THE SCIENTIST. 
165 
At this juncture the diggers aban- 
doned the search, and some days later 
the writer, desirous of seeing all that 
^as to be seen, resumed the work 
and removed the earth and remains 
until the bottom of the vault was 
reached ; several layers being thus 
removed. All of these had evi- 
dently been burnt, as charcoal and 
ashes were mixed with the bones of 
each succeeding layer. The layers 
were about an inch in thickness with 
from two to four inches of earth 
between, and small, flat stones, about 
the size of a man's hand, spread on 
each difl^erent layer as if to mark its 
division from the next above. 
Between the bottom layers, mixed 
with charcoal, ashes and small por- 
tions of burnt bones were found, 
what gives value to the search, num- 
bering about flfty tools and a smok- 
ing pipe. 
The material of the tools is the 
same as the rock forming the vault, 
locally known as "cotton rock." I 
would consider it a species of sand- 
stone. 
Overlying the ledge of "cotton 
rock" in the blufl: is flint in great 
quantities, and in every conceivable 
shape, that these people could have 
resorted to had they been so dis- 
posed, and why they used the softer 
material I will leave to some archae- 
ologist to determine. The tools, 
themselves are made after no pat- 
tern, but selected for their cutting- 
qualities, as they all have a more or 
less keen edge which could be used 
for cutting purposes, and were no 
doubt highly prized, as they were 
found all in a pile in one corner of 
the vault and on top of which was 
found a stone pipe. The pipe is 
made, bowl and stem together, and 
it is curious that people of such 
crude ideas t)f tools and weapons 
should manufacture such a perfect 
specimen of a pipe. It is composed 
of a very heavy stone, the nature of 
which would be difficult to determine 
as it iS' considerably burned. 
A description of the vault will be 
found interesting to many; the wall 
of the vault rests upon the natural 
surface of the ground about three 
feet high and eight and a half feet 
square, the inside corners being 
slightly rounded; it is built in layers 
about four inches in thickness and 
A'arying in length upwards to three 
feet, neither cement nor mortar be- 
ing used in the joints; the corners 
formed a sort of recess as they were 
drawn inward to the top in which 
many of the stones were found. The 
stone for constructing the vault was 
brought from a distance of about a 
quarter of a mile as there is none in 
sight nearer. 
I assume from all these circum- 
stances that these people lived in 
this neighborhood anterior to the 
age of flint tools, as the more recent 
interments indicate that they were 
then entering upon the flint indus- 
try, and it may be that the "cotton 
rock" had become obsolete. 
These people buried their dead on 
the hiorhest ground, covering^ and 
protecting them with these great 
