The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-02-11

feet in width, the sand soaked it up and
it was lost. Wave followed wave and
rolled along and was swallowed up, and
still the floods came from above. 1
found 1 could travel faster than the
stream, SO [ fastened on to camp and
told the men there was q river coming
down the canyon. We carried our camp
equipage from the bank to where we
thought it would be above the water,
and then stood by to see the river roll on
to join the Colorado.
Near the foot of Cataract canyon the
walls suddenly closed in, so that the
gorge was narrower than we had before
seen it. The water filled it from wall to
wall, giving no landing-place at the foot
of the cliffs; the river was very swift,
the canyon very tortuous, so that we
could see but n few hundred yards
ahead. The walls lowered overhead,
often overhanging SO rs to almost shut
out the light. [ stood on deck watching
with intense anxiety, lest the way should
lead us into danger, but we glided along
with no obstruction, no falls, no rapids,
and in mile and a'half emerged from
the narrow gorge into more open and
broken portion of the canyon. Now that
it is past, it seems a very simple thing
indeed to run through such a place; but
the fear of what might be, made deep
impression upon all of us. Shortly after
we arrived at the foot of Cataract
canyon. Here a long canyon valley
comes down from the east, and the river
turns sharply to the west in continue
tion of the line of the lateral valley. In
the bend on the right vast numbers of
crags, and pinnacles, and tower-shaped
rocks are seen. We called it " Mile
Crag Bend.
On the 29th of July, we entered n
canyon with low red walls. A short dis
tance below its head we discovered the
ruins of an old building on the left wall.
There is a narrow plain below the river
and the wall just here, and on the brink
of rock two hundred feet high this old
! house stood. Its walls were of stone
! laid in mortar with much regularity. 1t
was probably built three stories high:
the lower story was yet almost intact,
the second much broken down, and
scarcely anything was left of the third.
Great quantities of flint clnps were found
on the rocks near by, and many arrow
heads, some perfect, others broken, and
fragments of pottery were strewn about
in great profusion. On the face of the
cliff under the building, and along down
the river for two or three hundred yards,
there We're many etchings. Two hours
were given to the examination of these
interesting ruins, when we ran down
fifteen miles further and discovered an
other group.
The principal building was situated on
the summit of the hill. Parts of the
walls were standing to the height of
eight or ten feet, and the mortar still re-
mained in some places. The house was
in the shape of an L, with five rooms on
the ground floor; one in the angle and
| two in each extension. In the space in
the angle there was deep excavation.
From what we know of the people in the
province of Tusayan, who are doubtless
| of the same race as the former inhabi.
tants of these ruins, we concluded that
this was a "K Kiva" or underground
chamber in which their religious cere-
monies were performed.
The sandstone through which this
canyon is cut is red and homogeneous,
! being the same as that through which
| Labyrinth canyon runs. The smooth
naked rock stretches out on either side
of the river for many miles, but curiously
! CdTNeu IuOtllClo anu ColtS are SCtlleIeu
everywhere, and deep holes are worn
out. Many of these pockets were filled
with water, and in one of these holes or
wells, twenty feet deep, L found tree
growing. The excavation was SO mar
row L could step from its brink to a
limb of the tree, and descend to the bot
tom of the well down growing ladder.
Many of these pockets are pot holes, be-
ing found in the course of little rills or
brooks that run only during the rains
which occasionally fall in this region,
and often a few harder rocks, which evil
IDENTIFY assisted in their excavation, could
be found in their bottoms. Others
which are shallower are not so easily ex-
planned. Perhaps they are found where
softer spots existed in the sandstone,
places that yielded more readily to at
mospheric degradation, and where the
loose sands were carried away by the
winds.
just before sundown 1 attempted to
climb rounded eminence, from which
L hoped to obtain good outlook over
the surrounding country. 1t was formed
of smooth mounds piled one above an
other, and up these 1 climbed, winding
here and there to find practicable way,
until near the summit, when they be-
came too steep for me to proceed. L
searched about for few minutes for a
more easy way; what was my surprise at
finding a stairway, evidently cut III the
rock by human hands ! At one place,
where there is a vertical wall ten or
twelve feet high, found an old rickety
ladder. 1t may be that this was a watch
tower of that ancient people whose
homes we had found in ruins. On many
of the tributaries of the Colorado 1 had
before examined their deserted dwell
ings. Those that showed evidence of
being built during the latter part of their
occupation of the country were usually
placed on the most inaccessible cliffs.
Sometimes the mouths of caves had been
walled across, and there were many
other evidences showing their anxiety to
secure defensible positions.
Probably the nomadic tribes were
sweeping down upon them, and they re-
sorted to these cliffs and canyons for
safety. 1t is not unreasonable to sup
pose that this orange mound was used
as a watch-tower.
L stood where lost people had lived
centuries ago, and looked over the same
strange country. L gazed off to great
mountains in the northwest, slowly
covered by the night until they were lost,
and then turned toward camp. 1t was
no easy task to find my way down the
wall in the darkness, and / clambered
about until nearly midnipht before I