7*J 



OBSERVATIONS ON STONE-CHIPPING. <S7.: 



chipping off small flakes by pressure, using a small pointed bone in the 

 right hand for that purpose. From this it was evident that John 

 Smith's story was no myth. In my lifelong intimacy with Colonel Long 

 the subject of the flaking operation has frequently been one of conversa- 

 tion, on my regretting that more attention had not been paid to it on 

 either of his expeditions. Knowing his pre-eminence as a civil engineer 

 and his high attainments as a mechanic, I thought more reliable infor- 

 mation would have been obtained by him and his party, composed as it 

 was of such prominent men of science. He said that flakes prepared 

 for points and other implements seemed to be an object of trade or 

 commerce among the Indian tribes that he came in contact with; that 

 there were but few places where chert or quartzite was found of suffi- 

 cient hardness and close and even grain to flake well, and at those 

 places there were men very expert at flaking. He had understood that 

 it was mostly done by pressure, and rarely bj^ blows, but he had never 

 witnessed the operation. He expressed his belief that it was an art 

 fast being lost, for he had found among tribes who had never seen a 

 white man since the advent of Lewis and Clark, wrought-iron arrow- 

 points made in England by the Birmingham nailers, sent out as articles 

 of trade by the fur companies, and that they were preferred to the 

 stone points. 



My early acquaintance with Catliu,the artist, was in the shopof Catlin, 

 musical instrument and model maker, of Philadelphia. There I knew 

 him as a very expert and superior workman in wood and ivory. As a 

 ))ortrait painter he was not at that time successful. He painted strong 

 likenesses, but they lacked life-like coloring. A delegation of Indians on 

 their way to Washington gave him an opportunity to paint the likeness 

 of one of the chiefs. This was exhibited in the Pennsylvania Academy 

 of Fine Arts, and from its novelty attracted much attention ; in fact, it 

 was so far a success as to bring him into notice. About this time I met 

 him very frequently ; his conversation always drifted on to the great 

 value and importance of preserving correct likenesses of the Indians, 

 whom he believed to be fast passing away. We all know how well he 

 lived up to this idea, devoting his life to the work of producing the col- 

 lection of Indian portraits now in the IsTational Museum. 



On Mr. Catlin's return from his long sojourn among the Indians, be- 

 lieving that, as an observing practical mechanic, nothing in the way of 

 art among them would escape him, I took the first opportunity to see 

 him. On my inquiry as to the mode in practice of splitting the stone 

 into flakes for arrow and spear points, his reply was by a question 

 characteristic of the man. He asked if I had forgotten Dr. Jones's 

 axiom, "The least possible momentum is greater than the greatest pos- 

 sible pressure.'''' This was in allusion to a lecture on mechanics we had 

 together heard delivered by Dr. Thomas P. Jones (afterwiirds Commis- 

 sioner of Patents). He then added, " That is well understood by the 

 flake makers ;imong the Indians, but it will soon be among the lost 



