Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-12-04

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traces OF houses IN the bottom of the vale
IN tue greatest pro!usion, nearly all Of whic
were entirely destroyed, and broken potter
everywhere a5oundeI The majority OF III
buildings We're square, bat many round. an
one sort Of ruin always sh WED two sauar
buildings with very deep cellars under the.
ana found tower between them, seeminyl
Tor watch and defense LII several cases
large part OF this tower was still. standing. :
~ lh.se g; later oacs, judging from the anao \
VI tAs UNDER round work Shops Of the Muua:s
were manufactures of utensils alid lmple
mcnts. Another isolated ruin that a..rac c.
oar attention particularly consisted Of twi
perfectly Circular walls Of cut stone, on
within The other. The diameter of the lnne
circle was twenty-five feet. and the cute
hlrty>e!ght feet. The walls were thick, wer
perforated apparently by three equi dis,an
Fdo.r"ays. Was this tempe? We coatinu
60 70 meet with these groups of destroyed
eilhces al day, but nothing of esp. cia
interest except two or three round towers
ana no perfect cliff LO lscs, until next morn,
ing, when little cave high up from til,
ground was fOu:la> which had been utilized
as HOMESTEAD by being built full of low
houses communicating with one another
sou!e OF Which were intact, and had been ap
propriatcu by wild animals. About these
dwellings were more hicros!yphics scratched
on The WALL, ana plenty OF pottery, but 10 i'm
| piementS. Further on were similar but ra.h.
er ruder structures OH q rocky bluff, but su
strongly were they put together that the
i tooth of time had found them hard gnawing;
an IL one 'ance, while that portion Of the
Cliff upon which & certain house rested had
crai kcu OF and fallen away some distance
Without rolling, the house itself had emained
solid and upright. Traces of the trails to
many OF these dwellings, and the Steps cut III
| the rock. were still vi>aDlc, aud .:tre US .ful
Indications OF the proximity Of buildings
otherwise unno!i.eI
STREET THO LsAND FEET DEEP.
We are now getting fairly away from the
! mountains and approaching the great, sandy,
alkaline pains OF the San Juan river. Our
valley of the Mancos was gradually widening,
but still on either haad rose the perpendicular
sides Of the mesa, composed Of horizontal
strata of red and white sandstone, chiselcd by
the weacher into rugged led.es ana promi-
ncrccs, inden,ed by the great bays or side
canons, and backed up at the foot by tuiuses
Of the gray mari which lay beneath it. FIN
asine Fast river 1000 or 1.300 feet deep and
drained dry. the piers and slips Oh both sides
male Of red sandstone and extending down
to that depth, and yourself at the bo.ton
6 .zilg up for human ka5tations fer atovc
yoc, Ia s1ca picture you would have t2l>
eqSls jafa st f aeao ef tbs Ra R M;ases NJ 6
ern siIe-you rcver find houses on the eastern
cliff of canon, where the morning sun,
which they adorcd. could not strike them full
with its first bcams-one of us espied what he
thought to be house on the flce of par
ticularly high and SIN 10Th portion of the
prccip,ce, which there jutted out into pros
montory, up tie sides Of which it seemed
possible to CHM to the top of the MESA above
the house, whence it might be possible to
crawl down to it Fired with the hope of find
iny some valuable relics Of household furni>
ture il such aplacc, the captain u Bob started
70: the top and disappeared behind the rocks
while we busted ourselves in getting ready the
Photographic apparatus After while all
inarticulate sound f,atel down to us. and
looking up VIC beheld the captain, diminished
to the size of 8 csicket, creeping on hands and
knees along what seemed to US perfectly
smooth vertical face of rock. He had go,
where he could not retreat, and it seemed
equally impossible to go ahead.
ATRAGIC INCIDENT.
There was nom mt Of suspense, then came
a cry that stopped the beating of our hearts.
as we watched with ba,el breath dark OBJ
iect, not larger than a cricket, whirliny, spin.
ming, dropping through the awful SPACE,
growing larger as 1t neared the earth, till 1t
fell with mufiled thud on the sharp ROCKS
below. But ere We could reach il. anOth ,r
object seemed to fall backward from the
highest point, and reelcd down through the
flooding sunshine, casting its flying shadows
on the brilliant bluffs, gathering dreadful
momentum with which TO dash its poor self
on the dcntlcss stones beneath.
The captain had thrown down his boots.
Hewas still there, crawling carefully along,
clinsine to the wall like lizard. till finally
broader ledge was reached; and having the
nerve Of an athlete, he got safely to the house.
He found 1t perfect, almost sem:>circ!c in
shape. of the finest workmanship yet seen, all
the stones being cut true. foot woe sixteen
inches long and three inches thick, ground
perfectly sn1c0tl, on the inside 50 as to require
no plasiering. 1t was about twenty by SIX
feet in the interior dimensions ana SIX 1eet
high. The door and window were bounded
by lintels, sills and caps OF single hat stones.
Yet all this was done, SO far as We can iearn'
with no Othci tools than those made OF stone;
no implements of any kind, were. however,
found here. Overhanging the holse ana
fully 800 feet from the ground was thln
projecting shelf of rock. Upon this bracket
Bob was now to be seen, dancing about IN
very lively manner, and endeayoring to get
below. It would have dampcd bis ardor II ne
had known how thin stratum held him from
the voyage of the captains boots had taken
at any rate he turned pale when nc got Gown
and saw where he had unconsciously Oesa.
INTERESTING REMAINS OF INDIAN LIFE.
Photographs and sketches completed, we
pushed on, rode 20 miles or more, ana campea
lust over the Utah line, two mics oeyo!u
Aztec Springs, which, for. the nrss ume IN
the captains experience, were dry; II was
sore disappointment to us all. ihere wele
about these springs which are AZ the Oase ~
IIte mountain. the natural corner post OF 1our
Territorles. formerly many. large buildings
the relics Of which are very many impressive,
One of them is 200 feet square, win wall
on feef thick and incloscd in the centre CIR
cuIar building 100 feet in circumIcrenS;T,, ny.
Anothcr near by was 100 feet square. WIN
equally thick walls, and was diviaea nTItn T";s
and south by very heavy PaIuou. ..ane
building communicated with the gIeat .as ssUm1
reservoir about the springs. Iness neavy
walls we're constl ucted of outer strong w.'s
Of cut sandstone, regularly LAID 10 mossis
filled in with firmly packed 1rasMens -
stone. chiefly reddish fossilferous itnes.ouH ssI
a profusion Of beautIul L:ss.
: sHa,Is" esneciallv ammcnites and bsccahIes; ~
So,ne nortions Of the wall still stand ~ OF ~
feet in height. but, judging from the amour. .na.
of aee: nsterisl thrown down, the building mus!
originally have been Q very !oIy .r.uce Unu or to
puzzled me was to place tns nan en INV At ali
s.tisfv myself that there had Dcen .ny ,s ali.
an the ground floor. About these .aa h.if
fces were traces of smAlIef ones, cose''"s