Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-10

! all are the vast. almost terrifying
! stones. rudely sculptured. that hlv+
been found on lonely Easter island If
the Pacific ocean.
The mystery as to what these stones
meant was not tn only puzzle. the
greatest puzzle vas now primitive
peorle without knowledge of ,-ngin-rr-
ing and with ut known Appliances
could hav" moved and erected such
giant blocks. some Of which ". IGN
as much as 80 tons. IL many dis
r,ic,s where tie ereA. memorials
stand there arr no stones Of such siZe
To be- found III the earth. Consequent
l. they must have been transported
from places long distances away. For
Inany generations, ever since men
have spent any time in thinking over
these matters. scientists have puzzled
their heads over the monolIths in vain.
Whether they class them as
all being the same or whether
they divide them into differ y I
classes. they remained the same rlt-
die. Lately. however, there has been
= systematic study of all the mono-
Ijth memorials of the world. and
80 a result a novel theory has been
advanced II il that one racc-that
nf .hc Phocnici ins-erected all these
monuments of course. if this IS cor
rect il means that history will have 70
be revised, for it will show that the
Phoenicians once knew all about the
whole globe. and that they had visited
America and Asia long before modern
days.
I'll" first thing that led to the as
oumption that the Ph"enicianS had raised
the monuments was the "bSeiNa-
ton Of NJ I.evietfe, French arch
eoIocist that alInost all the monoliths
were to be found near the mouths at
great rivers or along their courses. TINS
roin; ed to a people that used ships Now
the C.lts we've never strong on the water.
Their boats were primitive, being made
mostly If wickcrwork covered with hides,
and they were unable 20 move any dis
lance from land in these clumsy and un-
e.aWOrthy contriVauccS. conSeG uently,
when the question arose as to what race
was advanced in navigation IN that carly
time when these monuments were put up
the answer naturally came that the only
race known to be a race of sailors and
clans And if they were. the Phoenician.'
how lid they come to reach America?
They had colonies on the islands of the
western Mediterranean, and even in IN"
islands Of the. Atlantic ocean, as history
proves. Il is not hard to imagine that
they may have found their way to Ameri-
GA
Some archeologists are even willing
to believe that they reached America
t.y way Of th. lost Atlantis. that lcgen-
Diary continent thai is now suuktn SOM
where in the Atlantic ocean. if ii ever ~
listed At any rate. the theory that the
PhmnicianS were the erectOrS of the
rnololiths of the world. To- commemorate
disco .eries or for religious purposes, has
gained strength through thu recent dis
rovcry OF a great upright stone near the
river Loire. which has Phoenican words
craven deeply on il. Translated th"@"
words say ON this spot was slain our
brave. comradc." In San Luis. in Bolivia,
is one Of these stones. which has on il the
engraving of a Footprint and snake with
its head raised The footprint is a we'll
known Phocniciar symbol Of death. and
is found on many stones thai cover an
Gent Phcci.ician burial rites And the
Snak. with head raised is another ac-
knowl.dg.l Thocnician emblem. 1t sig
nifi"S march forward. Exactly the
SANE. symbols as those the South
American stone have been found on Il
stone in central France.