41 



sufficiently firm to retain its position. This peculiar structure of the 

 mound was the cause of what was well nigh a serious accident. 

 While stooping down near the center of the main excavation to ex- 

 amine a heap of ashes and being at the time some ten feet below the 

 surface, one of the excavators, the writer of this article, was suddenly 

 buried by the caving in of the side wall. The blow was a terrible 

 one and for a few moments the situation seemed critical, as respira- 

 tion was nearly impossible, owing to the weight of the mass of earth 

 that had fallen. Through the exertions of Dr. J. L. McLain, Mr. 

 Frank Showers and Mr. Corbin, who were assisting in the excavation, 

 a timely rescue was effected with no serious result. The incident is 

 mentioned in the hope that it may be of service to those engaged in 

 similar work, and as a wholesome caution, especially as during the 

 same month a similar accident occurred in the process of opening a 

 mound in West Virginia, which had a fatal result. 



It was the intention to append to this account of the opening of the 

 mound a description of the crania and other bones, of which a large 

 number was secured, but these will be made the subject of a separate 

 paper. In general it may be said that the same peculiarities that are 

 mentioned by other writers, such as the foreshortening of the skulls 

 and their want of symmetry, the flattening of the tibia and perforation 

 of the humerus are all exhibited in a marked degree. Many of the 

 bones had become bent by the weight of earth resting upon them and 

 much of the distortion exhibited in the skulls is believed to be due to 

 this cause rather than to compression during life. This was proved 

 in some instances in attempting to replace the bones of skulls that had 

 fallen apart, a wide gap remaining at the completion of the work be- 

 tween parts that should have come into contact and which the most 

 skillful manipulation could not conquer. To account for this bending 

 and warping of the bones it is only necessary to consider the peculiar 

 conditions to which they have been subjected. For centuries they 

 have lain beneath an immense mass of earth, and this constant and 

 long continued pressure, accompanied by a kind of molecular disinte- 

 gration and re-arrangement of the particles of bony matter, is amply 

 sufficient to produce these changes of form. Frequently bones lying 

 over each other were found soldered together from the same cause. 



OTHER MOUNDS. 



A nulnber of mounds, of less important character then those just 

 described, have been opened from time to time by the Association. 



