The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-30
MlssIssIPPI's GREAT WALL.
An Interesting Prehistoric Work the
Origin % Which Is a Mystery.


Origin % Which Is a Mystery.
One of the scientific puzzles of the stare
of Mississippi is the "Brandywine stone
wall" 1t has long been a problem that
is yet unsolved. Some time ago Mr..
Thomas Watson of Hazlehurst sent Gov
ernOr IOngino a pencil drawing of an
immense pile of stone in the southeast
ern portion of Claiborne county, suggest
ing that the stone might be utilized in
building the new capitol. In a letter
which accompanied the drawing Mr..
Watson stated that these stones, piled
high on each other, cover an area four
miles square. Each stone is 6 feet
long, feet wide and feet thick,
and they are joined together with an ex-
cellent quality of cement. No man knows
how they came there. They may have
been there for thousands of years. The
builders, the Jackson News thinks, were
some prehistoric race-it could not be
otherwise. This structure is supposed TO
be a continuation of the great Chinese
wall, which seems to begin below Ray
mOnd, in the southern part Of Kinds
county, and which is traceable through
Copiah. 1t is broad enough to accommo-
date two or three wagons abreast and Is
one of the wonders of the world.
Mention of this remarkable exhibit"
says the Hazlehurst Courier, has elected
no little coument-in fact, has brought a
letter to MIR. Watson from the warden of
the United States penitentiary at Leaven-
worth, Kan, and also a letter to DR.. 7.
b. BirdsOng from another distinguished
source, it being known that the latter
some years ago investigated the matter.
Mr.. Watson, however" says The Cou-
rier, "has given the subject more patient
thought and gone over the ground more
thoroughly than any one else, and to
him The Courier is indebted for the fol-
lowing facts:
HE calls it the 'Brandywine stone
wall and says this wonderful and mass
I've structure or parts of structure of
masonry done in stone, which have with
stood the ravages of time for perhaps
many thousands Of years, still stand an
enduring relic of a prehistoric civiliza-
ton and a knowledge of the art of build
ing not inferior in many respects to the
present day. These stone buildings lie
for the most part buried in the earth in
the southeastern portion of Claiborne
county and lying against the Copiah
county line on the slopes overlooking the
valley of the Brandywine creek from the
west side.
THESE walls run from northeast to
southwest. They are built of white or
grayish white stone of immense size,
weighing from two to three tons, measur-
ing from to 8 feet in length and 3
feet wide by feet thick. These blocks
or slabs are laid in a very fine quality
Of cement and as perfectly as brickwork.
The joints are perfect and very close.
AT one place the wall is exposed by
the earth being washed away to width
of 60 feet and length of 80 feet. This
exposure has the appearance of q brick
hearth.
"At another place the stone has been
Quarried for domestic use to a depth Of
three layers Of slabs, which Is 6 feet,
a width of "a feet, or eight blocks, and
q length Of % blocks, or 80 feet. The
length Of this wall as indicated by the
groupings is about 1000 feet,
AT another place about 500 yards
away from the place just mentioned is
wall jutting from under a slope for q
distance Of nearly 1000 feet. This stone
work is exposed in a great many places
over an area of four miles.
'"The sides and angles of the blocks of
stones are so perfect that they resemble
pressed brick, The tops Of these walls
are perfectly horizontal and without re-
gard to the unevenness Of the earth's
surface. The seams between the tiers
are perfectly straight, and each block Of
stone is perfectly horizontal in position,
and these blocks are smoothly dressed on
the edges and ends, while the broad sur
faces are rough, showing a broken sur
tace brought down to level plane, but
not dressed. They are held so firmly
together BY the cement that It Is with
ktsst difficulty that they are broken up.
IA personal Inspection bf these great
structures as they lie partly buried in
the earth would relieve the minds of the
most skeptical Of all doubt Of their not
being the work Of the hands Of man.
I'm all that is above mentioned in
connection with numerous eavings In Of
the earth's crust, which represent the
existence Of underground caverns, abun-
dant evidence is. found to bear out the
theory Of the existence Of a great buried
city in that locality. -.
The information above givefi is votich-
ed for b. other parties who have visited
the scene in recent years and bears out
the theory advanced by Mr.. Watson.
Truly there is work. for the scientist
here. New Orleans Picayune.
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