The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-04-03
Ruins Of a Great City in Arizona.

Ruins Of a Great City in Arizona.
Col. Roberts led a party Of adyen-
turers, miners and explorers, last sea-
son, in the desert and uncxplOred re-
pions Of northeastern Arizona, south
eastern Utah, and southeastern Colora-
do. For miles on miles, further than
the eve can reach, barren wastes stretch
away in q continuous succession Of des-
ert table-lands and yawning chasms. 1t
is a wild, drcary, inhospitablc, bound
less waste, II very embodiment Of desc
lation. For IA days the party lost their
trail in the desert, and nearly persisted
with thirst and hunger, at one time go
ing SO hours without water. One day,
while travelling in one Of tho impassa-
Bile gorges seeking a place where they
could scale its craggy sides, Roberts
discovered what was once Il large and
populous city. Suddenly emerging on
the top of u mesa he was amazed at
finding himself among the ruins Of n
great city, mtrodden by foot Of man
for centuries, and spreading out miles
before him. II covered an areaof about
three square miles and was inclosed by
n wall of sandstone, neatly quarricd
and dressed, 10 or u feet thick, and
which, Judging by the debris, was Is or
20 feet before its fall. In most places
it had crumblcd 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
driltcd around it. The entire area in
side Of this had at one time been cover
cd with houses, built of solid san lstonc,
which showed excellent masonry in
their construction. This ancient city is
situated i'll Arizona, about 90 miles
from the boundary line between Utah
and Arizona, and the same distance from
the western Colorado line, 1t has the
appearance Of being IN old Aztec city
that has been deserted for hundreds of
years and fallen to ruins. II is entire
ly Of stone, and not u stick Of worked
timber is to be seen among the ruins.
Nothing but the walls are standing, and
one Of them are now left more than
cight 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 were 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. Cot. Roberts cs-
Inmates that there were Mt least 2 10000
houses in the city, II was laid out in
plaHaa, 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 been
cut down by the winter torrents into Ii
yuwuing chasm, 500 or 800 feet deep,
and 800 feet wide. II is evident TINT
this chasm has been washed out since
the city was built, because the walls Of
many Of the houses are now %ovcrhang-
ing the brink, and it is not reasonable
to suppose that n city would hive been
built on each side of such II chasm.
The walls still bear the traces Of many
hicrogIyplics, cut deep into them,
showing various Indian customs and
supcrstitiOns. There are also the ruins
Of stately monuments, built of square
block sandstone, well quarricd and
showing good masonry, which are work
ed with nOtchca and crosses cut into
them ut regular intervals. The ruins
are covered with sand, which Col. Rob
orts says he is confident has blown there
from the desert, II short distance to the
south, since the city was deserted. He
thinks that was Il 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 1t il believed the desert was once
covered, rcccdcd. This sand has be-
come packed and soIidiiicd by the rains,
and il almost "a hard rs the sandstone.
There Is n large ditch, now partly filled
up, running from the city AWAY back in
the hills, 10 to II miles from the city,
and 1t ~ 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 nre
rough and worn by the storms of cen
%turies, which have worn into the soft
places in the sandstone, even in the
walls ovcrhanging the prccipicc. The
sandstone does not bear any marks of
fire, and Col. Roberts is confident that
the sand-storms which have nearly bu-
ricd the city rendered it uninhabitablc
and compelled its ancient inhabitants
to desert it. No bones, implements or
relies Of any kind were found, with the
exception of some pieces of pottery of
"A dark color. These we're embellished
with paintings of flowers and ornament
al figures in blue colors. The coloring
matter is OF a blue mineral substance
OF some kind, which the chemist at