THE ARCHEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK 329 



Pit 62A, with its adjunct 62B, found on the southeast hillside, 

 showed very well the before-mentioned coupling together of pits. 

 Its section also illustrates the widespread top ; and the middle layer 

 of red burnt dirt and ashes suggest that it was used at two different 

 periods without cleaning out, the lower black layer having accumu- 

 lated meanwhile. The main part (A) was 8 feet in diameter and 50 

 inches deep, the small " addition '' (B) (which may have been a 

 preexisting pit) being 45^ feet long by 4 feet wide and 30 inches 

 deep. Its homogeneous black filling differs considerably from the 

 comparatively complex structure of 62A. The contents of the two 

 pits could not be separated conveniently. Pottery fragments, ani- 

 mal and fish bones, charred corn cobs and corn, charcoal, fire-cracked 

 stones, a fine triangular flint arrowhead (flint arrowheads are rare 

 on Iroquois sites in this region), flakes of flint and quartz, rejects 

 of blade making, a hammerstone, net sinkers, a gaming bone — all 

 figured among the specimens found. 



In digging our first trench, which was run southward along the 

 ridge, we kept careful track of all the " picket holes " found, in the 

 hope that other trenches run parallel and adjacent would reveal 

 their purpose, whether for holding pickets of smaller inclosures 

 within the fort, or for the posts of houses. But this trench did not 

 penetrate any spot promising enough to trench further, so no adja- 

 cent trenches were dug and the lines of picket holes were not fol- 

 lowed out. This might have been easily done, and the old ditch of 

 the fort reexcavated if help had been available, but Mr Irwin Hay- 

 den, my assistant, became ill July ist and had to return to Boston 

 and it was nearly two months before I succeeded in obtaining other 

 help. Some general facts concerning the " picket holes " were 

 recorded, however. It was found that there had been holes in the 

 ground, apparently to accommodate pickets, and that they averaged 

 about 8 inches wide by 19 deep. All were filled with more or less 

 stained earth, and some contained an admixture of charcoal and 

 ashes, with fire-cracked stones and occasionally implements, pot- 

 sherds and bones. A drawing was made showing a double line of 

 these pits that crossed trench 3 at right angles. These were about 6 

 inches in diameter and 20 inches deep, separated by a space of 8 

 inches. Perhaps they formed part of some inner stockade. In this 

 connection it should be noted that the principal burial place lay 

 between this row of holes and the ditch of the old fort, so it is 

 possible that they supported a sort of graveyard fence. 



