﻿480 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ascertained 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  compass 
  and 
  tape. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  

   the 
  grave, 
  its 
  number 
  and 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  trench 
  and 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  other 
  items 
  of 
  importance 
  were 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  

   book. 
  If 
  the 
  burial 
  was 
  of 
  sufficient 
  interest 
  photographs 
  from 
  one 
  

   or 
  more 
  positions 
  were 
  made. 
  The 
  skeleton 
  when 
  removed 
  was 
  

   wrapped 
  in 
  excelsior 
  or 
  cotton 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  labeled 
  box 
  but 
  not 
  

   finally 
  packed 
  until 
  dry. 
  The 
  objects 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  grave 
  were 
  

   placed 
  in 
  a 
  tray 
  with 
  a 
  proper 
  label 
  and 
  afterward 
  marked 
  with 
  

   the 
  serial 
  field 
  number, 
  this 
  number 
  being 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  

   museum 
  serial 
  by 
  prefixing 
  the 
  letter 
  " 
  F." 
  Data 
  slips 
  numbered 
  

   to 
  correspond 
  with 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  filled 
  out 
  and 
  give 
  all 
  the 
  

   necessary 
  details. 
  Any 
  information 
  not 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  slip 
  may 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  record. 
  The 
  various 
  records 
  thus 
  countercheck 
  

   each 
  other. 
  

  

  Extracts 
  from 
  the 
  trench 
  book 
  describing 
  the 
  pits 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  village 
  site 
  

  

  The 
  trenches 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  plot 
  began 
  at 
  the 
  wire 
  fence 
  that 
  

   ran 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  edgt 
  of 
  the 
  alluvial 
  cliff 
  and 
  20 
  feet 
  from 
  it 
  

   to 
  the 
  south. 
  No 
  excavations 
  beyond 
  a 
  few 
  post 
  holes 
  back 
  of 
  

   the 
  fence 
  along 
  the 
  bank 
  were 
  permitted 
  by 
  the 
  landowner 
  who 
  

   believed 
  that 
  should 
  the 
  sod 
  be 
  broken 
  and 
  the 
  bushes 
  uprooted 
  

   the 
  earth 
  would 
  slide 
  down 
  the 
  bank 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  his 
  land 
  

   would 
  be 
  unduly 
  accelerated. 
  

  

  Pits 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  site 
  

   Pit 
  1, 
  trench 
  1 
  at 
  5' 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  was 
  a 
  refuse 
  pit 
  evidently 
  

   filled 
  with 
  the 
  sweepings 
  of 
  the 
  lodges 
  that 
  were 
  near 
  it. 
  The 
  

   pit 
  was 
  circular, 
  8' 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  42" 
  deep. 
  It 
  contained 
  the 
  split 
  

   and 
  cracked 
  bones 
  of 
  deer, 
  bear, 
  elk, 
  beaver, 
  various 
  fish 
  and 
  birds 
  

   and 
  also 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  ofUnio 
  complanatus. 
  In 
  

   the 
  pit 
  soil 
  among 
  the 
  refuse 
  of 
  fire-broken 
  stones, 
  charcoal 
  and 
  

   ashes 
  were 
  9 
  bone 
  beads, 
  that 
  is, 
  polished 
  sections 
  of 
  cylindrical 
  

   animal 
  or 
  bird 
  bones. 
  The 
  pit 
  filling 
  was 
  an 
  almost 
  uniform 
  black 
  

   from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  yellow 
  clay-mixed 
  sand 
  

   through 
  which 
  the 
  pit 
  soil 
  had 
  not 
  drained. 
  In 
  most 
  pits 
  the 
  soil 
  

   at 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  beneath 
  is 
  ramified 
  by 
  worm 
  and 
  rodent 
  holes 
  which 
  

   have 
  allowed 
  the 
  black 
  carbonaceous 
  pit 
  matter 
  to 
  percolate 
  to 
  a 
  

   depth 
  often 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  original 
  pit 
  bottom. 
  For 
  this 
  

   reason 
  pits 
  often 
  appear 
  much 
  deeper 
  than 
  they 
  originally 
  were. 
  

   Here, 
  however, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  sharp 
  line 
  of 
  demarcation 
  between 
  the 
  

   modified 
  pit 
  filling 
  and 
  the 
  undisturbed 
  bottom 
  beneath. 
  

  

  