146 



BUREAU or AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 76 



At 38 feet the yellow earth had risen until it was within 3 feet 

 of the top of the entire overlying deposit. The latter contained 

 little of the dark earth, being mostly composed of ashes and burned 

 earth, some of which resulted from fires made on the spot, but the 



greater jjart being 

 thrown from other 

 points. The rise of the 

 yellow earth, conse- 

 quently, is more rapid 

 than the rise of the 

 material covering it. 

 At 40 feet there 



Fig. 29. — Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 35i feet. waS a dip in the 



yellow earth, extending for 4 or 5 feet and descending 2 feet at the 

 deepest point. This may be due to drainage at a lower level. 



At 47| feet a pocket of the dark earth extended a few inches into 

 the underlying yellow earth. A hole seems to have been dug into the 

 latter. There was no more of 

 foreign material in this hole 

 than elsewhere in the dark earth 

 above and around it. It is shown 

 in figure 30. 



The amount of shells, pottery, 

 etc., had been decreasing for 

 several feet before this point 

 was reached; indeed, from 40 

 feet onward there was very little 

 of it — enough, however, to show that all the dark earth had been 

 disturbed and thoroughly mixed. The fire beds, too, while holding 

 their depth of about a foot, contained more earth between the suc- 

 cessive layers of ashes, showing as great age, probably, as those 



nearer the entrance, but less con- 

 tinuous occupation. This con- 

 dition prevailed to about 60 feet 

 from the entrance, at which point 

 the yellow earth, now mixed with 

 sand and gravel, was only 3 feet 

 below the surface of the floor. 

 The appearance of this line is 

 sketched in figure 31. 

 At 62 feet there was a dip in the yellow earth, extending to 67 feet 

 and 2 feet deep at its lowest point; it then rose to the usual level. 

 At 70 feet ashes appeared in greater quantities ; at 73 feet the dark 

 earth was only a foot thick, the ashes and burned earth being 2 feet 



Fig. 



-Cross section of Fort Deposit 

 Cave at 47J feet. 



Fig. 31. — Cross section of Fort Deposit 

 Cave at 60 feet. 



