﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  861 
  

  

  containing 
  some 
  charcoal 
  being 
  much 
  hardened, 
  possibly 
  by 
  fire, 
  

   although 
  not 
  reddened. 
  To 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  this 
  stratum 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  due 
  the 
  excellent 
  state 
  of 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  bones. 
  

   No 
  animal 
  remains 
  were 
  found 
  with 
  this 
  skeleton 
  nor 
  any 
  utensil, 
  

   implement 
  or 
  ornament. 
  

  

  These 
  excavations 
  were 
  continued 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  so 
  later 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Gage, 
  and, 
  guided 
  by 
  a 
  dipping 
  of 
  the 
  disturbed 
  clay 
  into 
  the 
  

   sand, 
  he 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  crude 
  basin-shaped 
  structure 
  of 
  hardened 
  

   clay 
  which 
  he 
  unfortunately 
  destroyed, 
  not 
  realizing 
  its 
  value. 
  

   From 
  his 
  description 
  and 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  

   removed 
  and 
  those 
  still 
  in 
  position 
  its 
  general 
  nature 
  and 
  

   method 
  of 
  construction 
  were 
  determined. 
  Some 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  to 
  

   the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  a 
  hole 
  had 
  been 
  excavated 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   two 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  sand, 
  three 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  present 
  surface 
  and 
  

   from 
  five 
  to 
  six 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  top. 
  This 
  had 
  been 
  

   filled 
  in 
  with 
  the 
  surface 
  clay 
  and 
  a 
  crude, 
  hemispherical 
  basin 
  

   shaped, 
  having 
  an 
  inside 
  measurement 
  of 
  three 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  rim 
  

   and 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  sixteen 
  to 
  seventeen 
  inches. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  

   four 
  to 
  five 
  inches 
  thick 
  and 
  reddened 
  internally 
  by 
  fire 
  to 
  a 
  

   distance 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  inches 
  The 
  structure 
  was 
  so 
  baked 
  and 
  

   hardened 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  easily 
  have 
  been 
  removed 
  entire 
  by 
  

   working 
  from 
  about 
  it 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  clay. 
  It 
  was 
  completely 
  

   filled 
  with 
  nearly 
  pure 
  charcoal, 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  oak, 
  from 
  limbs 
  two 
  

   to 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  A 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  char- 
  

   coal 
  failed 
  to 
  reveal 
  the 
  slightest 
  trace 
  of 
  bone, 
  pottery, 
  imple- 
  

   ment 
  or 
  ornament. 
  Just 
  beneath 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  rim, 
  but 
  to 
  one 
  

   side, 
  were 
  found 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  a 
  dog 
  in 
  good 
  state 
  of 
  preservation. 
  

   The 
  apparent 
  connection 
  of 
  this 
  crude 
  structure 
  with 
  the 
  burials, 
  

   the 
  care 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  constructed, 
  and 
  the 
  purity 
  of 
  the 
  

   charcoal 
  suggest 
  some 
  ceremonial 
  use, 
  perhaps 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  so-called 
  altars 
  of 
  the 
  Ohio 
  mounds, 
  although 
  it 
  differs 
  

   entirely 
  from 
  them 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  manner 
  of 
  construction. 
  

   Its 
  shape 
  and 
  relative 
  proportions 
  correspond 
  closely 
  with 
  

   those 
  of 
  a 
  stone 
  bowl 
  found 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Moorehead 
  in 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  Hopewell 
  mounds, 
  Ross 
  county, 
  Ohio.* 
  Mr. 
  Gage 
  

   remembers 
  that 
  while 
  setting 
  out 
  a 
  vineyard, 
  some 
  years 
  before, 
  

   he 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  similar 
  mass 
  of 
  charcoal 
  in 
  this 
  same 
  field. 
  

   Subsequently 
  the 
  excavations 
  were 
  continued 
  westward 
  into 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  Moorehead, 
  Primitive 
  Man 
  in 
  Ohio. 
  Fig. 
  xxxviii. 
  

  

  