Wright.] 
428 
[Jan. 1, 
Nampa , Idaho Ter., Oct. 11, 1889. 
Prof. G. F. Wright. 
Dear Sir : 
Your letter of the fifth at hand and contents noted. In re- 
ply would say that the well is tubed .with a heavy six-inch pipe 
from the top and any light substance thrown in would float on the 
water and be ground to pieces by the sand pump. 
We had been getting some of the clay balls and the character 
of the sand was changing. I had been at the well for several days 
and ran the contents of the sand pump through my hand as it was 
pumped out. I had the clay image in my hand and supposed it 
was a twig. I dipped it into a barrel of water standing near, 
w r ashed it oft' and saw at once what it was. 
Mr. Duffes, a prominent citizen of our town, happened to be 
standing by and saw it all. The driller and helper were the only 
other persons present. If convenient for you, I would be glad to 
have a brief opinion from you as to your idea of it. 
Yours, very truly, 
M. A. Kurtz. 
My third letter to Mr. Kurtz answered his inquiry about the 
possible conditions under which the image may have been buried, in 
which I suggested that an overflow of lava in the lower part of the 
Snake river may have obstructed the water so as to make a tem- 
porary lake, in the vicinity of Nampa, which was filled with sedi- 
ment, perhaps from melting glaciers in the head waters of the river 
near Yellowstone Park, and that subsequently a lava overflow 
had occurred near Nampa and so sealed the whole up. I also 
asked more particularly about the mode of drilling the well and 
about the size of the pump. The letter of the twenty-first is his 
reply. 
The image itself has been submitted to Profs. H. W. Haynes 
and F. W. Putnam, with what results they can answer for them- 
selves. 
Nampa , Idaho , Oct. 21, 1889. 
Prof. G. F. Wright. 
Dear Sir : 
Your kind favor of the sixteenth just received. We did 
not use the drill after we went through the lava rock. With our 
