At Blue
Lick Springs Carlisle county watering
place Of celebrity, the flow of water be-
coming interrupted. it was determined to
seek the cause, and accordingly an eNca-
walton was made. At the depth of eight
feet fragments OF iron vessels were found,
which proved TO have been used by Daniel
Boone who visited the "Licks" i'm I11S.
with thirty companions, TO make salt FOR
| frontier forts His kettles were broken
by Indians and thrown into the spring.
The celebrated battle of Blue Licks, be
tween kentuckians, under Boone, IOdd,
Harlin. and Wigg, and indians, with Bril-
fish. was fought, in l7S2, with disastrous
results to the brave Kentuckians.
Excavating deeper the workmen came
upon the bones of deer, elk. buffalo, etc;
at the depth Of twelve feet remains of the
mastodon were found. Mr.. Hunter made
the discovery. But the most interesting
discovery was 10 be made. At the ~~Tsh
Of fourteen feet-two feet below the bed
of mastodon bOnes-a stone pavement was
exposed This pavement is described as
undoubtedly the work of human hands,
thus placing man contemporary with the
mastOdOn. Mr.. Turner, describing the dis-
coverv says: "The stones were. Undoubt-
! eddy. placed by man, as they were
| regularly placed side by side, leading TO
/ f.I
| hard. gray-bluc. and are as smooth as the
oldest heart rock / ever saw. They are
/ smooth as a stone pavement in village
| street. | have fifteen or the stones; two
/ bear characters resembling our letter y,
with others which look like straight marks
to me-"
Remains of the mastodon and other ex-
| tinct animals have been extensively
| found in Kentucky. At Big Bone Lick
near the Ohio. fifty miles below Cincin-
natl a remarkable discovery was made
! by a party OF Virginia explorers in the
! spring of l773 They found about ten
acres beaten hard and covered with bones
of animals. some Of huge siZe-eight and
| ten feet I'm length. They properly named
| the Mace big Bone Lick" which Aas
proven Il rich mine for naturalists. IL
! has been estimated that over one hundred
| mastodon frames have been taken from
| the locality, many now enrich the prlncl-
ral museums of this country and Europe.
! Several species of the mastodon' all be-
| longing To the mioccne and phocene pc
rods, were in America These are
| known as the NJ. Ohioticus, NJ Ameri-
canus. and NJ. Gigantus, all surviving
| until late i'm the pliocene. The range
was particularly in the great basin of the
| NIississippi. Ii is claimed that living
mastodons have been found in Alaska,
but this is very doubtful. As l write, a
dispatch from Dawson announces the as
covery Of an entire mastodon on Domin-
ion creek. British Columbia. 1t was In
perfect preservation. hair. flesh. and all.
| In Siberia similar discoveries have been
made for years.
Now the question is, did man 1--we con-
temporaneously with these giant pachy-
derus2 This is a much mOOted point
and the recent discoveries IN Kentucky
may tend to elucidatc the mtter.
when DR.. Koch discovered his Mis-
| sourian in 1899 and established the fact
that the animal had been killed by man.
| Professor Dana. and others cOmbated
his views and assumptions with much
| severity. criticising his language ana rldl'
culinc, his geology. Koch, however, main
tanned his ground, proving that the flint
! arrow-pOints are Unmarked boulders
/ used as missiles), the charcoal and other
| evidences OF mans presence were actu'
ally these scattered mastodon bones.
The flints were exhibited at the Paris
| Exposition. 1857. and one OF his masto
dons-a monument 10 his industry anc
| research-adorns the British Museum.
Evidences in support of mans antiquity
on the Western Continent are numerous
but this is neither the time nor place &c
present them. Whether they Justify the
assumption that he lived contempora'
| neouslv with extinct animals Is the ques
ton to be settled. The Calaveras skull
described in a recent issue of the Times
| the Natchez innominatum, which took Sll
charles Lyeu 10 the lower Mississippi e
Investigate with others of alleged remote
antiquity. are all interesting and claim
tho attention Of scientists. our antique
ties are incomplete and unsatisfactory
moro thorough research Will, no doubt
strengthen the claims for "A high antiquity
of man IN the North American Continent
w. De ii.