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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  TUB 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  hydro-carbon 
  vapors 
  would 
  eat 
  away, 
  in 
  holes, 
  the 
  

   seat 
  and 
  valve 
  of 
  composition 
  globe 
  valves 
  ; 
  also, 
  that 
  whenever 
  this 
  took 
  

   place, 
  steam 
  was 
  liable 
  to 
  leak 
  into 
  the 
  wood-preserving 
  tank 
  during 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  vaporizing 
  the 
  wood, 
  and 
  that 
  whenever 
  the 
  steam 
  did 
  so 
  leak, 
  that 
  the 
  

   influence 
  of 
  the 
  hydro-carbon 
  vapors 
  on 
  the 
  wood 
  was 
  destroyed. 
  This 
  led 
  me 
  

   to 
  try 
  with 
  success 
  the 
  experiment 
  of 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  steam 
  on 
  the 
  vapors 
  of 
  the 
  

   pitch. 
  Since 
  April, 
  1872, 
  when 
  I 
  first 
  applied 
  this 
  remedy 
  I 
  have 
  described, 
  

   not 
  a 
  single 
  explosion 
  has 
  occurred 
  at 
  our 
  works. 
  I 
  apply 
  the 
  water 
  through 
  

   a 
  half-inch 
  iron 
  pipe, 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Spring 
  Valley 
  mains, 
  and 
  regulated 
  by 
  

   a 
  cock. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  vapors 
  from 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  coal 
  tar 
  and 
  

   petroleum, 
  are 
  more 
  liable 
  to 
  spontaneous 
  combustion 
  than 
  the 
  vapors 
  from 
  

   coal 
  tar 
  alone. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  McChesney 
  called 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  to 
  a 
  con- 
  

   spicuous 
  Indian 
  mound 
  existing 
  near 
  Oakland, 
  about 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   miles 
  from 
  Broadway 
  Station, 
  and 
  about 
  300 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  water's 
  

   edge. 
  It 
  was 
  circular 
  in 
  form, 
  about 
  175 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  with 
  

   sides 
  sloping 
  from 
  45 
  to 
  50 
  degrees 
  ; 
  it 
  is, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  ex- 
  

   amined 
  it, 
  composed 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  other 
  debris, 
  and 
  was 
  now 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  shrubbery. 
  The 
  upper 
  surface 
  was 
  somewhat 
  hollowed. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Dameron 
  referred 
  to 
  certain 
  mounds 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  examined 
  

   near 
  Alameda 
  Point, 
  and 
  which 
  contained 
  stone 
  implements, 
  shells 
  

   and 
  bones. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  stated 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  these 
  

   mounds 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  many, 
  skeletons 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  sitting 
  posture. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  D. 
  J. 
  Staples 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  deem 
  the 
  little 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  offer 
  of 
  much 
  importance, 
  unless 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  witness- 
  

   ing 
  burials 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1849-50 
  may 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  

   question 
  " 
  Whether 
  the 
  bones 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  mounds 
  are 
  of 
  prehis- 
  

   toric 
  age 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1849-50, 
  on 
  the 
  Mokelumne 
  River, 
  fourteen 
  

   miles 
  northeast 
  of 
  Stockton, 
  I 
  witnessed 
  the 
  burial 
  of 
  several 
  Indi- 
  

   ans, 
  three 
  of 
  whom 
  had 
  died 
  in 
  one 
  night 
  from 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  bad 
  

   whisky. 
  These 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  near 
  the 
  tents 
  or 
  houses 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  burned 
  in 
  sitting 
  position, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   their 
  personal 
  property, 
  consisting 
  principally 
  of 
  beads, 
  trinkets, 
  

   etc., 
  the 
  graves 
  being 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  rancheria 
  

   where 
  formerly 
  stood 
  a 
  sweat-house. 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  

   same 
  ceremony 
  performed, 
  on 
  one 
  occasion, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  rancheria, 
  

  

  