144 



BUREAU OF AMEPJCAjST ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 76 



Fig. 23. 



-Cross section of Fort Deposit 

 Cave at 18 feet. 



2&3 



In the lower portion were mingled a few shells, pebbles, and specks 

 of charcoal, as if it had been thrown there. Across the upper portion 

 of the deposit extended fire beds, burned earth, ashes, shells, broken 



pottery, and occasionally a frag- 

 ment of bone. (See fig. 25.) 



At 24 feet it was found that what 

 had been taken for a solid floor in 

 the last section represented was only 

 a large flat rock which had fallen 

 into the crevice and wedged tightly. 

 A\^ien this was passed the 3'ellow 

 earth reappeared, at a slightly lower 

 level. 



At 26 feet the yellow earth became mixed with red. It was ex- 

 cavated to a depth of 5 feet in the endeavor to discover the reason 

 for this. As there was not the slightest trace of ashes or charcoal, 

 the red admixture must be a natural result of staining by iron in 

 some form and not due to heat. 

 Above the yellow was the usual 

 stratum of dark earth, containing 

 culinary debris. In the central por- 

 tion of this was a mass, sufficient to 

 fill a wheelbarrow, of angular, un- 

 burnt fragments of limestone from 

 3 to 15 pounds in weight. On the 

 surface of the dark earth were some 

 ten or twelve fire beds, reaching 

 from wall to wall, the edges overlapping and interlacing in so con- 

 fusing a manner that the exact number could not be made out. (See 

 fig. 26.) At this stage it appeared that the crevice, or at least 

 its upper part, had been filled by river floods and a slight ridge of 



sand thrown across the mouth of the 

 cave. The Indians, it seems, occu- 

 pied both this ridge and the lower 

 area behind it, throwing debris to 

 the rear to fill up the depression in- 

 stead of carrying it all to the outside. 

 It is equalh^ possible, however, that 

 this waste was brought from points 

 farther back and thrown here to fill 

 and level the floor. These heavy fire 

 beds came to an end at about 28 feet on the right and 29 feet on 

 the left. A section at 28 feet is given in figure 27. At their inner 

 margin, among the ordinary refuse characteristic of such deposits. 



Fig. 24. — Cros.s section of Fort De- 

 posit Cave at 20 feet. 



Fig. 25. — Cross section of Fort De- 

 po.sit Cave at 22 feet. 



