266 THE AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF .THE SIERRA NEVADA. 
Suaw’s Frat, TUOLUMNE County, CaLirornia, May 23, 1870. 
This is to certify that I, the undersigned, did about the year 1853, visit the Sonora Tunnel, situated 
at and in Table Mountain, about one half a mile north and west of Shaw’s Flat, and at that time there 
was a car-load of auriferous gravel coming out of said Sonora Tunnel. And I, the undersigned, did pick 
out of said gravel (which came from under the basalt and out of the tunnel about two hundred feet in, at 
the depth of about one hundred and twenty-five feet) a mastodon tooth in a good state of preservation, 
which afterwards was partly broken, in the hollow of which was sulphuret of iron. And at the same time 
TI found with it some relic that resembled a large stone bead, made perhaps of alabaster, about one and a half 
inches long, and about one and one fourth inches in diameter, with a hole through it one fourth of an inch 
in size, which no doubt had been used, some time, to put a string through. I also certify that I gave the 
above specimens to C. D. Voy, about the year 1864, to put in his collection of some similar fossils, which 
had been found in this county at various depths and in various localities. 
[Signed] OLIVER W. STEVENS. 
Here follows the affidavit :— 
SraTe oF CALIFORNIA, County OF TUOLUMNE, Ss. 
On this twenty-third day of May, A. D, 1870, personally appeared before me, A, Bullerdieck, a No- 
tary Public, the within named Oliver W. Stevens ; who, being duly sworn, deposes and says, that the 
within statement is true and correct. 
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal the day and year last above 
written. 
Ti Se [Signed] A. BuLuerpieck, Notary Public. 
Mr. Voy adds to the affidavit the statement, that he visited the locality, in company with Mr. 
Stevens, and found it to have the geological position indicated in the affidavit. 
The bead was carefully examined by the writer. It is correctly described above, except that the 
material of which it is made is white marble, not alabaster. It had evidently been much handled, 
and unfortunately cleaned of the incrusting material; but quite distinct traces of a former filling 
of the hole with sulphuret of iron were still visible. The mastodon tooth bore, also, as stated 
by Mr. Stevens, evident marks of an incrustation of the same mineral; and it may be added that 
several of the bones, which are said to have come from under Table Mountain, have been found to 
have more or less abundant erystallizations of pyrites in the cellular portions. There can be no 
question as to the artificial character of the so-called bead. It is regularly and symmetrically 
shaped, and looks as if intended for an ornament. 
In the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, Vol. XV. p. 257, under date of 
January 1, 1873, will be found a communication of Dr. Winslow’s relating to another discovery of 
human remains in Tuolumne County. Captain David B. Akey is the authority for the statement 
that a complete human skeleton was found in a tunnel under Table Mountain; the name of the 
tunnel, however, he did not remember. He saw the bones after they had been brought out from 
the excavation by the miners. This occurrence the writer has had no opportunity to inquire into 
or verify, as it did not come to his notice until after he had left California. The date of this find 
seems to have been 1855 or 1856. 
We pass to another occurrence of a similar character vouched for by Mr. Llewellyn Pierce, in 
the form of a written statement which is given here in full as furnished to Mr. Voy :— 
Sonora, TUOLUMNE County, CALIFORNIA, December 28, 1870. 
This is to certify that I, the undersigned, have this day given to Mr. C. D. Voy, to be preserved in his 
collection of ancient stone relics, a certain stone mortar, which has evidently been made by human hands, 
which was dug up by me, about the year 1862, under Table Mountain, in gravel, at a depth of about 200 
feet from the surface, under the basalt, which was over sixty feet deep, and about 1,800 feet in from the 
mouth of the tunnel. Found in the claim known as the Boston Tunnel Company. In these claims, at 
various times, there have also been found numerous bones of different animals. 
[Signed] LLEWELLYN Pierce. (L. S.) 
The mortar is two feet seven and a half inches in circumference. 
