The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-03-01

the high plateau graves." as much as 700 feet
above sea level The Oldest Of all these gravels
Is very possibly of Pliocene age. and is not re-
lated to the Thames valley other existing
river valleys. which are Of later date than they
are. The gravel at Uckheld (Piltdown). in which
the human jaw found. is only 120 feet above
sea level. and not far from the River Ouse
which flows past Lewes. Probably high pla-
teau gravel existed on the top OF the chalk
which once stretched across the Sussex Weald
and the gravels deposited much later at low
levels after the wearing away of the great mass
OF chalk lying over the Wealden beds contain
some material derived from these Oldest and
highest gravels. and also some of the gravel de-
posted In every successive age as the erosion
continued. So that this bottom gravel on the
sussex plain, only 120 feet above sea level is
nkeiy to contain mixture and assortment of all
the preceding grarels
Hence 1t = very difficult to assign the bones
and the worked fints (shaped by mani found
IN 1t to definite age. Any fragment we pick
up may be as old as the plateau graves which
lay on the top of the chalk in the very early
fleistocene or late Pocene age or may belong
to as late period as that of the actual depost
OF the gravel bed in which we now find 1t i'm
bedded
rie gravel about Pitdown is SO thin a layer
that 1t escaped attention from the officers of the
Geological Survey. 1t became known to Mr.
Dawson by the fact that local farmers were dig
meQQfng
only exists on slightly raised parts of the valley
OF the Ouse. and its makeup" is very peculiar
II contains iron-stone and d-eply stained iron-sa
from the Wealden strata on which it rests. and
peculiar ruddy-brown broken fints not very
numerous. which nearly all bits of -tabu
lar Hint. recalling those of the high plateau
gravel at Ightham. In Kent
Many of the hints In this Piltdown gravel have
been worked by early man into rough nipple
ments. They are of fiat shape often triangular
IN area, and show coarse but unmstakable
making OF human workmanship. l and my COM
panions picked up four from the surface of a
plowed field when / visited Piltdown They are
rougher In workmanship than the Acheuillian or
even Cheilean. implements of our better known
river terrace gravels- It Is impossible to asso-
ciate them with those from any other locality
known to me; and should merely say to them
that they seem to be earlier than any flint i'm
PIGMENTS which can be rightly called Chellean
Later and more finely worked flint implements
have not been found in this gravel
But the most remarkable thing about thia
gravel is the discovery in It, by DR. Smith Wood
ward and Mr.. Dawson. of fragment of a tooth
OF mastodon and of fragments of teeth of the
Elephas acknowledgement which were ex-
noited to the Geological society.
These two animals are known to occur In PHO
Gene strata-and are not found as late as the
Pleistocene I'm this part of the world. The
teeth OF the elephant in question are very difer
ent from those Of the mammoth They are found
also in the Norfolk forest-bed and in one or two
"hssures" In the South Downs filed in by an
cient sands The remains of this elephant
abound In the Pliocene Of France and italy
few fragmentary teeth of hippopotamus a
beaver. and horse. bit of a large deers antye,.
and the human Jaw and skull fragment complete
the list OF animal remains II Is owing to the