File:Travels amongst American Indians - their ancient earthworks and temples - including a journey in Guatemala, Mexico and Yucatan, and a visit to the ruins of Patinamit, Utatlan, Palenque and Uxmal (14803326313).jpg

Identifier: travelsamongstam00brin (find matches)
Title: Travels amongst American Indians : their ancient earthworks and temples : including a journey in Guatemala, Mexico and Yucatan, and a visit to the ruins of Patinamit, Utatlan, Palenque and Uxmal
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Brine, Lindesay, 1834-1906
Subjects: Indians -- Antiquities Guatemala -- Antiquities Mexico -- Antiquities North America -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : S. Low, Marston & Company
Contributing Library: Brown University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brown University

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the hills tenmiles from the coast. In the interior, within a fewmiles from the settlement were two rivers called theCarp and the Esconauba. Upon these streams andtheir connected ponds, the works of the beavers werenumerous. They consisted of lodges, dams, canals,excavations, and the open spaces in the forests calledbeaver meadows. There happened to be an unusually large workconstructed across one of the principal bends of theCarp, which by its action in confining the waters hadcreated a small lake. As the size and formation ofthat dam give a good knowledge of the capacity ofthe ))eavers, and their powers of executing works ofconsiderable magnitude, it will be interesting todescribe it with some detail. It was two hundred and sixty-two feet in lengthand nearly six feet high in the centre, wliere thewater was deep. This height diminished graduallytowards the banks. The average width upon the topwas two feet. The slope outwards was in thedirection of the angle which happened to give the
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BEAVER DAMS. 37 utmost resisting power. The base was about fourteenfeet wide. The dam was not made in a direct lineacross the stream, but had cuirves which were convextowards the current, and were placed at the points ofthe greatest pressure. The slopes were formed insuch a manner that the upper side acted as a barrieragainst the water, and the opposite side acted as asupporting buttress. The entire construction was evidently made witha correct knowledge of the strength that was necess-ary to resist the outward pushing force that wasexerted against it. When an engineering work ofthis nature, so great in proportion to the power andintelligence of its constructors, is examined, and itsfitness for the object for which it has been made andfor the duty it has to perform, has been ascertained,it occurs to the mind to consider whether suchoperations are the results of instinct or of someexceptional degree of reasoning faculties. Within the pond was the lodge. It was placednear to the bank wh

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