The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-29
MAY BUILD CAPITAL OF
PREHISTORIC WALL
Jackson Corr. New YORK Press1

jackson Corr. New York PressD
It is likely that the new S1.o00.0Gl
capitol of Mississippi will be built of
stone quarried and dressed bv som.
prehistoric race. Governor Longin,
has sent a sample of the stone To- tn.
Smithsonian institution, and if the
scientists report it good for building
purposes the new capitol buildin-
commission viii visit COpiah county
with a view to buying enough of the
Brandywine wall TO suit their purposes
Scientists the world over are deeply
interested in the recently discovered
wall. From time to time vague ru-
mOrs. have come from the Wilds of
southwest Mississippi, near Brandy
wine, that rains and floods. in washing
away the accumulated loan of ages
had brought to view in COUiah and
Claiborne counties d buried wall made
Of rectangular sandstone blocks and
built with a mathematical nicely that
showed considerab BILE constructive skill
There are no quaTTieS in that part o.
the state, and the settlers when m
need of material for Chimneys or f0uu-
datiOns, began to draw upon the sup
ply in the buried wall. Only recently
however, has there been any detailed
or official effort to discover the srien-
tttic Importance of the wall Then
Colonel Louis J. Dupre of Hazehurst
with Captain Z. 3. Birdsong and : s
StanTes, visited the scene. They r--
ported that the wall. evidently built
ages and ages ago, is broad enough o4
top for a twO-hOrse wagon To be driv-
en- over and yet leave plenty of room
to spare. The top, where the soil has
been removed looks like paved
street. The stone blocks were cement
ed together, and it was only with much
effort that the separate blocks were
detached
Reports on the wall were submitted
to Professor F. w Putnam. curator "
the Peabody museum, Dr. !. F. Sni-
der. editor Of the American Archae-
OlOgist. and to DR.. d. G.. BUiutou Of
the University of Pennsylvania
This has aroused scientists through
out the country and d large eNpedi-
ton, amply provided with every nereS-
sary for a most thorough investigation
is now on the way to BraudywiHe. The
expedition is under the direction of dis
tinguished .archaeoIOgists and anti
quarians and Will be absent several
weeks.
If they find, as it is expected they
VIII, that the wall was built by pre-
historic race. scientists viii have
most interesting problem 10 solve, for
that viii lead to the belief that this
continent, and not the Far East was
the cradle of the human race. that
before Babylon and the pyramids there
existed in America "a civilization n-
&C nSidera BILE mechanical attachments
that as the cities of Egypt were buried
beneath the sands of the desert. $50 I'D"
works of the earlier races aInnE IN.
Mississippi valley were buried beneath
the silt and loan brought down 7E
the mighty river during countless ages
The expedition will examine .arefU.E
the stone and the cement and possibly
make excavations in hope of discover
ing some other evidence Of t1a WORK
of the abOrigineS. Their investigations
are likely to begin at point #ae.-
the Bayou Pierre has broken through
the ancient wall and has exposed u
IN cross sections. At This pom. M
wall is about fifteen feet high and
a bout fourteen feet wide at iH. DOT
tom. The sandstone blocks H' me ..'
of the wall are rather wn.. .-gl.t.
than at the bottom. That rn. #f. mas
been buried many. many centuries Is
evidenced by the fact that along IT'S
top are great live oaks ami th" slow
growing scrub oaks and giant yellow
pines grew In one place visited .E
Colonel Dupre and party the H.E --
tered a hill that stands about goo IT,.
high. On the other side of the h'. ,'s
wall is exposed. This leads rr i1a Do
lief that the hill is only the ss.l-1rh.
of ages, and that it was created .E
nature long after the BraHdywu. wan
was built.
The nearest point to the "a. q.
which rock is found i'm uuarllrs
nearly SeVenty-five miles away
In some places the wall can d. tracer
by the mound OF earth COVERING IT, III
some places il is almost IaEr. hl.-
the ground. and in other places Do Jus
out and is exposed for sevor8. ie'-
Governor LOnginO is taking d NzgL
interest in the reports regarding ~
ancient wall. and information aood. ~
extent and exact character Is a"all5-
with some ea~erneSs.