﻿100 
  TWENTY-FIRST 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  CABINET. 
  

  

  Several 
  thousands 
  of 
  loads 
  of 
  muck 
  or 
  peaty 
  soil 
  with 
  trunks 
  

   and 
  branches 
  of 
  decayed 
  trees 
  had 
  been 
  removed, 
  previous 
  

   to 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  where 
  the 
  jaw 
  was 
  found. 
  At 
  that 
  

   time 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  pot-hole 
  were 
  pretty 
  well 
  defined, 
  the 
  

   walls 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  and 
  northwestern 
  sides 
  being 
  much 
  higher 
  

   than 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  southern 
  sides. 
  This 
  pot-hole, 
  

   represented 
  in 
  Plate 
  V, 
  communicated 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  opening 
  with 
  

   another 
  nearly 
  as 
  large 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagram; 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  being 
  quite 
  similar. 
  At 
  this 
  level 
  the 
  

   pot-hole 
  presented 
  an 
  oval 
  form 
  with 
  the 
  longest 
  diameter 
  from 
  

   east 
  to 
  west; 
  the 
  more 
  easterly 
  portion 
  from 
  I 
  to 
  H 
  waS 
  found 
  to 
  

   be 
  shallow, 
  and 
  the 
  deeper 
  part 
  was 
  nearly 
  circular 
  or 
  broadly 
  oval, 
  

   witna 
  mass 
  of 
  rock 
  remaining 
  like 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  center. 
  At 
  the 
  

   level 
  recorded 
  on 
  the 
  diagram, 
  the 
  entire 
  pot-hole 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  

   peaty 
  soil, 
  branches 
  and 
  trunks 
  of 
  trees 
  of 
  several 
  species, 
  pine 
  

   and 
  hemlock 
  cones, 
  and 
  other 
  material 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  similar 
  to 
  

   the 
  usual 
  deposit 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  swamps 
  and 
  bogs. 
  Among 
  these 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  wood 
  were 
  many 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  gnawed 
  by 
  beavers,* 
  

   the 
  marks 
  of 
  teeth 
  remaining 
  distinctly 
  visible 
  on 
  the 
  soft 
  and 
  

   water 
  soaked 
  material. 
  These 
  had 
  probaby 
  been 
  floated 
  into 
  this 
  

   place 
  during 
  freshets 
  or 
  high 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  a 
  period 
  long 
  

   anterior 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  Although 
  our 
  principal 
  interest 
  is 
  with 
  the 
  pot-hole 
  No 
  1, 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  interesting 
  to 
  notice 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  connected 
  with 
  another 
  similar 
  

   cavity 
  of 
  irregular 
  form 
  on 
  the 
  northwest 
  marked 
  No. 
  2. 
  (See 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  diagram.) 
  

  

  The 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  jaw 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  bone 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  position, 
  

   naturally 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  

   would 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pot-hole, 
  could 
  it 
  ever 
  be 
  

   reached, 
  and 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  excavation 
  was 
  watched 
  with 
  

   great 
  interest. 
  After 
  considerable 
  delay,f 
  the 
  excavation 
  was 
  

   resumed 
  and 
  the 
  peaty 
  earth 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  trees 
  removed 
  from 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  and 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  pot-hole, 
  which 
  latter 
  proved 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  deepest 
  portion. 
  In 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  this 
  cavity 
  lying 
  

   upon 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  clay, 
  broken 
  slate, 
  gravel 
  and 
  water 
  worn 
  pebbles, 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  fact 
  was 
  first 
  noticed 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Woolworth, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  much 
  similar 
  

   gnawed 
  wood 
  had 
  been 
  removed 
  during 
  the 
  excavation, 
  before 
  our 
  examination. 
  

  

  f 
  Finding 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  reaching 
  the 
  rock 
  for 
  foundations 
  of 
  the 
  walls, 
  an 
  arch 
  was 
  

   thrown 
  across 
  from 
  A 
  to 
  B, 
  a 
  second 
  from 
  B 
  to 
  C, 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  from 
  C 
  to 
  D, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  

   in 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  excavating 
  for 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  pillars 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagram, 
  that 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pot-hole 
  was 
  reached. 
  

  

  