El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-12-14

T SOFA, Miss, Dec 14.-Are the bay
Gus of the Mississippi delta of ma
- tural origin7 Nobody seems ever to
have imagined otherwise. But now an
eminent civil engineer, Maj. Lamaro
Fontaine, Phi. D., who has spent 40 odd
years in that region, comes forward anG
declares that they are artificial water
ways, dug IN very ancient times by a
long-vanished race of people.
In the Yazoo-M Mississippi country (the
like of which, geographically speaking
is not to b. found anywhere else IN the
world he has traversed thousands Il
miles of bayOus and has carefully
mapped them. He SAYS that all of them
taken together form a comprehensive
system. They are, IN fact, canals, meet
ing each other usually at right angles.
Why were these canals dug? Maj.
Fontaine answers that they were eXca-
waited for drainage purposes by clever
engineers who understood the control or
water currents. By this means, IN very
ancient times, the entire delta was
made available for cultivation. Thus,
for histOrie-one should rather say pre-
histOTic-Feasoas it Is most appropriate
that the MississinDi of today should be
called the Bayou State and her citizens
Mud Turtles
At first glance it seems difficult to
realize how so gigantic a task could
have been undertaken successfully by
primitive race of people. But to this
objection the major replies that the
same remark might be equally appH-
cable to MANY other works OF remote
antiquity in South America and else
where. Like the pyramids OF Egypt. the
bayoGs we're dug by immense numbers
of slaves under the direction Of intelii-
gent task masters. When correctly
he Trrhofa Delta assumes the
aspect of a checkerbOard OF waterways,
Enthusiastically artificial.
Built as Refuge Places.
The prineipaI object of building these
mounds was probably to establish rel
uges during periods OF flood. When the
Father of Waters oVerfloWed its hanks
and inundated the Delta, the people
could find safety on such artificial ele-
vations. Inside of them (says Mai Fon-
tame, who has excavated seVeTall we're
large chambers lined with a sort OF
pebble concrete. which were intended Tor
the storage OF food Thus the primitive
inhabitants Of the country were enabled
TO Withstand a siege of the waters, so
to sneak, for a considerable period
The major has gone so lar as to re-
construct this vanished civilization TO
some extent. He has even built a small
shane and composed of poles and tree
bark, such as he suppeses the aReients
to have occupied. To make the thing
compiete. he has hired negroes OF both
sexes, old and young, to attire them
selves in breechclOuts and brief petit
coats of sacking with nothing else IN
the way of>elothesl and, thus disguised
as abTOrigines, has photographed them
Early Works Washed Away.
These mound builders Of old in |the
Delta could erect no permanent stTue-
lures, sGch as those which have sur
vived the wear and tear Of thousands
of wears IN Mexico and Peru, because IN
that all1Yial region there was no OBJ
-tainable stone. Hence it IS laccOrdlng
TO Mai. Fontaine) that all OF their
works have passed away, with the eX-
ception OF the checkerbOard OF bayOus
and a few of their mounds. They made
excellent pottery. In fact, as lar back as
1879. the people of a Mississippi town
discovered that this pottery had q com
mercial value, and proceeded to dig 1t |
up IN quantities from mounds IN the
A regular mining lever |
for aboriginal bric-abrac broke cut, and !
a considerable amount Of money was [
earned, the prehistoric Jugs, dishes, etc, !
being sold to enterprlsIng merchants |
who disposed Of It to museums and col /
lectors.
The problem of the mound builders |
Cong supposed to be an ancient and van |
ished raee) has occupied for some years |
past a good deal of the attention Of the |
government bureau Of ethnologY. Its |
experts have dug into more than 2000
mounds IN various parts OF the country |
and have come across some very sUrpTis- !
ing things Thus, for example, In num- |
Der OF such tumuli N the middle west |
were discovered curious ornaments Of 4
sheet copper exhibiting an artistic knowl-
edge far beyond that Of any modern in /
dams. The latter, ignorant of their sig
nificance, cali them thunder birds" |
They seem to be ceremonial ornaments, |
some of them representing men wearing /
helmets and carrying scepters in their
hands
The Mound Builders.
There Is hardly any part of the coun- /
try where prehistoric mounds are not to =
be although, Of course, a great 4
many of them have been obliterated BY i
.--= ==