Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-04-17
Ruins of a City in Arizona.

Foi' hoDertS LED q party OF adventures
n,i ers and explorers, last season into the deser
ah' uneAplored regions of northeastern Arizo
ma southeastern Utah, and southwestern Colo
fac'' For miles OH miles, further than the eye
cabreach, barren wastes stretch away in con
I'm Gus succession Of desert table-ands and
yaNaning cliasms. 1t is wild, dreary, nhos.
pitaole, boundless waste, very embodiment OF
aesolation. For Ia days the party lost their
| trah In the desert, and nearly perished with
thirst and hunger, at one time going 80 hours
Without water. One day, while travelling in
one OF the impassable gorges seeking place
Where they could scale its craggy sides, Roberts
| discovered the ruins of what was ono, a large
and populous city. Suddenly emerging on the
TOP OF mesa, he was amazed at finding him
self among the extended ruins of a great city,
untrodden by foot of man for centuries, and
/ spreading out miles before him. 1t covered an
area OF about three square miles, and was
enclosed by wall ct sandstone, neatly quar-
ried and dressed, 10 or IL feet thick, and which,
Judging by the debris, was Is or 20 feet high
before Its fall In most places 1t had crumblei
away and fallen, and was covered with sand,
but In many places 1t was still standing six or
| eight feet above the sand banks which lad drift
| ted around IL. The entire area inside of this
had at one time been covered with houses, built
| oil solid sandstone, which showed excellent ma
sohry Ill their construction. This city is sit,l-
ated In Arizona, about 90 miles from the boun-
dairy line between Utah and Arizona, and the
same distance from the western Colorado line.
IL has the appearance Of being an old Aztec ci-
W That has been deserted for hundreds of years
and fallen to ruins. 1t is entirely of stone and
IL OF stick of worked timber Is to be seen
among the ruins. Nothing but the walls are
standing, and none of the ~ are left now more
Than eight or ten feet above The sand which is
eight or ten feet deep. Col, Roberts is conf
dent from the appearance of the walls that ma
ny Of the houses were two or three stories high,
Dut 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 estimates that there
were at least 20 900 houses in the city 1t was
laid out In plazzas with paths or small streets
from one 10 the other. There was evidently
one main highway extended through the centre
OF the city. This has been cut down by the
winter torrents into a yawning chasm, 600 or
800 feet deep, and 300 feet wide. II Is evident
tnat this chasm has been washed out since the
city was built, because the walls of many of the
houses are overhsnging the brink, and il is no.
reasonable to suppose that 4 city would have
Deen built on each side of such chasm. The
walls still bear many traces of hieroglyphics
cut deep into them, showing various Indian GUS
toms ana superstitions. There are also the
ruins Of stately monuments, built of square
docks OF sandstone, well quaried, and show
Ing good masonry, which are worked with
notches and crosses cut into them at regular in
terVais The ruins are covered with sand,
which Col. Roberts says he is confident has
blown from the desert, n short distance TO the
south, since the city was deserted. lie thinks
this was fertile tract of country when the cty
was built, and that the inhabitants were forced
to desert the city 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 become pack
cd and solidified by the rains, and is almost as
hard as sandstone. There is large ditch, now
partly filled up, running away back fom the
city in the hills, 10 to IA miles from the city,
and 1t is believed this was made for the purpose
Of conveying water to the city for irrigaiing the
ground and 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 oyerhanging
the precipice. The sandstone does not bear
any marks of fire, and Col. Roberts is confident
that the sands storms which have nearly buried
the city rendered 1t uninhabitable, and compel
led Its ancient inhabitants TO desert it. No
bones, implements or relics of any kind were
found, with the exception of some pieces of
pottery of a dark color. These were embel-
lished with paintings of flowers and ornamen.
tai figures in blue colors. The coloriug matter
is Of blue mineral substance of some kind,
which the chemist of Santa Fe, TO whom some
OF the pottery was shown, could not clearly de-
fine. 1t Is perfectly indelible and pieces Of the
pottery, which have been exposed to storms
ihaV have worn away the solid masonry of the
city, show the color to all appearances as fresh
and bright as when new. The pottery itself has
been found TO be perfectly fre-proof upon trial
In crucibles aud furnaces, and if the secret Of
Its manufacture could be discovered it would be
worth millions IF dollars to the posssessor, and
the material would be invaluable for the living
of saf and similar purposes