The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-03
NUMBER IA.
Ruins Of 4 Great Oitv "a Arizona.

!
ne eye can reach barren wastes stretcl
away IN q continuous succession of des.
egt table-lands and yawning chasms. Il
is Wild, dreary, inhospitable, bound
less waste, a very embodimept Of desc
lation. For IA days the party lost thar
4 trail in the desert, and nearly psrished
with thirst and hunger, at one time 90.
ing So hours without water. One day,
while travelling in one of the impassa.
bic gorges seeking place where they
could scale its craggy sides, Roberts
| discovered what was once large and
populous city. Suddenly emersing on
the top of mesa he was amazed al
finding himself among the ruins Of q
great city, untrodden by foot of man
for centuries, and spreading out miles
before him. It covered an areaof aboui
three square miles and was inclosed by
wall of sandstone, neatly ouarried
and dressed, 10 or 10 feet thick, and
which, Judging by the debris, was Is OF
20 feet before its fall. In most places
it had crumbled away and fallen, and
was covered with sand, but in many
places it was still standing six or eight
feet above the sand banks which had
drifted around it The entire area in
side of this had at one time been cover
ed with houses, built of solid sandstone,
which showed excellent masonry in
tlIeir construction. This aneient oity is
situated In Arizona, about 90 miles
from the boundary line between Utah
and Arizona. and the same distance from
the western Colorado line. It has the
appearance of being an old Aztec city
that has been deserted foI hundreds OF
years and fallen to ruins. u is entire
ly of stone, and not stick of worked
timber is to be seen among the ruins.
Nothing but the walls are standing, and
none of them are now left more than
eight or ten feet above the sand, which
is eight or ten feet deeP. Col. Roberts
is confident from the appearance of the
walls that many Of the houses We're two
or three stories high, but there was not
enough of them left standing to enable
him to Judge accurately of the style Of
architecture adopted by the ancient
builders of this city. Col. Roberts es-
Inmates that there were at least 20,0OC
houses in the city. Twas laid out iH
pIazas, with paths or small streets from
one to the other. There was evidently
one main highway extending through
the center of the city. This has beer
cut down by the winter torrents into :
yawning chasm; 600 or 500 feet deep
and 800 feet wide. 10 is evident thai
this chasm has been washed out since
the city 'wae built, because the walls o.
many of the houses are now oyerhang
ing the brink, and it is not reasonable
to suppose that city would have beer
built on each side Of such a chasm
The walls still bear the traces of many
hieroglyphics, cut deep into them
showing various Indian customs and
superstitions. There are also the ruin
of stately monuments, built of square
block sandstone, well quaFried anC
showing good masonry, which are work
ed with notches and crosses cut int
them at regular intervals The ruins
are covered with sand, which Col. Rob
erts says he is confident has blown there
from the desert, short distance to the
south, since the city was deserted he
thinks that was fertile tract Of country
when the city was built, and that the
inhabitants were forced to desert it on
account OF the high winds which blew
the sand in there after the waters, with
which it is believed the desert was once
| covered, receded. This sand has be.
come packed and sohdifed by the rains,
and is almost as hard as the sandstone.
There is a large ditch, now partly filled
up, running from the city away back in
the hills, 10 to IA miles from the city,
and it is believed this was made for the
purpose of conveying water to the city
for irrigating the ground and for other
purposes. The walls Of tine houses are
rough and worn by the storms Of CEN
turies, which have worn into the soft
places In the sandstone, even in the
walls overhanging the precipice. The
sandstone does not bear any marks ol
fire, and Col. Roberts is confident that
the sand-stor1as which have nearly bu-
ried the city rendered it uninhRbitable
and compelled its ancient inhabitants
10 desert it. No bones, implements OF
relics OF any kind were found, with the
exception Of some pieces Of pottery q
dark color. These were embellished
with paintings of flowers and ornament
al figures in blue colors. The coloriHs
matter is Of blue mineral substanoa
of some kind, which the chemist al
Santa Fe, to whom some Of the potteFy
was shown, could not clearly define
1t is perfectly indelible, and pieces d
the pottery which have been exposed e
storms which have worE away the solid
masonry Of the walls Of she city shoS
| the colors fresh and bright 70 aIl appear.
ances as when new. The pottery itssli
has been found to be perfectly fire prool
upon trial In crucibles and furnaces
and if the secret Of It's manufastuFs
could be discovered it would BE- Worsi
millions Of dollars 70 the possessor, and
the material would be invaluable for th'
lining Of sales and similar purposes.
4 Or All the strange animals in thu
strange country, the Rocky menntaiI
turkey Is the most singular. Il neves
sings untiI dark, and even then 4 faiii
TO do itself justice, unless the sky i
4 cloudy. It frequsnts shs deepest ans
most inaccessible canons Of the noun
tains. and Il can cniy Be trapped lar
ing the early spring and autumn
months. A piece Of bright lin tied q
! long pole VIII attract scores Of thes.
turkeys M Dunbar. 8 Denver hatsr
| aiist, says That It is species Of the a
biaon--a bird that Is found among tn
Andes in South America il is certain
/ " strange aniIaal. aud at times it.
singing Is really beautifnL-6Fresl.
sPrtKfxa Of the vie of Buchans,