358 



MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



MOUSl) ON FAIN S ISLAND. 



This mouud is situated ou the lower end of Fain's islaud, in French 

 Broad river, about 3 miles southwest of Dandridge. It stands on the 

 extreme lower end of the island, not more than 300 feet from the water's 

 edge. As a shaft had been sunk in the center by a previous explorer 

 a broad trench was cut on each side. In the first or southern one six- 

 teen skeletons were unearthed, but in the northern one nothing was 

 found. Near the east end of the first was a series of fire beds, one 

 below another. The uppermost, which lay near the surface of the 

 mound, was about 3 feet in diameter, and each succeeding one was a 

 little wider thau the one above it, so that the bottom one, 3 feet below 

 the first, measured 6 feet in diameter. All were circular and slightly 

 basin-shaped or dished, and consisted of burnt clay, with layers of 

 ashes between them. There were five in all. Below the last lay a 

 mass of pure ashes, packed very hard, which extended dowuward some 

 3 feet to the bottom of the mound. The earth immediately under this 

 bed of ashes was burned to a hard crust to the depth of 5 or 6 inches. 



Fig. 237 is given to show the fire-beds {a) and the ash-bed [b) imme- 

 diately below them. 



The skeletons were, in most cases, lying at full length, with heads in 

 various directions, though none toward the south. Only one or two 



Fig. 237.— Section olmuunil ou Fain's island, Jefl'erson county, Tennessee. 



were folded. They were at all depths, from 2^ to 5 feet; one lay near 

 the bottom, at the depth of 8 feet and close to the mass of ashes under 

 the fire beds. 



With this skeleton were five celts and some shell ornaments; the 

 skull was also obtained. The mound appeared to be composed almost 

 entirely of dark, sandy soil, with here and there a small streak of lighter 

 colored earth running through it. 



There is an ancient burial ground on the south side of the river, 

 opposite the mound, which has not been examined. 



ROANE f'OUNTY. 



The first works examined in this county are ou Long island, in the 

 Holston river, which is fi'om 3 to 5 miles long and varies in width from 

 one fourth to 1 mile. It lies nearly east and west, the course of the 

 river at this point being from a little south of east to a little north of 

 west. The western- portion, near the lower point is low bottom land ; 



