Page:The Journal of geology (IA journalofgeology11893univ).pdf/163

twentieth of the deposit, and of gravel, sand and calcareous powder.

There were, in places, indications of rude lenticular bedding of these materials with a pretty uniform general inclination toward the channel of the river. The appearance of newness exhibited by these deposits was wonderful; the surfaces of the stones were smooth and clean, and many of the interspaces were open as if formed but yesterday. A closer examination showed, however, that this appearance of newness was partly due to the fact that the waters charged with calcareous matter penetrated the superficial beds, partially setting the constituent parts and in a measure scaling the apertures, thus preventing the complete settling and filling that otherwise would have taken place. The constitution and conditions were pretty uniform throughout the section, save at the top where there was a deposit from two to four feet deep of ferruginous sandy loam, containing some fragments, pebbles and bowlders of several varieties of stone.

After three visits, and the most careful but entirely fruitless search for relics of art from bottom to top of the gravel walls, I found myself wondering whether there had not been some mistake, whether the objects found were really tools, or whether the collector had not mistaken materials descended from the surface deposits for gravel in place. It is unfortunate that the statements of collectors in such cases, correct or incorrect, cannot readily be subjected to competent tests of verity; we must be content with hedging them about with all available restrictions in the way of negative evidence.

Having, during the first visit, examined the site at some length, we proceeded to the office of Dr. Metz, in Madisonville, and were shown two objects obtained from the pit at a depth of about twenty-five feet beneath the surface. The smaller of these, a dark flattish piece of cherty, slightly water-worn stone, was rudely flaked along one edge, but the evidence of design was not at all convincing, and it seems useless to place the specimen in evidence. The other object was apparently a work of art, exhibiting decided indications of design. It was found in