Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-01-17

There are also the ruins of stately
monuments, built Of square block
sandstone, well quarried and show
ing good masonry, which are work
ed with notches and crosses cut in
to them at regular intervals. The
ruins are covered with sand, which
Colonel Roberts says he is confident
has blown there from the desert,
short distance to the south, since
the city was deserted. He thinks
this was q fertile tract of country
when the city was built, and that
the inhabitants were forced to de-
sert 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, re-
ccded. This sand has become
packed and is solidiiied by the rains,
and is almost as hard as the sand
stone. There is a large ditch, now
partly filled up, running from the
city away back in the hills, ten to
fourteen miles from the city, and 1t
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
the houses are rough and worn by
the storms Of centuries which have
worn into the soft places in the
sandstone, even in the walls over
hanging the precipice. The sand
stone does not bear any marks of
fire, and Colonel Roberts is conf
dent that the sand-storms which
have nearly buried the city render
ed it uninhabitablc and compelled
it's ancient inhabitants to desert it.
No bones, implements or relics Of
any kind were found, with the cx-
ception of some pieces Of pottery of
dark color.
VALUABLE SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT
BUILDERS.
These were embellished with
paintings of flowers and ornamental
figures in blue colors. The color
ing matter is of blue mineral sub
stance of some kind, which the
chemist at Santa Fe, to whom some
of the pottery was shown, could not
clearly define. 1t is perfectly in
delible, and pieces of the pottery
which have been exposed to storms
which have worn away the solid
masonry of the walls Of the city
show the colors fresh and bright to
all appearances as when new. The
pottery itself has been found to be
perfectly tire-proof upon trial in
crucibles and furnaces, and If the
secret of its manufacture could be
discovered it would be worth
millions Of dollars to the possessor,
and the material would be invalu-
able for the lining Of safes and
similar purposes. Colonel Roberts
staid at the site of the city, CROPPING
among the ruins, for about two
hours and Il half, and then returned
to his party.
The party soon succeeded III find
ing their lost route, and resumed
their journey to the gold and silver
mines, which they finally reached in
safety. Their provisions were
scanty toward the close, but they
managed to kill game enough to
subslst on when their provisions
were gone. They were compelled
to live four days on parched corn,
but suffered far more from thirst
than hunger.
ADVENTURES AND sUFFER1NGs OF
There was such samcness in the
country through, which their route
lay that the most experienced
trontiersman was liable to lose his
way if he became separated from
the main party. One day, while
passing through Northwestern Col
orado, two Of the party stopped to
shoot wild .heep, and fell behind
the others. They became separated
and both got lost. One Of them
ALLOW ed his mule to take her own
course, and she struck the trail Of
the party and followed it, bringing
him safe into camp. The other
person, named Mann, was unable
to find the camp. During the night
his mule broke loose and ran off,
leaving him alone and lost in the
desert. He travelled all the next
day on foot, searching for the party
but could not find their trail. Find
ing the search hopeless. he reluctant
ly turned back, hoping to reach the
country Of the friendly Navajo
Indians. He followed 4 branch of
the San Juan to avoid losing his
way back and to have water to
drink, and trusted to be able to kill
game enough to keep him alive till
he reached tie Indian villages. In
this however, he was disappointed,
and after the second day he suffered
terribly from hunger. He became
weak, and was compelled to throw
away his blankets, and finally his
gun. IOI ioui udf . iIC htu hOIHAHSo
to eat but a piece of tallow that he
happened to have in his pack when
he got lost. On the fourth day
away from the party he was taken
prisoner by band of the Utes.
While they were holding council
over him, to determine whether or
not they would kill him, he managed
to get small piece Of meat which
q pappoose was eating and swallow
it. This, with the piece of tallow,
was all he had to eat for seven days,
His captors finally decided that he
wa; SO nearly starved that he could
not possibly live to reach any other
people, and his death would be as
sured if they turned him loose with
out anything to eat. This inhuman
decision was carried out, and he
was left to starve. But he struggled
on, daily becoming weaker, but
resolved not to die without heroic
struggle, and on the seventh day he
was picked up by friendly band of
Navajos, who fed and clothed him.
When he reached them he was
reduced to mere skeleton, and the
skin hung on his fieshless bones as
loose rs an old gown on a mop han
do He was so weak he could