Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-12-02

again anu ne Tell Dack on his side, and q
mournful wind swept wailing by as if it had
been the voice of the dead.
From the San Francisco Herald.
Discoveries of Ruined Cities In the Great
Basin.
| The great basin in the middle of our terri
| tory, bounded on the north by the Wahsatch
mountains, and the settlements of the Nor.
mons in Utah, on the east by the Rocky noun
tains, skirting the right bank of the Rio Grande,
on the south by the Gila, and the west by the
Sierra Nevada, is q region still almost un-
| known. Trappers and mountaineers have passed
| all around the inner side of its rim, but none
have ever crossed it, with the exception of Mr..
| Beale, who traversed. on his recent trip, the
northern slope, and Captain Joe Walker, the
famous mountaineer, who passed nearly through
its centre in the winter of 1850. But little,
theretore,is known regarding it, but that little
is exceedingly interesting, and fills the mind
with eagerness to know more. From Captain
| Walker we have gathered many particulars re-
garding this celebrated trip, and the character
of this mysterious land, which have never be-
fore been brought to light. There is no lack
OF streams within it; the Rio Colorado Chi
quito, or little Red river, runs entirely across
it, about 100 miles to the north of the Gia,
and almost parallel to it, and empties into the
Colorado. About 40 miles still further to the
north, the San Juan follows, exactly the same
course as the little Red, and empties into
Grand river, the most important branch of the
Colorado. Grand river itself pursues course
little south of west across the northern part
OF the basin, while the Avonkaree, a large river
discovered by Mr.. Beale, Green river, and the
Rio Virgin, are all large streams, which drain
| the northern mountain rim, and run in south
erly direction into the Colorado.
The Great Basin between the Colorado and
the Rio Grande is an immense table of land,
| broken towards the ella and the Rio Grande
| by detached Sierras. Almost all the streams
run through canons. The country is barren
and desolate, and entirely uninhabted even by
the lowest order of Indians. But, though now
80 bleak and forbidding, strewn all around
may be seen the evidence that it was once peo-
Piled by civilized and thickly settled popula.
ton. They have long since disappeared, but
their hand-work still remains to attest their
| former greatness. Captain Walker assures us
that the country from the Colorado to the Rio
Grande, between the ella and the San Juan, is
full of ruined habitations and cities, most of
which are on the table land. Although he had
frequently met with crumbling masses of ma
sonry and numberless specimens of antique
pottery, such as has been noticed in the immi-
grant trail south of the ella, it was not until
his last trip across that he ever saw a structure
standing. On that occasion he had penetrated
about midway from the Colorado into the will
derness, and had encamped near the Little Red
river, with the Sierra Blanca looming up to the
south, when he noticed at a little distance an
object that induced him to examine further.
AS ne approached, he found it to be kind
of citadel, around which lay the ruins of a CITY
more than mile in length, 1t was located on
a gentle declivity that sloped towards Red
river and the lines of the streets could be dis
tinctly traced running regularly at right angles
with each other. The houses had all been
built with stone, but all had been reduced to
ruins by the action Of some great heat, which
had evidently passed over the whole country.
1t was no ordinary conAagration, but must
have been some fierce furnace-like blast of
hire, similar to that issuing from volcano, as
the stones were all burnt, some Of them almost
cindered, others glazed as if melted This ap-
pearance was visible in every ruin he met with.
A storm of fire seemed to have swept over the
whole face of the country, and the inhabitants
must have fallen before it.
In the centre of the city we refer to, rose
abruptly rock twenty or thirty feet high, upon
the top of which stood o portion of the walls
OF what had once been an immense building
The outlines of the building we're still distinct,
although only the northern angle, with walls
fifteen or eighteen feet long, and ten feet high,
was standing. These walls we're constructed
of stone, well quarried and well built. All the
south end of the building seemed to have
melted to cinders, and to have sunk to mere
heap of rubbish. Even the rock upon which
It was built, appears to have been partially
fused by the heat.
Captain Walker spent some time in examin-
ing this interesting spot; he traced many of
the streets and the outlines of the houses, but
could lind no other walls standing; as often as
he had seen ruins of this character, he had
never, until this occasion, discovered any of
the implements of the ancient people. Here
he found a number of hand mills, similar to
those still used by the Pueblos and the Mexi. |
cans for grinding their corn. They were made |
of light porous rock, and consisted of two |
pieces about two feet long and ten inches wide, |
the one followed out, and the other made con-
vex like roller, to fit the concavity. They |
were the only articles that had resisted the |
heat No metals of any kind were found |
Strewn all around, might be seen numerous
fragments of crockery, sometimes beautifully
carved, at others, painted. This, however, was
not peculiar to this spot, as he had seen an
tique pottery in every part of the country,
from San Juan to the ella.
Capt Walker continued his journey, and no.
ticed several more ruins on little OF his route
next day, but he could not stop to examine
them. On this side Of the Colorado he has
never yet seen any remains, except the present
races. The Indians have no traditions rela-
tive to the ancient people that once so thickly
settled this region. They look with wonder
upon these remains, but know nothing of their
origin. Capt. Walker, who, we may remark, il
a most intelligent and close observer far supe-
rior to the generality of old trappsrs, and with