THOMAS.] 



OHIO. 



455 



Within a fourtli of a mile of these graves, on another hill, was for- 

 merly a number of stone cists, from which nearly all the stones have 

 been hauled away. The person who removed them said they had been 

 set on edge, forming rectangular boxes about 8 feet by 2, large slabs 

 laid across the top and other stones heaped on these. The position of 

 such of the stones as were too firmly set in the ground to be easily 

 removed, which were found still in place, showed that at least the first 

 part of his statement was correct. 



A grave 2i miles east of Ripley, on a point giving a good view of the 

 Ohio riverand Kentucky hills, had been opened by other parties, whose 

 statements in regard to an arch led to an examination of it. The 

 inclosed portion, which had been pretty thoroughly cleaned out, was 

 elliptical, S by 11 feet, the longer iixis east and west. Like those 



Ploji. A 



.Secttoro. H._ 



Fig. 312. — Stoue gr:uf, IJrown roiinty, Oliio. 



above described this had a floor of slabs resting on the yellow subsoil. 

 The boundary of the grave was a row of slabs set on edge, inclining 

 inward at an angle of 45 degrees, and supported underneath by a mass 

 of small broken rocks tightly wedged in. Surrounding this were other 

 rows similarly inclined, the whole series being about 6 feet in width 

 entirely around the grave, and resting on the stone pavement which 

 extended to the outside layer. Supported by these and reaching higher 

 up, the lower edges of the stoues in the upper tier being forced in 

 between the ipper edges of the ones beneath, were partial layers of 

 another tier; and in one or two places the third tier or series could be 

 seen, their lower edges, in turn, being between the upper edges of the 

 second tier, each layer having a little greater inclination than the one 

 below it. By continuing this plan an arch could have been formed 



