54 Cincitinati Society of Natiaal History. 



As seen it is the symmetrical half of a nearly ])erfectly pro 

 . portioned ellipse, the straight edge or line being the diameter 

 thereof. On measuring the straight edge, or diameter line, Mr. 

 Moore found it to be precisely nine (9) standard inches, and on 

 measuring the curved edge, or half circumference of the ellii)se, he 

 found it to be exactly twelve (12) inches. That is, the measure 

 was that of the folded '■'■two-foot rule,'" but in such form of presen- 

 tation that the foot, or 12 inches, inseparably connected itself 

 with the measure of 9 inches. The extreme ingenuity of the de- 

 vice certainly does honor to the Mound Builders, for 9X12=108, 

 while 9-j— 12=21 five times which is 105, and these two are the 

 typical or key numbers of measures used in the construction of the 

 great and most prominent works in the valley. In addition to this 

 108-j— 1051=213, which is a circumference value of a circle whose 

 diameter is 67.8, the // ratio being 35.5 to 113, to be found in 

 the Dunlap works. So also 9X32=288, the number of the 

 measure of that particular circle at Newark, on which Squier and 

 Davis lay especial stress. This combination of measures, as will 

 be seen, is used throughout the Ohio works, whether great or 

 small, of whatever geometrical shape. Mr. Moore made a 

 wooden copy of the stone which he gave the writer, telling him of 

 the measures. But really the statement did not affect him, even 

 to making a trial for the truth of the claim, merely because the fact 

 was so extremely unlikely that it was without consideration re. 

 jected. It was not until some two or three years afterward, viz; 

 in the fall of this year, 1882, that the writer's attention was again 

 turned to this matter, from reading in Mr. Wilson's Work, a 

 description of the measures of the Gest Tablet, viz : length 5 inches, 

 greatest width 3 inches, least width 2.6 inches. The fact that both 

 were found in the same mound, and also the fact that Mr. Moore 

 had told the writer that the elliptical stone measured "precisely 9 

 and 12 inches;" coupled with this statement as to the Gest Tablet, 

 determined him to make the measures of both. He spent the lon- 

 ger part of one afternoon, repeating the trial tests over and over 

 again. A standard measure being used for reference, it was found 

 that Mr. Moore had not exaggerated, but had stated a plain fair 

 fact. The elliptical stone, on its straight edge did measure pre- 

 cisely 9 inches, and around its curved edge precisely 12 inches. 

 The writer requested Mr. Jose])h James to make the test also, who 

 took the measures with the like showinii. Since then it has been 



