6 



Recent Excavations at Stonchengc. 



of the objects were determined by inspection, one side of the 

 registering frame being placed along the side of the stone. 



The material was removed in buckets and carefully sifted through 

 a series of sieves of 1 inch, | inch, \ inch, and J inch mesh, in 

 order that no object, however small, might be lost. 



The excavations were made as a rule, in the order shown by the 

 Eoman numerals in the plan, and as soon as each was completed, 

 concrete to a greater or less amount was put in before the next 

 was proceeded with. 



The setting up of the stone is, however, so intimately connected 

 with the excavations that I propose first to give you an outline 

 of the operations by which it was accomplished. The method 

 adopted for setting it upright was devised by Mr. Carruthers ; the 

 engineering operations were superintended by Mr. Blow ; my 

 special work being the superintendence of the excavations. 



A wooden frame or cradle of stout timbers was first fitted 

 carefully to the stone. This was connected by means of strong 

 cables with two powerful winches about 45 feet distant on the 

 south-west side. 



The operations of raising the stone were very cautiously and 

 slowly carried out. It was raised only two or three inches at a 

 time, and at each interval was shored up with larch struts. 



After it had been set upright in a south-west direction, its in- 

 clination to the south-east was rectified by means of a hydraulic 

 jack working against the lower side of the cradle, until the sloping 

 side of its base practically rested on its old supporting stone. (See 

 Fig. 4.) 



The raising of the stone was begun on September 18 th, and 

 completed on September 25th. 



Here I may say that the excavations which were made were 

 only those which were necessary for the engineering operations of 

 raising the stone. In addition to those immediately around the 

 stone, six holes, A to F, shown on the general plan, were dug for 

 the insertion of the lower ends of the timber struts used for shoring 

 up the monolith whilst it was being raised. Two shallow cavities 

 were also dug for the reception of the winches. 



