﻿POLISHED 
  STONE 
  ARTICLES 
  USED 
  BY 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  ABORIGINES 
  II 
  

  

  return 
  to 
  the 
  stone 
  age, 
  such 
  as 
  it 
  was, 
  came 
  through 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  

   and 
  not 
  through 
  the 
  red. 
  

  

  It 
  often 
  happens 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  stone 
  articles 
  can 
  be 
  assigned 
  

   to 
  one 
  maker, 
  as 
  certainly 
  as 
  Vv^e 
  can 
  tell 
  who 
  made 
  an 
  old 
  violin, 
  

   although 
  we 
  know 
  not 
  his 
  name. 
  Things 
  hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  apart 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  of 
  some 
  peculiar 
  material 
  and 
  form, 
  which 
  can 
  hardly 
  

   be 
  accidental. 
  They 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  many 
  in 
  number, 
  but 
  they 
  will 
  

   have 
  individual 
  character. 
  We 
  recall 
  many 
  such. 
  The 
  skilful 
  ab- 
  

   original 
  artificer 
  was 
  as 
  highly 
  honored 
  as 
  any 
  among 
  civilized 
  men, 
  

   and 
  his 
  work 
  had 
  a 
  wide 
  reputation. 
  In 
  other 
  lands 
  early 
  records 
  

   show 
  this 
  in 
  words 
  which 
  we 
  can 
  read. 
  Here 
  the 
  record 
  exists 
  only 
  

   in 
  stone. 
  

  

  Usually 
  articles 
  which 
  required 
  much 
  drilling 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  were 
  

   blocked 
  out 
  before 
  this 
  was 
  done. 
  Thus 
  all 
  percussion 
  was 
  avoided 
  

   after 
  the 
  perforation 
  was 
  complete, 
  while 
  sufficient 
  material 
  was 
  left 
  

   to 
  allow 
  for 
  any 
  deviation 
  from 
  right 
  lines 
  in 
  drilling. 
  Grinding 
  and 
  

   polishing 
  then 
  safely 
  proceeded. 
  Polishing 
  and 
  perforation 
  some- 
  

   times 
  went 
  on 
  together 
  with 
  disastrous 
  results, 
  a 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  

   spoiling 
  the 
  pipe 
  or 
  banner 
  stone. 
  The 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  this 
  drill- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  carried 
  is 
  often 
  surprising 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  its 
  

   accuracy, 
  specially 
  when, 
  as 
  in 
  many 
  tubes 
  and 
  banner 
  stones, 
  it 
  was 
  

   made 
  from 
  both 
  ends, 
  meeting 
  in 
  the 
  center. 
  In 
  its 
  way 
  it 
  was 
  as 
  

   great 
  a 
  feat 
  as 
  some 
  modern 
  tunneling. 
  Rarely 
  does 
  it 
  deviate 
  

   from 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  

  

  CELTS 
  

  

  The 
  grooved 
  axe, 
  as 
  will 
  hereafter 
  appear, 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  New 
  

   York, 
  and 
  its 
  place 
  is 
  supplied 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  forms 
  of 
  celts, 
  

   often 
  known 
  as 
  deer 
  skinners. 
  These 
  are 
  occasionally 
  roughened 
  

   toward 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  edges, 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  better 
  grip 
  

   to 
  the 
  handle. 
  These 
  axes 
  were 
  in 
  use 
  when 
  Champlain 
  encoun- 
  

   tered 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  on 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  in 
  1609, 
  although 
  some 
  had 
  

   already 
  obtained 
  iron 
  axes 
  from 
  the 
  traders, 
  who 
  had 
  frequented 
  

   the 
  lower 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  70 
  years. 
  He 
  was 
  surprised 
  

   that 
  they 
  could 
  do 
  so 
  much 
  with 
  such 
  poor 
  tools, 
  and 
  these 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  far 
  more 
  effective 
  than 
  most 
  antiquarians 
  have 
  thought, 
  

   for 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  fire 
  was 
  not 
  used. 
  He 
  said 
  they 
  'began 
  to 
  hew 
  

  

  