THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16892, 9 February 1917, Page 6

THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND.

The statues of Easter Island, in the South-JBast Pacinc, some 20U0 miles honvthe coast of South America, have I remained the mystery of the Pacific1 since: the first European discoverer or! the island, the 'Dutch Admiral Roggeveen, sighted it on Easter Day, 1772, s>aid Mrs. Scoresby Routledge, relating to the Royal-.;Geographical- Society recently, her= .work during a residence f J6£ months on the island. All round the coast are the remains of what were known as the stone terraces, numbering ■aoout1 2-ul). Tnese. terraces consisted of a long wall on the side of the sea, about' 300 ft. in length - and eight to twelve feet in : height,■■' Hanked on either side by a paved :ciope of masonry. The wall consisted of a- central portion and two. wings, and on the top of the centre portion was a level platform on which stood the images . They had their backs to the sea, but not one of the statues was now in place; hey had Talien forward and lay .in/a row on their faces. It have been suggested that thY images were thrown down by an earthquake, but nothing was found to confirm such an idea. Some of,the''images had been more than 30ft. in height, but from about 12ft,. to 20ft. were more usual measurements. In the quarries on the south-west^ portion of the mountain Kano Raraku the statues could be seen oy scores at every,stage of completion, left precisely as they were when the work was stepped. In all there were about 150 partially-finished statues, and n the detritus below the quarries a argo number had been set up, and they all stood with their backs to the mountain. The statues had not bsen oriented, nor were they erected after any' particular method, being simply set up mi the spot most convenient to the quar\Z> or sometimes in the quarry itself. With regard to .the problem of how the I states were transported, the lecturer could throw no light on the means' em- ! ployed. ihe present inhabitants of .th©^ island knew nothing of the origin or the great works; they, simply took the statues tor-granted,- and they were lof no particular interest to them. Th* j mystery of Easter Island was a puzzle ot many pieces, and a larse number of tiiem must be sought outside the island ltsGu.