The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-03

20 pc more than 10, 900 feet above the sea- rne
neignborlng peaks. even from this elevated polns'
lowered thousands Of leet above US, Tor THIS u
considered quite a depressed pass. We descehoea
the western slope ana wended our way through
canyon some eight miles In length, aud In th'
afternoon tired, hungry ana almost blinded %
the sand, We passed out into san LoniA
Valley. AT the foot OF the mountains are
situated the mammoth sandhllls, WHICH
cover OF ABOUT ten miles In lengI"
and three or four in width. They present the
most wonderful natural surface feature OF any part
OF the country we have yet traversed. Rising ios
hundreds OF feet (some OF the cones probably
reach 500 feet above the Valley, they resemble
mountain chain Of sand peaks. The SAND IL nner
clean and of beautiful light brown or yellow
color. The ridges and sharpened edges relieve
the monotony OF the coorng. ana the delicate
rtppllnp or the surface Is something exquisite.
These dunes rise up a mass OF barren loose sandr
with only here and there ridge sparsely clothes
with a slcky, pale green grass, Whlch AT SNORT
distance gives the surface q delicate tint, con-
trasung beautifully with the pale back GROUND.
stream (Musca Creek) flows around the base OF
them, and on one side OF 1t the smooth perpen-
dicuar walls OF sand rise TO height OF nunoreoa
OF feet and as tue wind blows little clouds OF SAND
slide down one alter another like whirls Of dense
smoke The stream here Is quite broad and very
shallow, as though the sand mad drlfted in AND
1lled up It's bed. As we passed along Its banks
we could not help thinking that one sudden.
violent blast OF wind might make for US
LIVING GRAVE.
The great mass has evidently drfted here from
the valley beyond, tit must have taken aged
for II TO accumulate. The outlines are constantly
changing. The wind blows a little from one
pout and Sits 1t into the next hollow. Thus in
the course OF time the peaks and valleys will be
reversed as they probably have been countless
times before, and, forever assuming new forms
and creeping onward year after year, the great
body OF sand continues TO exhibit new phases,
but Is never lessened These same drifts might
tell strange tales, could they speak. OF wayfarera
being overtaken by hurricane and buried alive
| in their very bowels or OF wild beasts that per.
ished In their very clutches. The old hunters and
miners, who frequently pass this section, tell
| story OF nock or sheep that were suddenly en-
| quilted in q sand storm while unsuspiclo usly graz
| ing in the neighborhood.
The road through Musca Pass Is q toll road (the
| toll being 81 per team), and opens out into the
valley at the foot of the sand hills. We arrived
here the same night with our mules. but the wagon
| did not reach US until the following day. We
found a notice pinned TO the ooor OF a deserted
cabin, IRON MIR. Holmes, stating that his party had
passed this way during the DAY and would camp
! at the San Luis Lakes
In crossing Muyca Pass the old Ute trail was REQ
| ognized by numerous fragments OF pottery scat.
tered along its borders. Among these we picked
| up jug which was almost whole, made from
coarse. micaceous clay, burned very dark red. lt
| Is impossible to determine the age Of this vessel,
| but 1t may have been fashioned 80 or 100 yeara
| ago, for Its composition Is hard and tough. Very
few. any. OF the Ute tribe Of Indians constructs
clay utensils at the present day, but wickerworK
vessels have been substituted for them. The trail
en- which tni5 picked up has not been trav-
elled by these Indians tor years, so that this fact
! in Itself would prove the specimen to be OF con-
siderable age.
In contrast to this specimen IS one which was
! fortunate enough to OBTAIN IN Denver, which was
dug up on the Denver Plains last winter. 1t was
once evidently bowl used for holding liquids,
| fashioned out Of soft steatite. The bottom II
| elpIcdl, the diameters or which are i've and
! three and half inches but the upper portions
OF the brim have been broken away. II Is well
known that only a lew years ago bows and stone.
pointed arrows were abandoned Tor guns, and
even now IN some portions or the West they are
! still Clipped out OF stone.
About SIX miles from Rosita ito the north), ON
the hillside which we encamped, were picked
up various pieces Of stone weapons OF all forms
aud MAIDS OF many kinds OF rock. From the
| appearance OF these fragments IL may be inferred
that this was once locality where they were
manufactured, as perfect specimens were
obtained. ali being unfinished or imperfecr. We
| found several here In q half-1nished condition
during the summer careful search will be made
for these interesting relics OF the stone age flor
there can be no doubt that some OF them date
back that lar, even If many were IN use alter the
bronze age had commenced). and very impoItant
discoveries are expected to be made.
| THE SAN LUIS VALLEY
is a level, sandy tract, hemmed in completely By
| mi ia WI av.
tent II Is covered with sand several inches deep.
Leaving the bottom OF Musca Pass ut four O'CLOCK
p. NJ started on our drive Of forty miles across
the valley to the Rio Grande del Norte, for In all
this distance there is no water after tho first few
miles, and the heat reelected at midday from the
screening sand would have been almost unendur-
able. AS IL was, the thermometer stood at 12s
degrees in the sun toward evenings but we had O
pleasant breeze, anu as night came on we expe.
rlenced no inconvenience from this source. When
we had passed around to the south OF the SAND
Mills for about eight miles stopped az dusk to
give our ANIMALS the benefit OF some good
grass, growing along the banks OF brack
ism stream, to prepare them Tor their long
journey This was the only green spot that We
saw on our march In the whole valley, and here
we remained for couple Of hours waiting fol
the NOON to rise and getting mouthful OF lunch.
Presently the evening star rose from behind a
snow-cad peak, and after 1t the moon, In lull
chase. At haltpast nine We packed up again and
were or for good II was beautiful, bright night
the air being still and me moon at full, ana we oil
iolt in hiGh spirits Notwithstanding the prospect
| OF good two days. rida before as at one stretch
In this dry atmosphere there Ia no dew, but the
air soon began TO grow unpleasantly cool, and CON
| linued 10 grow colder until we were chilled
through and through.
At halfpast twelve we passed the San Luis
Lakes, the largest oil which Is over O mile In
length, and. as we pushed on, sleep began to over.
come us. IL was difficult 10 preserve one's bal
ance IN the saddle, and every lew moments We
would nnd ourselves In the act OF falling of. The
only way to arouse ourselves was TO walk mile
or so every little while but the sand was so heavI