Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-10-09

Original Outline OF FIItor and veooeI.
numbered some 100000 souls. having
been reduced to about 10000. Event
ually even these last were killed on
or worked to death In the mines, and
at the present day there are NO pure
blooded Indians. left on the island.
It was my good fortune to discover
on this last trip . totally unknown fact
about the aborigines Of Haiti, namely.
that these people were acquainted
with the principle Of hltering their
drinking water through charcoal. .
discovery all tho more astonishing
when one remembers that filters are
supposed to be comparatively modern
inventions Of the white race. The &C
companying photographs show quite
clearly what shape this aboriginal filter
had.
A series Of water jars of . similar
shape. although without the "filter
disk" enabled me to make the deter
mination Of the original outline with
accuracy. One can gain some impres-
sion Of the scarcity Of West Indian
pottery when one considers that the
total number Of unbroken vessels Of
clay from the West Indies in different
institutions throughout the world IL
not over nfty.
was exploring some Of the lime
stone caves that one finds throughout
the Island Of Haiti when l came upon
one which had in It Q small subterra-
mean fresh-water lake. from which the
Indians in the neighborhood evidently
must have taken their drinking water.
This lake was about thirty feet lower
than the mouth Of the cave, and one
descended to it by q series Of natural
steps, formed by boulders which in the
course Of centuries had fallen from the
roof Of the cave. Between these boul-
ders and in the water Of the lake
found many broken water vessels Of
various sizes and shapes which the
Indians evidently had thrown away.
The recovery Of these jars and frag-
ments was quite an exciting task. 1t
necessitated diving. occasionally into
IL feet Of water. and, though this is
not Q great depth when one II diving
under natural conditions. Il was quite
dificult and rather hasardous in this
case.
In the Arst place I had to burn q
magnesium light in order to locate
whatever piece wanted to recover. a.
my acetylene lamp was not strong
enough to do this. ! then placed q
long pole. which I had cut on q tree
outside the cave. alongside the vessel
and then dove down. following the
pole with one hand and cropping for
tho vessel with the other.
Returning to the surface was another
problem, because the roof Of the cave
slanted down to the water, and II one
came straight up to the surface one
would strike the roof Of the cave and
probably drown. To overcome this,
had . rope fastened to my wrist, and
one Of the men with me would pull
toward him when he saw that l had
recovered the object l had gone after.
thus making me come to the surface
In the proper spot.
Among the pieces Of pottery that I
found between the boulders leading
down to the lake was . fragment Of
the filter illustrated. Alongside the
fragment found some Of the smaller
shreds belonging to the bottom part
Of the jar and also several large pieces
Of charcoal. These pieces Of charcoal
evidently were packed in the top part
Of the vessel and served to filter the
water. both when II was poured into
the jar and when Il was poured out