﻿ABORIGINAL 
  CHIPPED 
  STONE 
  IMPl 
  EMENTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  77 
  

  

  might 
  be 
  even 
  now 
  looked 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  mentioned. 
  When 
  

   Francis 
  A. 
  Vanderkemp 
  descended 
  the 
  Oneida 
  river, 
  in 
  1792, 
  at 
  one 
  

   rift 
  he 
  remarked, 
  ' 
  It 
  was 
  said 
  here 
  was 
  an 
  ancient 
  indian 
  eel-weir 
  — 
  

   by 
  which 
  this 
  natural 
  obstruction 
  in 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  been 
  

   increased/ 
  

  

  Several 
  such 
  stone 
  weirs 
  still 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  Seneca 
  river, 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  fragmentary 
  condition. 
  One 
  which 
  is 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  

   extent, 
  runs 
  in 
  a 
  zigzag 
  way 
  across 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  two 
  deep 
  bays 
  are 
  

   in 
  excellent 
  order. 
  The 
  third 
  was 
  removed 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  

   large 
  boats. 
  The 
  French 
  missionaries 
  mentioned 
  such 
  structures 
  

   here 
  in 
  1656, 
  in 
  these 
  terms: 
  ' 
  The 
  fish 
  which 
  are 
  most 
  common 
  here 
  

   are 
  the 
  eel 
  and 
  salmon, 
  which 
  are 
  fished 
  for 
  from 
  the 
  spring 
  until 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  autumn, 
  our 
  savages 
  managing 
  so 
  well 
  their 
  dykes 
  and 
  v/eirs, 
  

   that 
  they 
  take 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  eel 
  which 
  is 
  going 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  

   salmon 
  which 
  is 
  going 
  up.' 
  They 
  also 
  speared 
  fish 
  by 
  torchlight, 
  but 
  

   often 
  used 
  a 
  peculiar 
  wooden 
  spear 
  for 
  this. 
  Fifty 
  years 
  earHer 
  they 
  

   had 
  bone 
  harpoons. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  early 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  fish-weirs, 
  in 
  

   various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  Loskiel 
  gives 
  that 
  which 
  was 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  in 
  Pennsylvania, 
  when 
  the 
  shad 
  ascended 
  the 
  rivers. 
  ' 
  The 
  in- 
  

   dians 
  run 
  a 
  dam 
  of 
  stones 
  across 
  the 
  stream, 
  where 
  its 
  depth 
  will 
  

   admit 
  of 
  it, 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  but 
  in 
  two 
  parts, 
  verging 
  towards 
  

   each 
  other 
  in 
  an 
  angle. 
  An 
  opening 
  is 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  for 
  the 
  water 
  

   to 
  run 
  off. 
  At 
  this 
  opening 
  they 
  place 
  a 
  large 
  box, 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  holes. 
  They 
  then 
  make 
  a 
  rope 
  of 
  the 
  twigs 
  of 
  the 
  

   wild 
  vine, 
  reaching 
  across 
  the 
  stream, 
  upon 
  which 
  boughs 
  of 
  about 
  

   six 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  are 
  fastened 
  at 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  fathoms 
  

   from 
  each 
  other. 
  A 
  party 
  is 
  detached 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  dam 
  

   with 
  this 
  rope 
  and 
  its 
  appendages, 
  who 
  begin 
  to 
  move 
  gently 
  down 
  

   the 
  current, 
  some 
  guiding 
  one, 
  some 
  the 
  opposite 
  end, 
  whilst 
  others 
  

   keep 
  the 
  branches 
  from 
  sinking 
  by 
  supporting 
  the 
  rope 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  

   with 
  wooden 
  forks. 
  Thus 
  they 
  proceed, 
  frightening 
  the 
  fishes 
  into 
  

   the 
  opening 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  dam.' 
  

  

  Though 
  their 
  use 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  in 
  this, 
  nothing 
  is 
  said 
  of 
  stone 
  

   sinkers. 
  In 
  another 
  account, 
  pubHshed 
  by 
  Adair 
  in 
  1775, 
  there 
  are 
  

   mentioned 
  on 
  the 
  vine, 
  ' 
  stones 
  attached 
  at 
  proper 
  distances, 
  to 
  rake 
  

  

  