Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-09-26
Yne pyramid OF Colorado.


Our California exchanges contain some
in.eresrig details respecting The discovery of
n.,am;J in The Colorado desert. If the facts
a. stated by different gentlemen are AUTHENTIC,
tn. history Of This rensrkable antiquity will be
fonn1 well worthy ofperusal and preservation
There appcar to be quite number OF ancient
ru;ns ON the est bank of the Color ado river,
and ling in the western valley of the Calltor-
man mountain range. In crossing the great
desert in a westerly direction, company Of
travellers discovered ruined pyramid, some
hundreds of miles above The confluence of the
Colorado with the ella. This pyramid stands
in the desert, in the vicinity of several small
streams that empty into The Colorado-thelr
origins and courses ha.ins been thus far but
little known to travellers of The present day
The country where this work stands appears
to be given up IL utter barrenness, although
strangely enou Oh bearing evidence of having
once been one oi the most fruitful regi ions Of The
world, The pyramid is composed of layers
or courses of stone, from eighteen inches To
nearly three feet in thickness. Each stone is
from five to eight feet in length.
On the top OF the structure is level area,
more than fifty feel square. The part OF the
ork that once crowned this apex has been re
moved, probably by some violent convulsion
of nature, aud now lies broken mass of ruins
on one OF the sides of the pyramid, nearly
coyce ell by the drifting sands OF the desert.
In lis original construction, this ancient ed
flee is more lapering in it's pyramidal form
than the usual pyran ids OF Egypt. ltappears
10 have been more elegantly finished atruc
tufe. having the outer surface OF the blocks
handsomely polished, and imparting 10 the
fb.
base to The summit. Rising from The ground to
the top there are fifty two layers or courses f
stones, averaging al least two feet each in
height; so that before the cone was removed,
The pyramid must have been at lest one hun
bred and twenty FIVE or thirty feet hgh h.
There is also abundant evidence that sever
al feet fthe structure are burned in the sands,
perhaps to a great depth.
The perpendlcn,ar points between the blocks
are SO worn away 10y the corroding touch of
time as to afford conclusive proof thar this py-
ramd is very ancient one For how many
centuries it has stood therein spot now a
wide wilderness, bnt evidently once like fruit
iul and blooming gardcn-it is impossible al
present to determine. Some idea Of its expos
ure TO the storms, and winds, aud sunshine of
ages may be formed from the fact that the sol
'C'"
Ii omhve TO ten inches at the bottom of each
joint.
One remarkable feature of this specimen ct
antiquity is, that il inclines nearly Ten degrees
to one side Of the vertical or perpendicular
Inc. When this declnaton took place, or
" hat may have caused il, must now be wholly
left % conjecture On one side, thus Hattened
IN he fall, the traveller can ascend and decrnd
with compa'ali case while the Other side is
corrcspondingy difficult.
1t is conjectuTed that this great structure was
erected by the ancestors of the people-a race
approxmaling IN many Of their peculiarities to
the Japanese-who now inhabit Queen Char
loite's island How far this supposton is cor
rect, time alone may determine. The inhabi
tanls of that island appear to have possessed for
long time many specimens OF art of very
curious description. Their fathers, in pene,ra
tug into the interior as they unquestonabIy
did, have left behind them many memorials;
and it is not difficult to believe that this D, RAJ
md OF the Colorado is one of the number.
Tic subject is deeply interesting and or
thy OF tho study Of the lovers Of American an
Equities.
SouTH SIDE RAILROAD The ship Athens,