The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-06
AMERICAN MN
N GLACIAL AGE
Scientific Evidence Shows
That One Existed.
THAT LANSING SKULL
Figures Prominently in ArriV-
ing at This Conclusion.

The scientific evidence is continually
becoming stronger that man existed in
America in the Glacial Age-that is, the
remotest prehistoric days He belonged
10 a race entirely distinct from the In
dams. and there are apparently no de-
scendants Of his among the present so
called aborigines of the American CONT
nents.
Remains of man have just been discov-
cred at Lansing. Kansas. which are judg
ed by such high authorities as Professors
Wincheu and Williston and Mr.. Warren
Jpham TO be undisturbed and of the To-
wan stage of the glacial epoch.
The existence of glacial man in Europe
was first determined in connection with
the high-level river gravels in the valley
OF Somme, situated in Picardy in the
northern part Of France. There, in 1871,
Boucher de Perthes reported finding rude
ly fashioned stone implements in unlis
turbed strata of the high-level gravel ter
races which reach an elevation of ninety
feet. By various means these are de-
cided to be Of glacial age.
But for twenty years his discoveries
were ignored by scientific men. until at
length in 1858 and 1859 several English
and French savants, incluulng Professor
1restwich. -ar. John Evans. Sir Charles
Lyell and NJ Gaudry visited the region
and made independent discoveries. such
as fully satisfied the scientific world.
Since then similar discoveries have beer
made az various places in France, Bel
GUM and southern England.
OF special interest have been the re-
4,
ems. OF these. Kent's hole. in Englard
and the caverrs on the property of the
Count of Beaufort. in the Commune Of
Spy. in the province of Namur. in Bel
GUM, have attracted most attention. The
second Of these. known as the Man of
Spy consists of the larger portions of
two Skeletons including a nearly perfect
s all OF the male. In many important
particulars this skull has created great
interest in Europe and naturally stimulat-
ed investigation in America. The first
results of this interest appeared in Cal
fcrnia where Professor J. D. Whitney was
conducting the State Geographical Sur
vey. The most striking of these dis
ooveTies occurred near Sonora. at Alta
Vile in Calaveras county. where skill
was said to have been found in gold
bearing river gravel. buried about 100 feet
beneath the lava deposits of Table Noun
tain Many other human relics were.
from time TO time. reported as found I'M
der this lava deposit but the genuine
mss Of them all. including the "Ca'averas
SKULL was holly contested. Bret Harte
threw ridicule on the matter in famous
poem.
Later. however. Mr.. Clarence King be-
came sponsor fer d 'pes'le" which be took
ont with his own hands from hat he
considered to be the un1isturbel grave
Beneath Table Mou tain at RaWhid
Culch near Soro~a. Later still M Geo.
F. Becker. of thu Urited GeograI hical
Survey ohtaired posse sion Of a mortar
concerning which he had what he CON
sidered to be the best of evidence that it
was from Il similar position near by. TIL
WAS soon followed by the discove in the
same vicinity of another mortar foUnl by
n c. McTarrahan in tho b Is on mine.
u-dernea'h Table Mountain I75 fe-t from
III mouth OF the tunnel.
II California there is much the same
scciaton OF the bones Of recently ex-
ticct arimals vi the sold bearings o.
California deposits of Europe and the
e1sterH United States
Coming now 1, the MSS ip1i Valley
q / the Atlantic coos we Cnd 'ha- A.
ea~ly rs 1870. Dr.. c. c. Abbott began t
rccort finding rou.h ny clipped imple-
cnts I'm the stsatitiej gravel COMPOSING
Il o broad dJlta terrace fifty feet above
Ii level. upon which the city Of T5cn-
tn. X J.. is hui d. ffc Was facilitated in
kim these discoveries ~ tn, cxt,n-
si~a excavations which the Tenusylva' IA
rsilroad was carrying ~ % obtain gravel
o, vaii nus pits. "a which resort was .,ad
- near their station. and by she tx Stencc
b. private persons for the same purpose.
as well rs by several perpendicular ex-
Pc u~eS of the bank where II was under
II nei by the Delaware river. In al DIT
Ab3ott reported the finding Of twenty
hre OF thirty implements in The undis-
turbei strata rf tbs terrace AT vlryin.
depths down 10 sixteen feet
Biologists an agree that this delta ter
race is of glacial aEo hlvf-C teen dc
posted nj tide water 10y The vast fiooCs
which came 7owntha delaware river dur
ing the last stages OF the glacial re5iod
whom the front IF ihe melting ic, sheet
The only question raised has been whether
DR. Abbott may no: have oeen mistaken
IN thinking that the sravel in which he
found the implements was undisturbed.
To account for the occurrence Z the i'm
PIGMENTS AT the depths reported variors
theories were Prcpoundcd. some suggested
that the implements had fallen INTO
cracks in the earth. or into Eorher hoes /
or down openings made nv the decaving
tap roots of trees while others supposed
that the deposits in which the implements
were found may. in each case. have
been talus OF material which had fal-
en- down from the TOP of the hank
In support OF Or. AbhoJt's conclusion
there are u he a6duce3 the character Of
the soil which is such that il does not
crack open in time Of droucht: the cen /
tral position aud freshness Of the excava-
tons where the discoveries were made
which would render 1t unlikely that arv
careful observer could be deceived. much
less Or Abbott. and finally the fact
that. while on the surface thousands Of
flint ard JASPER Indian implements were
found. no2e 81 this character occurred
under the superficial strata OF about one
foot in thickness. below which dep:h ths
implements were III Of argn'us-a slack
rock changed by heat coming from en-
tact with some Trap likes in the vicir ~
But. TO render the facts as oe-t-in a e
possible. Professor r w Putnam. OF h
Peabody Museum OF aHrvard Colleze
at different times sent Professors 7. d.
Whitney. Lucian y. Carr ard \ S. Shaler