The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-01-21
WALL Of PREHISTORIC AGE
nENAR<ABLE CONSTRUCTION DIS
COVERED IN MISSISSIPPI.
Duiit of Massive stones secureIy Lnid
III f'ne 'ement--worls Has Becn
Treced for Forty Miles.


0. experimenting the construction of
me new capitol, which is 10 cost 81, Co.,
VoV. nave had their attention callla 10 n
very excellent article IL stone VII cA Il
sald to exist in inexhaugtible guanlities
IN an old wall extending from near RAY
mond In the southern PORTION OF this
Hlnds. county to Brandywlne, In the
county OF Claiborne, some forty miles
10 the southwest, and IL Is possible q full
investigation Will be made before any
contracts for the stone work for The cap
itol Is awarded.
The existence OF this great wall has
been known for many years. but all
previous efforts to interest archaeoioeists
ana other scientists have proved futile.
they having boo -hooed a. the idea of any
such prehistoric wonder in the great val
ley OF the Mississippi But the wall is
there beyond all question and so accus-
toned have the inhabitants OF the ycini-
" become to It's presence that their
curiosity has become dulled and they have
long since ceased to wonder as to its
origin.
AS stated, the old wall is traceablo Nor
some forty miles but not without nu-
merous breaks caused by the washlngs
and the accumulations of ages burying
long Stretches below the present surface
OF the surrounding country but once the
general direction Is fixed the explorer
has little trouble in finding where 1t next
crops above the surface. The average
height Of the wall above ground IS only
| three or four feet in the best expo ed
places, but there Is no telling how deeply
imbedded are The notion layers. In
some level stretches where the entire
op OF the wall is still above the surface
/ 1t is from ten 10 forty feet wide and as
solid as IL could have been when hrst
| built. The stones average six feet long,
4 three feet wide ana two feet HEX. and
| are estimated TO weigh from two to three
tons They are roughly but accurately
! squared and dressed and imbedded in as
| fine an arucle of cement as any builder
! or the present century need ever want to
see. So tighuy and firmly are the great
stones joined together that It requires
considerable exertion with pick and crow
bar to loosen them from their ancient
beds.
Some four or FIVE weeks ago I. c.
Watson OF Copiah county wrote Governor
longno calling his attention 10 tails
great stone wall and suggeA ing that the
stone for building score OF such capitols
as the State OF Mississippi proposed To
build could be had in the neighborhood
of Brandywiue, Claiborne county. whore
he stated the wall seemed TO terminate
In great walled city covering an area
about four miles square.
This letter was accompanied by rough
drawing OF the locality and gave the
dimerJions OF the stones as stated above
Mr.. Watson has seen the wall hundreds OF
times, having lived near it many years
, and his testimony can not be doubted
The citizens OF the Brandywine neighbor-
hood refer TO the so-callcd buried city as
the ''old quarry" aud from which fol-
generations they have been IN the habi
of taking material for building chmneys
or other structures where stone answered
the purpose of brick.
Governor Longino has Just received Z
piece OF the stone which was sent hin
as Il sample and II is pronounced by al
who have seen " as OF most eNcellen
quality ana different from any Other
stone found in this section of the coun.
try The sample will be sent TO the
n Smithsonian institution for analysis.
= DR., T. b. Birdsoug OF Haslehurst who
. IS quite an enthusiast IN matters OF thi,
y kind, has done more exploring and In
r vestigating around and about this sup
c posed buried city than any other mar
, living, Fifteen years ago he made his
frat visit to the Brandywiue country
/ and being something in the way OF Al
q ariist made sketch, which was PRINTED
4 for the first time a few days ago by tn
HasehurSt Courier, his local paper.
IS Speaking OF that visit, which was II
n company with Colonel Louis J. Du Pre-
e who was consul to one of the most i'm
Ia portant posts IN Cen.ral America durln.
" Mr. Cleveland's first administration, ant
10 Messrs. Bridges and Stannes, two citi
VI zens of the neighoorhood Or, Birdsoui
It says: II can not describe the exposed
" parts of this vast ruin better than hs
n already been done. IN so far as figures
J. and dimensions go. but my sketch vii
4. give the public better idea of what Il
- being talked about, Mr.. Bridges secure,
"A the services OF negro and crowhar 4
demonstrate The manner of quarrling th'
stone. Standing atop OF what he sup
posed TO be the top of the wall the mai
pounded at the rock with repeated VERT
a cal strokes, using both hands, till tn,
blade bit Into a seam. Then working tn,
a. Oar latterly out relied perfect stone
:" almost cube, from its ancient bed 0
Is cement, falling az our feet as II fresl
l. from the stonecu.ter's hand. Towering
above us 200 or 900 feet was vast hill
=, topped with an oval summit like tn
:" capitol at Washington--this covered wit
6, great pines, primevals of the torest--au,
inns wall runs under the hill II tina
10 hill be the sediment Of ages how oil
lie must be this rulnG'
II Colonel Du Pro was a man Of mean
p ana had delved into the mysteries OF pre-
10 historic mounds and in dwellers' home
'e In the West and In Central America to
considerable extent He made an eASe
cal effort 10 discover whence came IN,
n stone OF which the great wall was eon
1, strueted, but could not. there bein,
-, nothing like Il in that section OF tn
~ country.
is NE years later pr John b. Jewet; {
T. Newtown. Ohio, made numerous inquire
lie by mall about this wall and contributes
IS several interesting articles to the scion
20 tlhe press on the subject Among othe
ID things he 81 d about Il. There - stron
PROBABILITY I m NIX, that the locality c
the CopilA wall Itself Is referred t. /
several Mexican legends at the ramot
pre- Mexican time, II the intel
Il igent Amer can public can be convince
IN there is IN Mississippi q monumen
a. Older than the pyramid OF Cholula aad q
=, mpse Of It's a.story and the strang
- people who built It, they will surely max
On haste to rescue the ruins"
~ ~ Is understood here that a partv
IN hroh1eologists and other scientists sr
of preparing TO visit Mssis {ipp for the par
~ pose OF exploring the old vail. II they 4
no they viii be given cordial receotio
49, and rendered every ass stauce Ia N
~ power OF the people living In the vielnit,
al Inc wall Is there No one Ano9s no
rs y came nor BY whom built. Lat thos
h VINO have made such subjects ilfe stud
come down and enlighten us, II we aay
buried city we want to know IL.
n Dying from burns.
H.. IA