The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-10-16
Human Skeletos
Found in Cave


in a report Of the finding of human
bodies in a cave near Pineville, Mo
The circumstances were such as to
suggest that new light would be
shrown on the history of prehistoric
man. rhe cave was not a cavern,
but merely q shelter beneath an over
hanging ledge of limestone, known To-
cally in northern Arkansas as a
"rock house" Its floor and roof we're
sides of an acute angle The cave
was found by e. H. Jacobs Of Benton
vile. Ark, in the north Dlun of Little
Sugar Creek, two and one-half miles
southwest Of Pinoville. and now bears
the name of Jacobs cavern. Prof
Warren x. Moorehead. curator Of the
department of archa4 1logy, Phillips
acodemy. Andoyer Mass, learned of
the cave and came with DR.. Charles
Peabody Of Cambridge TO examine IT,
BY invitation. Prof c. n. Gould OF
Oklahoma university was present and
remaine1 on the ground q week In
an article printed in Science last July
Prof Gould said:
"Ths cavern is about forty feet
above the level of Little Sugar creek.
The blun above the cave continues TO
the height of $50 feet or more. Along
the front the entire length Of the rock
shelter is approximately seventy feet;
the extreme depth is fifty feet Be
fore removing any of the contents
the height was from five to seven
feet. The floor was covered with two
deposits. one Of clay and one Of ashes,
,aggregauug SIX feet thisk so that ,he
distance from the limestone floor TO
the limestone roof is approximately
twelve feet. The rock floor was GOV
cred to he depth OF three feet with
clay, usually yellowish brown in col
or. containing numerous fragments OF
limestone. On the clay was a layer
of wood ashes averaging three feet
in thickness. Throughout the great
er part Of the cave these ashes were
30 loose and lry tha. the men engag-
ed In removing them were obliged to
use sponges order to avoid breath
ing the ashes fact. several Of the
men were unable to continue the
work on this account"
~. The Cave Ful Of Ashes,
The amount of ashes was estimate led
at 5000 cubic feet, and embedded in
the ashes were fragments of at least
four human skeletons One of these
skeletons. including a skull in a good
state CT preservation, was nearly com
plete. There were fragments of at
least six vessels, including one han
die. everal Of the fragments were
decorated Clipped flint implements
are quite common. More than one
hundred spsciments were found
These implements include arrow
points, drills, spear points, knives,
scrapers, etc. as well as cores from
which knives were obtained. The
flint Is in most cases similar to that
found on the hills near by but in
some cases It is believed to have been
carried a long distance.
One large stone mortar was found,
as well as hammer stones. a stone
hatchet and stones used for sharpen
ing implements Several avis, neeG-
les. scrapers and other implemen s
fashioned from bone and many shells
Of unio were discovered At least
two genera are. represented, both
probably found az the present time in
Sugar creek
Thousands Of Flint Flakes.
Thousands of flakes Of flint we're
found which var in size from small
slivers to pieces the size Of the hand.
Careful search was made along the
walls and roof of the cave to detect
the presence of flint in the limestone,
but without success. There is plenty
OF fin at a horizon fifty feet higher,
but SO far as known there is none in
the strata in which the cave is To-
cateA For this reason it isbelieved
that the flint was carried into the
cave. Great numbers Of bones of va
rious animals including mammals,
birds aud turtles, We're discovered.
There bones have not yet been identl-
fied. but it is probable that a large
part of them are those of living spe-
cies Many small pieces of unshapsd
stands one We're found The nearest
point SO far as known, where sand.
stone is { ODE found is four miles dis.
tNEt from the cave in the vicinity OF
White rock
Many nat limestone slabs that have