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INDIAN IM PIjBM S’K'TS• 
PProft Holmes Explodes Some Theories 
Heretofore Held. 
Near the Piney branch, about one and 
one-quarter miles from Fourteenth street 
and Boundary, there ha3 recently been dis¬ 
covered a remarkable quarry workshop, 
■where the Indians at a period not very re¬ 
mote made their stone implements. 
During the past four or five. weeks Prof. 
W. W. Holmes, of the geological survey, 
has made extensive excavations to the depth 
of about eleven feet and fifty or more feet 
in length. 
Last Tuesday night Prof. Holmes gave 
to the Anthropological Society a full and 
very interesting as well as important ac¬ 
count of his investigations. 
Aeeo r ding to the" theories hitherto held 
by scientific men throughout the world, 
and which they had formed from surface 
finds, the stone implements in their unfin¬ 
ished state show the gradual progress 
from the rudest form of instrument, the 
“turtle back,” to the “double turtle 
back,” and so on up to the spear and 
arrow bead and knives. 
It is supposed that the Indians who 
made and used the “turtle back” instru¬ 
ments possessed a very low order of intel¬ 
ligence, and that their advancement in cul¬ 
ture was indicated by the perfection of the 
instrument used. 
Prof. Holmes completely demolished this 
theory last Tuesday night. He finds in the 
same heap “turtle backs” and “double 
turtle hacks,” with broken instruments 
of higher finish, all mixed with the 
chips and refuse, showing plainly that j 
they were not regarded by the In¬ 
dians as instruments at all, but were 
thrown away as worthless, and the profes¬ 
sor asked why scientific men who are seek¬ 
ing after truth should cling to the “turtle 
hack” and “double turtle back” theory, 
when it was plain that the Indian never used 
them as instruments, but regarded them 
as being of no value. The professor gave 
a very interesting Illustration of the manner 
in which the “turtle back” and “double - 
turtle back” were formed by taking two j 
oblong stones worn smooth by action of i 
the water aud knocking one against the i 
other, skillfully turning them in one hand, j 
T ke first, the “turtle back,” was quickly j 
finished by chipping from one side, leaving j 
! the other side of the stone entirely smooth. 1 
| Again he formed the “double turtle 
iback” by cbippihg in the same manner 
Horn the Other side. 
| He then illustrated the third and last 
stage by chipping from all sides and shap- 
j lng it as desired If the desired shape was 
I obtained without breaking, the instrument 
appears to have beta further perfected by 
pitssure. 
The illustrations so skillfully made by 
Prof. Holmes elicited much applause. 
