﻿52 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ' 
  Several 
  polished 
  tubes 
  of 
  stone 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   lesser 
  mounds, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  apparent. 
  One 
  of 
  these, 
  now 
  

   on 
  my 
  table, 
  is 
  12 
  inches 
  long, 
  one 
  and 
  one 
  fourth 
  wide 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  

   and 
  one 
  and 
  one 
  half 
  at 
  the 
  other. 
  It 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  compact 
  lead 
  

   blue 
  steatite, 
  mottled, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  constructed 
  by 
  boring, 
  in 
  the 
  

   manner 
  of 
  a 
  gun 
  barrel. 
  This 
  boring 
  is 
  continued 
  to 
  within 
  about 
  

   three 
  eighths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  end, 
  through 
  which 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  

   aperture 
  is 
  left. 
  If 
  this 
  small 
  aperture 
  be 
  looked 
  through, 
  objects 
  

   at 
  a 
  distance 
  are 
  more 
  clearly 
  seen. 
  Whether 
  it 
  had 
  this 
  telescopic 
  

   use 
  or 
  others, 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  art 
  evinced 
  in 
  its 
  construction 
  is 
  far 
  

   from 
  rude. 
  By 
  inserting 
  a 
  wooden 
  rod 
  and 
  valve 
  this 
  tube 
  would 
  

   be 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  powerful 
  siphon 
  or 
  syringe.' 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  time 
  these 
  were 
  called 
  telescopic 
  tubes, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  that 
  the 
  description 
  is 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  those 
  found 
  at 
  Otisco 
  Lake, 
  

   Palatine 
  Bridge 
  and 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  which 
  dififer 
  much 
  from 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  stone 
  tubes. 
  Those 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  

   Champlain, 
  by 
  Prof. 
  George 
  H. 
  Perkins, 
  were 
  from 
  seven 
  to 
  13 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  the 
  perforation 
  being 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  general 
  

   diameter, 
  contracting 
  to 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  which 
  had 
  a 
  small 
  

   perforation, 
  closed 
  by 
  a 
  stone 
  plug. 
  Others 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  

   that 
  lake, 
  but 
  these 
  plugs 
  are 
  not 
  elsewhere 
  reported. 
  

  

  The 
  material 
  of 
  tubes 
  in 
  general 
  is 
  soft, 
  and 
  often 
  ornamental. 
  

   Some 
  are 
  gouged 
  out, 
  and 
  some 
  drilled, 
  and 
  the 
  outline 
  varies 
  

   greatly. 
  The 
  long 
  ones, 
  with 
  one 
  end 
  expanded, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  

   small 
  central 
  perforation 
  in 
  this, 
  connecting 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  usually 
  uni- 
  

   form 
  perforation 
  just 
  within, 
  are 
  of 
  quite 
  soft 
  material. 
  Those 
  from 
  

   Otisco 
  Lake 
  were 
  either 
  filled 
  or 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  red 
  paint. 
  This 
  

   class 
  of 
  tubes 
  embraces 
  those 
  much 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  forms, 
  

   and 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  slender 
  than 
  the 
  long 
  ones 
  of 
  California. 
  Some 
  

   forms 
  are 
  drilled 
  from 
  both 
  ends, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  

   larger 
  part. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  but 
  one 
  

   of 
  oolitic 
  limestone 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  Deming's 
  Point, 
  Dutchess 
  County, 
  

   which 
  was 
  broken 
  at 
  one 
  end. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  five 
  and 
  three 
  fourths 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  perfect 
  end, 
  and 
  one 
  and 
  

   one 
  eighth 
  at 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  While 
  it 
  is 
  conceded 
  that 
  the 
  California 
  tubes 
  were 
  pipes, 
  their 
  

   use 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  determined. 
  They 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  used 
  

   by 
  early 
  nations, 
  not 
  the 
  later 
  comers, 
  probably, 
  among 
  whom, 
  how- 
  

  

  