INDIAN SKULLS—CAVE-MAMMOTH-PINE FOREST. 
257 
N. 60° to N. 75° W. It is intercalated with mica-slate in thin layers. A trap dyke four feet 
thick was found after gaining the level of the plateau or “divide ” It traverses the limestone, 
and trends N. 45° E., S. 45° W., following the stratification or structure of the limestone. 
Basalt occurs beyond, in a horizontal layer, and, on approaching Douglas Flat, the margin of a 
broad plain of this rock is visible high up on the tops of the ridges. 
We passed the mouth of a cave which has recently attracted so much attention, from the fact 
that upwards of sixty human skulls, with bones, were found in it under a layer of black mould. 
A pile of the bones was lying near by; judging from their appearance, they are of great 
antiquity. Indian relics, arrow-heads, and perforated sea-shells, were found with them. An 
old Indian states that, long before white men were seen in California, the northern Indians 
came down to this valley and met his ancestors in battle. A great number was killed on both 
sides, and, it being almost impossible for them to burn the bodies of so many, they were thrown 
headlong into the mouth of the cave and were never afterwards disturbed. Whether this is the 
true account of the accumulation of these remains there or not, it is impossible to say. It seems 
very probable. 
Extensive mining operations are carried on at Murphy’s in a flat behind the village. The 
whole area is claimed, and mostly dug over. The drift is coarse, and consists, in great part, 
of fragments of talcose slate, from three to six and eight or more inches in length. A fine spe¬ 
cimen—the tooth of a mastodon—was exhibited to me, but could not be obtained. It was much 
worn. Another specimen was described as having been formed in plates, “ which were split 
apart so as to give a tooth to each owner in the claim this was doubtless a molar of a mam¬ 
moth or Elephas primigenius. Many of these relics of the past are thus destroyed, or they are 
carefully preserved in obscurity. If they are ever offered for sale, it is at the most absurd and 
fanciful prices. 
MAMMOTH TREES. 
August 7.—We left Murphy’s in the afternoon for the grove of “ Big Trees,” about fifteen 
miles distant. We soon entered a narrow valley, and commenced ascending the canon of a 
small stream. The hills on each side were partially covered with oaks, and afforded an agree¬ 
able shade from the sun, after traversing the almost treeless flats. The aqueduct of the Union 
Water Company is constructed along this valley, and we caught occasional glimpses of the 
flume stretching across the ravine, and high in the air among the topmost branches of the pines 
and oaks. These flumes, and the canal, are of sufficient capacity to carry the water of a good- 
sized mill-stream. The canal is about five feet wide, and is thoroughly made. It, with the 
flumes, is said to extend ninety miles. The capital stock of the company is $200,000, and two 
dividends, of four per cent., have been paid, or eight per cent, for two months. It being in 
contemplation to extend a branch to connect the upper end of the aqueduct with the head-waters 
of the Stanislaus, the dividends are now withheld. It is expected that the extension will pro¬ 
vide a most abundant supply of water, not only for mining, but agricultural purposes. 
As we proceeded, the surface became more undulating, and we rode through dense forests of 
tall pines, towering up as straight as a liberty pole for two hundred feet or more. The soil 
appeared deep and rich, and there were very few outcrops of rock. The absence of underwood 
permits the surface to be seen for a considerable distance on each side. 
These giant pines stand so'widely apart, and are so free from limbs up to a height of fifty or 
seventy feet and more, that vision can extend, under their shade, to a great distance. The 
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