Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-09-24
Buried Cities.

+ zThe-first civilization of the world
was near the line of the Equator. In
the tropics alone did nature afford full
opportunities for unscientific men to
become opulent and powerful. Where
food was furnished with the least pos
sible labor, did population increase
most rapidly, and, were men Of leisure
found to cultivate the arts and scien-
ces. In India, Egypt, Peru and Mexi-
co civilization first arose. The same
causes produced the same, effects upon
the inhabitants of both Continents.
With increased knowledge come in
creased power, and the sceptre began
to pass into colder cIimes. In Europe
it crossed the Mediterranean is now
beyond the banks of Rhine, anti
must 'ere long be in the hands of the
Muscovite. On this continent the
splendor ofthe Aztec Empire dazzled
the Spaniard. Moving North there
was at once step from civilization to
abject barbarism. Subsequent inves-
tigation reveals the fact that thena-
tions of the salabrious china tes to the
North had become extinct. he miss
ing link has been found buried in
Arizona and New Mexico. The peo-
pie have passed away, their cities are
covered with the decay of cent uries,
and no record remains to reveal the
causes of their sad fate We are left
to learn the 1stery from the page of
science. ------1 ~
This carries us back in the dim past
when the continent first emerged from
the face of the waters. The plow-share
of ruin first threw up that mighty
barrierth Rocky mountains on the
edge ofthe "Vasty Deep" Then out
amid the foaming billows was seen
the crest of the Sierras. Gradually
they lifted themselves, imprisoning
within their grasp a vast ocean. Slow
ly the whole Western side ofthe con-
tinent rose up towards the clouds and
the Imprisoned waters finding crevices
in the rocks trickled back to its, an
cient level or was carried offby evap-
oration. Only small spot of it Is
left in Utah-the Great Salt Lake
but its saline burden is scattered
broadcast over the land, and the mon
sters that sported in its depths have
left their bones upon the loftiestpeaks.
AS the land appeared above the ocean
vegetation sprang up over all not COW
cred by the water, and our coast was
a happy abiding place for man. Ari-
zona and New Mexico. were equal in
fertility to any part ofthe globe. The
vast body Of water to the North of
them sent its raIns-to mingle with
those from the Pacific coast, and tenn
pered the climate to perfection. But
their mountains began to decay and
send their porous soil into the valleys
which lessned the rainfall and Destroy
ed the forests. The sea which COW
cred Utah ceased to exist. the rainfall
became so unreliable as to prohibit
agriculture and their focks died, and
yawning earthquakes swallowed them
up. They perished' one -by-one or
sunk back into hopeless barbarism and
lost even all their traditions of former
glory, Thus the great territory was
left with its vast mineral resources for
the use of the enlightened Caucasian
race. With the diamond drill and
the quartz mill its rugged mountains
will give up their treasures, and with
the irrigating ditch and the improved
boring augers bringing the artesian
waters to the surface, agriculture will
flourish and proud cities grow above
the buried habitations of lost tribes.