Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-02-07
MOST ANCIENT OF MEN
RECENT DISCOVERIES IN ENG.
LAND ARE'MTEREsTiNo:
Flint implements Made 1cforesaths
Glacial Period 5of EnropsNAfe
found by: an Eminsnt Arehas.
soioaist! III: autEopllk.s

cientman (of which I am able to
speak with full con1dence since I
have studied the specimens and the
localities myself, and have Just sent
al Illustrated account. 6f the nipple
ment to the Royal society is that Of
Mint implements> Of very definite and
peculiar shape. In some abundance,
In q bed at the base OF what, geolo.
gists class a ,asPliocene deposit THAT
IL. before the P~leistocene), namely.
the Red !Crag" OF ssufolk: We owe
this most Important discovery entire
" to Nj j. Reid Moir Of Ipswich, who
found his first specimens In October,
1909, and aftersa years careful exami-
nation OF the district and the finding
of more specimens in crag pits ten
miles and more around Ipswich, san-
nounced it in q letter to the Times IN.
October. 1910 Now that another
year has passed more specimens have
been found and the matter isabeyond,
dispute.
Two distinguished biologists, past
presidents of the Geological society
have certified that the bed in which
Mr.; Moir's fints are obtained is GER
tinly the un%disturbed basement bed
OF the Red Crag; SO that they may
be justly spoken Of as due to the work
of pre-crag man.
The implements are not at alt like
those previously known. They are not
t1attened,s:s Acknowledged, or kite-likes
elongated, triangular Q + .leaf;shaped),
as are the large Paleolithic tmple-'
ment (the Chellean, Acheuilian and
Moustierian) hitherto known. But
they are shaped like the beak Of an
eagle. compressed from side ito. side,
with atkeel or%ridge extending .frSm
the front point backward Their shape
may be compared to the hull. Of a
boat with It's keel turned upward and
Its beak-like Prov In front. They are
from four to ten inches III length and
all have been fabricated by q few
lwell.directed blows given to an oblong
piece Of flint SO al to knooksoh great.
pieces right and left;S leaving q keel
In the midline, while the lower face is.
trimmed nat. !
These implements are. In fact.
beaked hammer heads-probablt used
in the hand without hafting-and ap-
piled to the smoothing and dressing
OF skins, as well asSother purposes.
Some are more symmetrical and care
fully trimmed" than others. With,
these. which, call eagles, beak ,im-
plements,' or the "rostro-carinate
type are found, q few other large
and heavy sculptdred hints OF very GU
rious shape (likef picks and axes) UNI
like any hitherto known, but certain
" and without the least doubt Clipped
Into shapesb BY MAI.
The mint simplem1e1its-oalr eagles
beaks made sbysmen IN the relatively
warm Corallinia CregsdYs-WeIs. actuss
ally carsded on thessland: BY an Ice
sheet and, deposited In the earlieSt
layers Of the Red Crag deposit. The
irrefragable proof q. this i sthatSyer
many, Of the eagles beak: Shintasaae
scratched and scored on their smooth
surfaces by those peculiar scrosssrun-
ming grooves which u md on alsspeb'
be fro1hsa glaciers '.moraine. or
stone heap. Nothing but the immense
pressure Of the stones embedded in.
one sheet Of lce. rasping By slow
movement other stones embedded ia
another sheet Of ice rel which the
first very slowly advances. can pro-
duce these n1arkinyS.s &
The Red Crag marks the beginning
OF the Pleistocene and Of the glacial
condition Of North Europe. A great
question. difficult Of decision. ts
whether the earliest river Eraveas
which We know IN England and
Francesw we're 40 early IA the Red Crag.
everything which are vast marine de
POSTS Of glacial sands and clayl,. In
any case ME- Moir's Mint implements
are pre-Crax; they were made before
the glacial conditions set In. and are
quite unlike those found In the river
gravels. The discovery i q which
will profoundly interest the "pre-his-
torians"" Of France and Germany. %
we'll = English ,archaeologiats. and &c,
ologists.-London Times, s