﻿96 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  flint 
  and 
  jaspar 
  chips, 
  heat 
  cracked 
  stones 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  tri- 
  

   angular 
  flint 
  points. 
  In 
  the 
  ash 
  pit 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  character 
  were 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  large 
  central 
  excavation 
  presents 
  the 
  prob- 
  

   lem 
  of 
  its 
  purpose. 
  To 
  solve 
  this 
  question 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  hypothet- 
  

   ical 
  answers 
  are 
  adduced 
  for 
  consideration 
  : 
  

  

  ist, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  central 
  refuse 
  pit; 
  2d, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   a 
  place 
  of 
  assembly, 
  its 
  gradual 
  slope 
  affording 
  a 
  seating 
  place; 
  

   3d, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  inner 
  stockade; 
  4th, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  

   reservoir 
  into 
  which 
  water 
  was 
  conducted 
  from 
  the 
  spring 
  on 
  the 
  

   hillside 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  ; 
  5th, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  excavated 
  to 
  obtain 
  earth 
  

   for 
  filling 
  in 
  the 
  northwest 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  which 
  is 
  low 
  

   and 
  sloping 
  toward 
  a 
  small 
  gully 
  which 
  drains 
  a 
  spring 
  marsh. 
  

  

  A 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  northwest 
  

   corner 
  had 
  been 
  filled 
  in, 
  presumably 
  with 
  the 
  soil 
  excavated 
  from 
  

   the 
  central 
  pit. 
  This 
  examination 
  also 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  several 
  consider- 
  

   ations. 
  That 
  the 
  pit 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  reservoir 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   ashes 
  and 
  refuse 
  matter 
  were 
  found 
  within 
  it, 
  though 
  not 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities. 
  That 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  reservoir 
  is 
  also 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  no 
  ditch 
  or 
  outlet 
  could 
  be 
  discovered. 
  However, 
  one 
  may 
  

   have 
  existed 
  and 
  the 
  pit 
  been 
  a 
  reservoir 
  previous 
  to 
  its 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  

   refuse 
  dump, 
  if 
  such 
  it 
  was. 
  The 
  refuse 
  matter 
  in 
  the 
  pit 
  did 
  not 
  

   occur 
  in 
  such 
  quantities 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  differentiated 
  from 
  " 
  oc- 
  

   cupied 
  soil 
  " 
  elsewhere, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  inner 
  stockade 
  

   or 
  place 
  of 
  assemblage. 
  

  

  Extent 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  occupation. 
  There 
  is 
  evidence 
  enough 
  

   to 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  long 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  site, 
  the 
  

   surface 
  soil 
  being 
  but 
  slightly 
  disturbed 
  to 
  any 
  depth. 
  This 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  also 
  suggests 
  a 
  settled 
  occupation 
  only 
  in 
  winter. 
  The 
  

   shallow 
  pits 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  dug 
  during 
  the 
  frozen 
  season 
  by 
  

   alternately 
  thawing 
  and 
  digging 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  also, 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  sunken 
  floors 
  of 
  lodges. 
  If 
  animal 
  bones 
  had 
  been 
  buried 
  

   some 
  would 
  have 
  remained 
  as 
  human 
  bones 
  did 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  

   site. 
  This 
  suggests 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  cast 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  after- 
  

   ward 
  devoured 
  by 
  animals 
  or 
  lost 
  by 
  decay. 
  

  

  Purpose 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  wall. 
  The 
  earth 
  wall 
  and 
  trench 
  are 
  

   palpably 
  parts 
  of 
  a 
  fortification. 
  From 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  wall, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  doubt, 
  rose 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  palisades 
  which 
  surrounded 
  the 
  inclosure. 
  

   Indeed 
  traces 
  of 
  these 
  post 
  holes 
  were 
  discovered 
  all 
  along 
  on 
  the 
  

   ridge. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  strange 
  facts 
  which 
  at 
  once 
  appears 
  a 
  curious 
  anomaly 
  

   is 
  that 
  if 
  this 
  inclosure 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  fortification 
  why 
  such 
  a 
  position 
  

  

  