Scientific American Supplement, No. 664, September 22,1888Various
History
Scientific American Supplement, No. 664, September 22,1888
Various
Science -- Periodicals
"After the fire died down, rude tools were used to dig a grave at the
middle of the house. It measured ten feet in length, from east to
west, by a little more than six in breadth. The sides were straight,
slanting inward, with rounded corners. The bottom was nearly level,
fourteen inches deep, but slightly lower at the center. Over the
bottom, ashes had been thinly sprinkled, and on these a single
thickness of bark had been laid. The sides had been lined with wood or
bark from two to four inches thick. When this was done, two bodies
were placed side by side in the grave, both extended at full length on
the back, with heads directly west. One, judging from the bones and
condition of the teeth, was a woman of considerable age. She was
placed in the middle of the grave. Her right arm lay along the side,
the left hand being under the pelvic bones of the other skeleton. This
was apparently of a man not much, if any, past maturity. The right arm
lay across the stomach, the left across the hips. This skeleton was
five feet ten inches in length; the other, five feet four inches.
"The space between the first skeleton and the south side of the grave
was covered with the ashes that had been removed from the fire.
Beginning at the feet in a thin layer--a mere streak--they gradually
increased in thickness toward the head, where they were fully six
inches thick. The head was embedded in them. They extended to the end
of the grave, reaching across its entire width and coming almost, but
not quite, in contact with the other head. A considerable amount of
the burned bones lay in the southwestern corner of the grave, and the
ashes along this part curved up over the side until they merged into
what remained of the ash bed. This had extended to the west slightly
beyond the end of the grave.
"As the earth removed from the grave had been thrown out on every
side, the bodies were in a hole that was nearly two feet deep. The
next step was to cover them. There was no sign of bark, cloth, or any
other protecting material above them. They were covered with a black
sandy earth, which must have been brought from the creek not far
distant. This was piled over them while wet, or at least damp enough
to pack firmly, as it required the pick to loosen it, and, besides,
was steeper on the sides than dry dirt would have been. It reached
just beyond the grave on every side, and was about five and a half
feet high, or as high as it could be conveniently piled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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