The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-09-29
Ancient America Work of tho Hay.
dom Rraevay.

nen sHfyey.
SAN JUAN RIVER, SOUTHEASTERN UTAH.
August 5, 1ST5.-The limits OF the section OF
country Astounding in prehistoric remains
seems to be we'll defined, for when the first
ruined building Is observed macy moreare
found in the Immediate vicinity; and so,
through the whole country occupying the
orjunctive corners of Colorado, Utah, Arr.
IONA, and New Mexico, will be found scat.
tered. more or less thicklv, these evidences
Of former greatness, uHtil. finally converg-
ing from this barren waste, the last vestige
has been passed.
The letter.writer describes many remains
of no great dignity, together with the hard
ship Of the expedition from the scarcity Of
water. The little that was found was highly
alkaline. The letter continues:
just north of our camp, scarcely quarter
of mile distant, stood collection Of The
most complicated and extended ruins we
had yet seen. The general shape of the
group was q semi-circle. running from the
north around through the west 10 the south
Of where they commenced. The entire
length was some 275 feet. In the erection Of
their durable structures no defuite plan
seemed to have been followed BY the archi.
! ttcts, although, for all We can tell, they may
have had distinct purpose In every pecuii-
arity of design. The outer walls of this
fortress flor everything indicated that it bad
| been used as sucb) stood on solid layer OF
rock, or series OF boulders, hundred feet
above the creek, while the walls Of the To-
| terror of the arc stood on the level
ground below, thus forming two sue
cessive stories 10 the building, the higher Of
which was undoubtedly approache d from the
top Of the lower by means of bidders. The
building.stone was all roughly cut, or trimmed
into rectangular and cubIcal blocks, and pss-
tered together with the hands Of the work.
men. 1t is a matter of certainty that 10 oil
or most Of their house-5uIldIng these people
employed no mason's or builders tools, for
the prints of the tiogers, knuckles, nails, and
whole hands are distinctly impressed 10 the
mud, which is now rs bard as The rocks
which i: Joins together. The very veins and
finest lines on the skin of the fingers Is yisi-
BILE everywhere on the edges of the mortar.
We cannot imagine the amount of labor in
cutting stone, carrying it from the hillsides.
and building it into thousands of cubic feet
of wall that is represented in one such pro-
duclion of those ancient people. Perhaps
thousands of bands were employed Tor masy
wears, although many things suggest the idea
Of rapidity in the erection OF such strong
holds.
REMARKABLE SKELETON
/. Selecting NO chambers among the Others
in the building, We bad them cleared of The
rubbish which had been depositing Tor cen
turtles, aided by small animals, the wind. ana
the wearing away of rocks and mortar. Ihls
reached to depth of three and half feet.
but we discovered nothing on the dor OF the
apartment save fragments of decomposed
crOckery and several pieces OF charcoal ana
other Indications Of fire. Everything had
been destroyed thus, or else had long since
been carried away by wandering tribes OF
indians or exploring whites. In the De'sh-
borhood we discovered several other less I'M
portant walls ADD cavc-houses, which, unlike
those of the Nancos Clnvop, invariably
built on the west side to get the morning
sun, appeared here on either side. lndiScr'mi
nately. SIX or eight miles above the great
ruin a skeleton was found 10 the vertical
bank of the wash. The skull and part OF
the body protruded through the earth,
and so attracted attention. The oody
had been placed In half recumoent attituuc
scarcely four feet below the surface. Which
was now covered with sage brush. indicating
growth OF iaore than hundred years
The skull was dug out perfectly whole, ON
fell to pieces when it was dropped on the
ground 1t showed full, high, intellectual
forehead, and undoubtedly belonged 10 the
dolico cepl,ali or long. beaded division. Inc
head was massive, and unusually long, the
Jaws containing two regular sets OF very urge
and strong teeth, which still were perfectly
preserved. The bridge of The pose was eS'
ceedlngly prominent, and denoted very
n pI N n
that these we're the remains Of one OF the
ancient Inhabitants, entirely distinct from any
Of the representatives of the genuine lndian
tribes of to-day. More developments may
serve 10 solve the problem.
Passing down the Hovven weep, we stop"
ped to investigate many old buildings among
the cliffs and rocks, one OF which stood on
cubical stone thirty-odd feet each way
There were no means OF getting up 10 "hefe
the walls stood around the edge than by
the aid of a ladder or by creeping up the
perpendicular face by the assistance OF sbal-
low, weather-worn ho!lows nlcbed in the
rocks. Just beyond this we observed
ANOTHER GROUP OF RUINS,
situated on hiyh bluff. beneath which were
e,chinus cut in the oycrhaDglng cliff. and
pictorial inscriptions, which were unaouD''
edly produced By tue original builders OF the
surrounding dwellings. Above this, on the
highest point of the mesa, we picked up
number of stone implements and found an
extensive graveyard marked OFT into squares
of about six feet by stores set into the SOIL On
edge. Opening two OF these nothing was re-
vealed but a quantity Of charcoal ana some
white dust. From foot and halt to TWO
feet down the solid bedrock appeared, so that
il was impossible for anything to have been
buried there. The only conclusion at when
we could arrive, then, vas that this particu'
far community practeed cremation, either as
a portion of their religion or because oil the
urgency of the times when their prosecutors
we're driving them out Of their country. we
noticed particularly some large clrcu'ar
mounds, which perhaps marked the resting
place of the ashes Of some prominent person.
ages. .,uoon moor
these ruins, and they descend tose' nel "
the San Juan. 10 theabsence OF any traii we
took this channel as the most available route
by which to reach the next water--tne san
Juan river. This presented wide, smooth,
misunderstanding road, opening out occa-
sionslly into extensive but dry valleys. WlGn-
ing in a zigz4g manner around the points OF
the mesas, which jutted out and doVe-'slied
into each other. Thus We had TO trare'
thirty miles to make twenty. In one place
we stopped to examine one side of the CHAN
mel, where We observed some charcoal ex'
posed to view. We dug into the bank Tor
two feet. and found what had orc: been a
ire-pla containing scorched and burned
slabs of limestone and whole logs OF charred
cottonwood. There was but one OF two ways
to account for this: either the fire hsd orr
pnalIy been built on the surface, and ten
| feet of deposit had accumulated over 1t While
H. ,,o.l, ,pos aatinp ira vyay along its side,