El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-05
MISSISSIPPIS GREAT WALL
One OF the Greatest Scientific Puzzles
If the Age Yet Unsolved.

onN vi the tIGedteSI OClenLlHC PUZZLES
If the Age Yet Unsolyed.
One of the scientific puzzles of the
state of Mississippi is the "Brandywine
Stone Wall 1t has long been a prob
lem that is yet unsolved. Some time
ago Thomas Watson. of Hazelhurst.
sent Gov. Longino a pencil drawing
of an immense pile of stone in the
southwestern portion of Claiborne
county. suggesting that the stone
might be utilized in building the new
capitol In n letter which accompanied
the drawing Mr.. Watson stated that
these stones piled high on each other.
cover area four miles square.
Each stone is 6 feet long. 3 feet wide
and feet thick. and they are Joined to-
gether with an excellent quality of ce
ment. No man knows how they came
there They may have been there for
thousands of years. The builders of
the jackson News" thinks they were
put there by some prehistoric race-it
could not be otherwise This struc-
ture is supposed to be a continuation !
Of the great Chinese WALL which !
seems to begin below Raymond in the |.
southern part of Kinds county and |
which is traceable through Copiah. |
II is broad enough to accommodate |
two or three wagons abreast, and is !
one of the wonders of the world.
it, says the -Hazelton Courier" has
elected no little comment-in fact has
brought to MIR. Watson letter from
the warden of the u. S. penitentiary
at Leavenworth. and also a letter to
DIR. T. p. Birdsong from another dis
tineuished source. it being known that
the latter some years ago Investigated
the matter. Mr. Watson. however"
says the Courier has given the sub
Ject more patient thought and gone
over the ground more thoroughly than
anyone else and to him the Courier"
is indebted for the following interest
ing facts: II
He calls it the 'Brandywine Stone
Wall and says this wonderful and
massive structure or parts of structure
of masonry done in stone. which has
withstood the ravageS of time for per-
hapes many thousands of years. still 8
stands an enduring relic of prehistoric
civilization and a knowledge of the Z
are of building not inferior in many :
respects to the present day. The stone
buildings lie. for the most part, bur- 9
led in the earth in the southeastern
part of Claiborne county, and lying +
against the Copiah county line, on the
slopes overlooking the valley of the Z
Brandywine creek from the west side.
These walls run from northeast to z
southwest. They are built of white
or greyish whit estoneS of immense 9
size. weighing from two to three tons. 2
measuring from six to eight feet in 2
length and three feet wide by two feet e
thick. These blocks or slabs are laid e
in very fine quality of cement. and as 2
perfectly as brick work. The joints e
are perfect and very close. u
At one place the top of the wall is E
exposed by the earth being washed g
away to a width of sixty feet: this ex- 2
posture has the appearance of brick 9:
hearth. At another place the stone g
has been quarried for domestic use to =
a depth of three layers of slabs. which g:
is six feet a width of twetny-four feet. e
or eight blocks. and a length OF TWEEN =
ty-ive blocks. or $50 feet. The length =
of this wall as indicated by the crop :
pings is about 900 feet At another :.
place. about 500 yards away from the !.
place just mentioned. is wall jutting (.
from under a slope for distance of ~
nearly 1000 feet. This stonework is e.
exposed in great many places over an g.
area of four square miles. On
The sides and angles of the blocks g
Of stones are SO perfect that they re- 3
,emble pressed brick. The tops OF .
hese walls are perfectly horizontal =
md without regard to the unevenness F.
If the earth's surface. The seams be- =
ween the tiers are perfectly horizon q
al in position, and these blocks are a.
dressed on the edges and
'ndS. while the DrOdu surfaces are -
-ough showing a broken surface =
brought down to a level plane, but not =
Iressed They are hello so firmly to- =
,ether by the cement that it is with =
.reat difficulty that they are broken
ID.
A personal inspection of these =
reat structures as they lie partly bur- =
I'd in the earth would relieve the .
minds of the most skeptical of all =
oubt of it not being the work of the =
ands of man 10
I'm all that is above mentioned in .
onnection with numerous cavingS-in =
f the earths crust. which represents =
he existence of underground caverns.
bundant evidence is found to bear out =
he theory of the existence of a great
uried city in that locality.
The information above given is -
ouched for by other parties who have -
isited the scene in recent years and =
ears Que the theory advanced by Mr.. =
Watson. Truly. there is work for the -
dentist here