The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-29
LOST ART OF THE STONE AGE.
The Stone implements Once Made by q
Tribe In New Guinea.

Thirty-five years ago one OF the greatest
factories for making implements of the
stone age such as AIDES, chisels and spear
points was near the east end OF New
Guinea. One of the small tribes there
had made a reputation for %chopping stones
and grinding them to perfection by great
effort.
The natives carried on a barter trade in
these objects, which were sold all along
the coast clear to the northern shores OF
the island. The tribes, far and wide, were
certain that M other makers Of stone irns
plements rivalled the craftsmen of Snloga.
About five years later an epidemic swept
the villa ges occupied by these stone workers
nearly clean and with them died their
special art Of f%ashioning these articles.
The few survivors fled to Suloga Beach,
where they built two houses. in which they
and their descendants have lived.
A British an~thropological expedition
led by DR.. S%eligman recently visited the
remna Mt Of the tribe, where they found
an bic man who said to them;
"My grandfather was a famous worker
OF stone and he taught his son, my fatheri
whom as a child | often saw at work. Tn.
doubtedly he would have taught me as I
grew up, but for the big sickness. He
died and | was never taught, nor we're any
of my generation"
The explorers visited the quarry from
which the volcanic stone that was fashioned
into implements was obtained. They saw
that n vast amount Of work had been done
there.
The stone flakes that had been Clipped
from pieces of rock covered acres n we're
several inches in depth. Among these
stone chips were many implements in the
earlier stages Of manufacture, but no fine
ished tools were found
The natives say their fathers used to
break the rocks into workable fragments
by dropping one upon another from as high
as a man could lift. The ultimate shape OF
the implement depended greatly on the
workman's skill in cleaving; and after he
had secured his piece of nearly suitable
shape the work was little more than begun.
The tool had then to be carefully roughed
out, and finally came the grinding, which
was hard and long work,
The explorers found about a dozen OF
these old grindstones. The depressions
worn into them by the grinding process
were circular, showing that the grinding
motion was round and round rather than
back and forth. Sand and water were
used to help the grinding process.
Many unground stones we're sent to other
markets to be polished by their new owners.
but the natives all say that no other stone
workers were able to obtain the beautiful,
even polish of the stones that we're ground
at Suloga.
These objects are now in great demand
for museums and private collections. The
eader Of the British expedition writes that
TRADERS find that they can afford to nav
from s25 to $50 in trade goods for a superior
specimen and are sure to sell il again at
a handsome profit.
Only a vague idea Of the detailed methods
used to produce these stone objects can
be obtained. This is unfortunate. A ali
the light that can be thrown upon the mod.
ern stone age is needed to explain thor
oughly the processes Of manufacture in
prehistoric times Do.