BOOK OF THE DAMNED 151 



A bizarre little lost soul, rescued from one of the morgues of the 

 American Journal of Science: 



An account, sent by a correspondent, to Prof. Silliman, of some- 

 thing that was found in a block of marble, taken Nov., 1829, from 

 a quarry, near Philadelphia (Am. J. Sci., 1-19-361). The block 

 was cut into slabs. By this process, it is said, was exposed an in- 

 dentation in the stone, about one and a half inches by five-eighths 

 of an inch. A geometric indentation: in it were two definite-looking 

 raised letters, like "I U": only difference is that the corners of the 

 "U" are not rounded, but are right angles. We are told that this 

 block of stone came from a depth of seventy or eighty feet or that, 

 if acceptable, this lettering was done long, long ago. To some 

 persons, not sated with the commonness of the incredible that has 

 to be accepted, it may seem grotesque to think that an indentation 

 in sand could have tons of other sand piled upon it and hardening 

 into stone, without being pressed out but the famous Nicaraguan 

 footprints were found in a quarry under eleven strata of solid rock. 

 There was no discussion of this datum. We only take it out for an 

 airing, 



As to lettered stones that may once upon a time have been showered 

 upon Europe, if we cannot accept that the stones were inscribed by 

 indigenous inhabitants of Europe, many have been found in caves 

 whence they were carried as curiosities by prehistoric men, or as 

 ornaments, I suppose. About the size and shape of the Grave 

 Creek stone, or disk: "flat and oval and about two inches wide." 

 (Sollas.) Characters painted upon them: found first by M. Piette, 

 in the cave of Mas d' Azil, Ariege. According to Sollas, they are 

 marked in various directions with red and black lines. "But on not 

 a few of them, more complex characters occur, which in a few in- 

 stances simulate some of the capital letters of the Roman alphabet." 

 In one instance the letters "F El" accompanied by no other mark- 

 ings to modify them, are as plain as they could be. According to 

 Sollas ("Ancient Hunters," p. 95) M. Cartailhac has confirmed the 

 observations of Piette, and M. Boule has found additional examples. 

 "They offer one of the darkest problems of prehistoric times." 

 (Sollas.) 



As to caches in general, I should say that they are made with two 

 purposes: to proclaim and to conceal; or that caches documents 

 are hidden, or covered over, in conspicuous structures; at least, so 

 are designed the cairns in the Arctic. 



Trans N. Y. Acad. of Sciences, 11-27: 



