St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-11-28
rHSSISSIPPPS GREAT WALL.
An Interesting Prehistoric Work tn
Origin of Which rs n Mystery.

An Interesting Prehistoric Work the
Origin of Which rs n Mystery.
One OF the scientific puzzles of the state
OF Mississippi is the Brandywine Stone
Wall" 1t has long been problem that
is yet unsolved. Some time ago Mr..
Thomas Watson of Hazlehurst, sent
Gov. Longino pencil drawing OF an
immense pile Of stone in the southeastern
portion oil Claiborne county, suggesting
that the stone might be utilized in build
ing the new Capitol. In letter which
accompanied the drawing Mr.. Watson
stated that these stones piled high on
each other, cover an area fur miles
square Each stone is six feet long,
three feet wide and two feet thick, and
they are joined together with an excel
lent 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 structures supposed to
be 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 accom-
modate 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 comment-in fact, has brought
letter to Mr.. Watson from the warden
of the United States penltentiary at
| Leavenworth, Kan, and also letter to
DR.. 7. B. Birdsong from another dis
tinguished source, it being known that
the latter some years ago investigated
the matter. Mr.. Watson, however"
says the Courier, "has given the subject
more patient thought aud gone over the
ground more thoroughly than any one
else, and to him the Courier is indebted
for the following facts:
"He calls it the 'Brandywine Stone
Wall, and says this wonderful and mas
sive structure or parts OF structure OF
masonry done in stone, which has with
stood the ravages of time tor perhaps
many thousands of years, still stands an
enduring relic of a prehistoric civilization
and knowledge of the art Of building
not inferior in many respects to the pres
ent 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 Brandy wine 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, meas
uring from six to eight teet in length and
three feet wide by two 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 sixty feet and length of ninety feet
this exposure has the appearance OF {
brick hearth.
"At another place the stone has beer
quarantined for domestic use to a depth
of three layers of slabs. which is six feet
a width of twenty-tour feet, or eight
blocks, and a length of twenty-five
blocks, or $50 feet. The length of thi'
wall as indicated by the Groupings il
{ about 1 900 feet
"At another place about 500 yard
away from the place just mentioned is {
! wall jutting from under slope for dis
tance of nearly 1000 feet. This ston
: work is exposed in great many place
over an area of four miles.
: 1.-THE sides and angles of the blocks @
stone are so perfect that they resembl
| pressed brick The tops of these wall
are perfectly horizontal and withou
regard to the unevenness OF the earth
E surface The seams between the tier
are perfectly straight, and each block c
r stone is perfectly horizontal in position
e and these blocks are smoothly dresse
on the edges and ends, while the broa
t surfaces are rough. showing broke
! surface brought down to level plane
but not dressed. They are held so firml
e together by the cement that it is wit
: great difficulty that they are broken III
! "a personal inspection OF these grea
] structures as they lie partly buried
p the earth would relieve the minds of th
-! most sceptical of all doubt Of it not b,
ing the work OF the hands of man.
0 "In all that is above mentioned in col
:, nection with numerous cavingsin OF TT
e earth's crust, which represent the ext
S tence of underground caverns, abundar
n evidence is found to bear out the theor
n OF the existence of great buried city
t that locality.
THE information above given
v vouched for by other parties who hay
y visited the scene in recent years, an
S bears out the theory advanced by Nj
r Watson. Truly, there is work of tt
G scientist here "-[New Orleans Picayun