99, 
Dubois. ] 224 (Dec. 1, 
ON A QUASI COIN REPORTED FOUND IN A BORING IN ILLINOIS. 
Read before the American Philosophical Society, Dec. 1, 1871, 
By Won. E. Dusors. 
In July last, a letter was received at the Smithsonian Institute, from 
Mr. Jacob W, Moffit, of Chillicothe, Peoria county, Illinois, enclosing the 
photograph of a medal or coin, with the following particulars in relation 
to it: 
“In August 1870, I took a contract of sinking a tubular well for Mr. 
Peter Cline, in this county. I had two men employed to assist in the 
labor, who are cognizant of all the facts connected with the finding of the 
coin. 
“The following are the several strata through which we passed. We 
used a common ground auger, three inch bore : 
“Soil, 3 feet. Yellow clay, 10 ; blue clay, 44 ; clay, sand, and gravel 4 ; 
purple clay, 19 ; brown “‘hard pan,” 10; green clay, 8} ; vegetable mould, 
2; yellow clay, 24; yellow hard pan, 2; mixed clay, 205. 
“Here we brought up the coin,on the auger, from a depth of one hundred 
and twenty-five feet. 
“Tt has been examined by gentlemen in Chicago and St. Louis, without 
any result in explaining the mystery of its origin or date. It is my desire 
that a further investigation be made. I can, if necessary, send affidavits 
of myself and other parties as to the truth of these statements.” 
[Signed ] Jacos W. Morrit. 
It may here be added, that the place is in a great prairie, near the 
centre of the State, and near the Illinois river ; about 80 miles east of the 
Mississippi river. 
Professor Henry having repeatedly referred rare coins to me, took the 
same course on this occasion, giving leave to communicate the facts to 
this society, if it was thought proper. 
An examination of the piece itself was necessary ; and in reply to my 
request the owner forwarded the same, with further details, to wit : 
“Tn answer to your questions I must say, that very few wells or shafts 
in this region have attained a depth of more than 50 or 75 feet, except in 
the valleys, where occasiondlly we find a well, through sand and gravel 
drift, at the depth of 100 feet. 
“The only token of civilization discovered at a similar depth, in this 
State, was taken from a shaft in Whiteside county, about 20 years ago. 
The workmen at the depth of 120 feet discovered a large copper ring or 
ferrule, similar to those used on ship spars at the present time, They also 
found something fashioned like a boat-hook. 
«There are numerous instances of relics found at lesser depths. A spear- 
shaped hatchet, made of iron, was found imbedded in clay at 40 feet ; 
and stone pipes and pottery have been unearthed at depth varying from 
10 to 50 feet in many localities. 
“No rational estimate has ever been made of the rate of annual earthy 
deposit. Our prairie land seems to have been built up by a deposit from 
