242 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 
ending in a slope, and on this slope in years past, all within a comparatively 
restrieted area, have been plowed up, aecording to the statements of those 
living in the settlement, a considerable number of vessels of soapstone, some 
whole, some shattered by the plow. At the time of our visit numerous frag- 
ments of these vessels lay over the surface of the ground, and part of a pailful 
of other fragments were shown us by a person living nearby. The flat base of a 
soapstone vessel which must have been of interesting shape, is in the possession 
of Mr. Reeder, at Smithsonia. We were informed that none of the vessels had 
been found for several years, and our investigation of the place where the vessels 
had been convinced us that the upper soil which had contained them had been 
Fig. 27.— Trowel of earthenware. Koger’s Island, Ala. (Full size.) 
removed by cultivation and by wash of rain. However, we succeeded in ob- 
taining one, though not by exeavation, the lugs at each side being an interesting 
though not an uncommon feature. 
Near the upper end of the island is a large field covered with fragments of 
flint and of coarse, shell-tempered pottery, some bearing a check-stamp decora- 
tion conferred, as we know, with a paddle. Here and there lay fragments of 
human bones. From the surface we obtained a number of rough implements 
of moderate size, and some arrowheads of flint, also a heavy object of earthen- 
ware, shown after partial restoration in Fig. 27, which, though differing somewhat 
from those figured by Thruston,' probably was a trowel used for smoothing 
earthenware vessels. 
10». cil., p. 162. 
