32 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



The floors in all the chambers and passages were composed of 

 travertine with a soft tufaceous deposit above. The floors average 

 from three-fourths of an inch to two or three inches in thickness, 

 and, under ordinary circumstances, would require a considerable 

 period of time in their formation. 



Upon breaking through these floors with a pick-axe — which was 

 not accomplished without some difficulty owing to the hardness of 

 the material — a solid compact mass of ashes, coal, and sand, and a 

 profusion of human bones were found. Only a few animal bones 

 were found ; among these were the bones of the squirrel and turtle. 

 Several vei y finely preserved crania were also found firmly attached 

 to the side of the third chamber below the floor. Only one of 

 these was dislodged without injury, the others being thickly cov- 

 ered with tufa. 



Two or three shafts were sunk down to a depth of about three 

 feet. Human bones and ashes were found at all depths. 



Both chambers (Nos. 3 and 4, not including the entrance, or long 

 passage) were alike in character below the floor. 



Notwithstanding the presence of charcoal and ashes, none of the 

 bones showed any traces of cremation. The speaker felt confident, 

 however, that upon cleaning out this cavern to a depth of ten feet, 

 he would find abundant proof that this system of burial had been 

 practiced at this place, although the process may have been, and 

 probably was, carried on outside of the cave previous to final 

 sepulture. He based this hypothesis upon the fact of finding 

 unquestionable evidences of cremation in both primary and sec- 

 ondary burial mounds and ossuaries in the same valley. 



This cave was examined with the assistance of Mr. Benton P. 

 Stebbins, of Luray; Dr. Logan, of Cedar Point; Mr. Joseph 

 Keyser, on whose estate the cave is situated, and also by Messrs. 

 William Oothout and Joseph Williamson, both of whom are 

 attached to the Bellevue Hospital Medical College of New York 

 City. These gentlemen came on from the east expressly to assist 

 the speaker in his aboriginal research in the Shenandoah Valley. 



