1S95.] *^^' [Mercer. 



ancient visitors, and representing epochs of human habitation, some 

 positive proof as to the antiquity of man on the American continent. 



Just as the Drift Hunter, the oldest proved inliabitant of Europe, was 

 found to have left traces of his presence in caves, just as the prehistoric 

 European epochs of human culture, bronze under iron, then polished and 

 then chipped stone, were found to be represented in caves by the super- 

 position of films of this rubbish resting one above the other, so here 

 in America we may hope to find similar evidence, if it exists. If the 

 Indian had a predecessor, we may expect to reveal proof of his presence 

 in some cavern not difficult to discover, while if the Indian were an in- 

 habitant in geologically ancient times, we ought to be able to demon- 

 strate the fact, as such facts have been demonstrated before, by the 

 occurrence of his relics associated with geologically older or extinct 

 animals in the subterranean rubbish. 



As far as a search in the Eastern United States is concerned, the 

 topography of the region east of the Mississippi has seemed to liave an 

 important bearing on the question. No doubt many caves could be 

 eliminated from the investigation for the sake of a first look at others 

 wliich appeared, by their position, to constitute a key to th'e sitviation. 

 The thick precolumbian forest was traversed from northeast to south- 

 west by a wooded mountain chain, and, as it was likely that early peo- 

 ples had crossed this barrier to reach the Atlantic seaboard, it has 

 seemed probable that the caves fronting practicable mountain passes, 

 running from east to west, the traversing river valleys, in other words, 

 would likeliest contain traces of all the immigrants that passed that 

 way. 



So making use of the indispensable advice and assistance offered us 

 by Professor Cope, we turned our attention to the two most important 

 of these river pathways, and after a search with significant results in 

 the Lookout cave on the Tennessee river at Chattanooga, and again at 

 the awe-inspiring Nickajack cavern farther down stream, took for a 

 time as our special field the longest and most practicable mountain and 

 forest pass of all, the New river-Kanawha-Ohio Valley. By following 

 this, it may be said that a foot wanderer could, at least pains and at best 

 advantage, proceed as primitive immigrants would proceed, eastwardly 

 through the forest and across the mountains to the Atlantic shore. 

 Starting therefore at the head-waters of the New river in Virginia, 

 advancing in a canvas boat down the rushing and rocky current, using 

 railways where they helped us, and then wooden boats on the broaden- 

 ing stream when night-camping was abandoned, we followed the New 

 river into the Kanawha, the Kanawha through its deep gorge into the 

 Ohio, and the Ohio nearly to its mouth in the Mississippi, examining all 

 the caves and rock shelters by the way. 



The time has not come to describe in full or fairly estimate the evi- 

 dence thus collected. Suffice it here to say, that as compared with pre- 

 historic Europe everything was modern, that while in Europe you have 



